Inner-City Filmmakers Meet Their Hollywood Heroes: A Tiger's Tale by Travon "Tiger" Brumfield There's no such thing as a part-time dad. But I could always depend on my mom. I was brought up in the South Central part of Los Angeles. It was a tough neighborhood and I knew a lot of gang members, but I'd never dare bring any of them home. My mom would kick my butt if I did, and she could kick harder then anyone else I knew. The editorial crew for Mighty Joe Young (from left): Gordon Antell, Paul Hirsch, Tiger Brumfield, Mellissa Bretherton. There were a lot of conflicts at home. Mom was raising us kids, working and going back to school to make things better for us. There were conflicts at school as well. I was always trying to fit in, walking the line between the popular kids and the book-smart kids, the geeks. Mom spent a lot of time talking to me. I know now that not everyone is lucky enough to have someone like my mom to show them right from wrong, and I'm grateful. Then a high school friend of mine told me about the Inner-City Filmmakers program. I wanted this! After interviewing with ICF founder Fred Heinrich, I was accepted for the 1996 summer class. There are a lot of kids out there that want an opportunity to show they can succeed but never get it. This was my big chance, something no one had ever given me before, outside of my mom, but she's family. I felt special and I was willing to work hard to prove myself. During the summer program I met Robert Wise, who had edited Citizen Kane. After hearing about the hardship of his early life, I wanted to succeed like he did. I was amped up. Through ICF I got a post-production P.A. job working for Eric Sears, A.C.E., on The Sixth Man at Disney. Next, through Marc Solomon at Warner Bros., I got a chance to work as a driver at SoundStorm for Bruce Stambler, M.P.S.E., who was creating the sound effects for The Postman at the time. Afterwards Fred spoke to Paul LaMori at Disney, and Paul set up an interview for me with Paul Hirsch, A.C.E., who was working on Mighty Joe Young. I was nervous. Here I was a kid who didn't have anything to offer but an eagerness to learn. I guess he saw that. Paul Hirsch gave me a chance, and in 1998 I reached a personal goal by becoming a member of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. I have everyone at Disney to thank for that. For me, succeeding in the film industry meant everything, so I decided that I needed to make some sacrifices. No partying. No going out on weekends. I isolated myself from my friends so I could stay focused. I paid my own way through school and worked on my writing on the weekends. I'm still paying my dues. I started in the film business at age 18 and I'm 22 now. Being as young as I am, I don't take anything for granted. It's a lot of hard work and discipline and I've learned a lot: Be humble. Be honest. Be yourself. The rest will come. Inner-City Filmmakers is like a blessing from God. It's given me a foundation to lean on. ICF provides me with a strong hope for the future of my career in the entertainment business. I love editing. I also want to write and produce. That's why I love this business: anything is possible. If I keep running into people like Marc and the two Pauls, I'll be very lucky. It's time for me to leave the nest. Mom needs her own space. But I just want her to know it's not just this business that's driving me, it's my life. She's done a great job.   For more information on Inner-City Filmmakers, contact Fred Heinrich or Stephania Lipner at (323) 467-7227.   Reprinted from The Motion Picture Editors Guild Newsletter Vol. 19, No. 6 - Nov/Dec 1998   Guild Home | Newsletter Home | Top of Page   Copyright © 1998, All Rights Reserved by The Motion Picture Editors Guild, IATSE Local 700