Ahead of Melbourne WebFest 2014 we are profiling all the series in the Official Selection as well as the “Second Look” series. 

Talent Freaks illustrates the inward significance of art through the eyes of five low country artists. This behind the scenes view of the artists promises viewers not only spectacular artwork and fascinating people, but also insight into their own passion and creative genius.

From pen & ink and oils, to coffee, driftwood and spray paint, these individuals don’t confine themselves to just one idea or medium. They embrace mistakes and accept flaws, working through the entire process and moving out of their comfort zone to create something truly remarkable.

Creator Andy Coon was born and raised in Montclair, NJ and from an early age was inspired by love, friendship and compassion. Today, he is driven by that same intrinsic enthusiasm, always looking to perfect his art of eliciting emotional connections through storytelling. Through his work, audiences of all backgrounds continue to find new or even renewed appreciation for the important things in life.

What inspired your series?

This series was therapy for me for a couple of reasons.  The first is my parents were art educators for years and I did not share their interests for most of my life.  The second, I have many questions that I ask myself about my creative addiction and if it is “normal”.  I found five artists whose work inspired me and figured what better way to ask them the same questions that I ask myself.  What I found were five incredible artists that shared many similarities with me and helped feed the creative beast in me at the same time.

What do you want people to take away from your series? 

I want people to appreciate not only the art of the artist but also the creation process and mental hurdles that they take to get to the finish line.

How do you finance your series? 

I work a full-time job at a software company in their media department and support my series with my own finances.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome in production? 

The biggest challenge that I had to overcome in production for Talent Freaks was time with the artists.  I had to be around them when they were creating art. For instance, Douglas took about five months to complete the mural and once I got started on that project with him I wanted to finish the process with him. Another challenge was finding the right music for each episode.

How do you reach your audience? 

I was very fortunate to have been chosen as a Vimeo staff pick for the first episode of Talent Freaks. But I lost the audience as I waited each week to release the next episode. Season 2 will be released all at once. I learned when you have the attention of the internet get as much as you can. I sent out press releases to blogging sites relative to the subject matter and tweeted to art magazines and fans of the artists.

Is it an ongoing project? If so, can you give us some clues about what comes next? 

Talent Freaks Season 2 is currently in production with more incredible artists and will be shooting throughout the summer months.  We will be doing a small kickstarter campaign to raise money for travel expenses, production tools and other miscellaneous expenses.  We have secured three artists for next season and still are searching for two more to round off the Season.  We are very excited to secure these amazing artists and can’t wait to finalize it all.  The main goal is to push for season 3 where we will do a large kickstarter campaign to help fund the series to go across the country and tell the stories of the artists that we find are interesting.  Stay tuned.

Talent Freaks on the web:

Website:  talentfreaks.com

Facebook: facebook.com/talentfreaktheseries

Twitter: twitter.com/AllAcesMedia

Featured artists:

Douglas Panzone: dynastymuralworks.com/home.html

Sarah Haynes: sarahmhaynes.com/

Reynier Llanes: reynierllanes.com/

Jordan Beiter: fineartamerica.com/art/all/jordan+beiter/all

Keep up to date with Melbourne Web Fest on twitter: @MelbWebFest

La Trobe University is a festival sponsor of Melbourne WebFest.