Award-winning independent filmmaker Elmer J. Howard is a Maine native. Changing the world one production at a time is his motto, and how he chooses which films to bring to life. His first short, Loving Martin, is based on a true story of love, loss, and hope. His current short, Kings & Queens, is about a lesbian who is down on her luck and finds solace in a local drag community while searching for her authentic self. Elmer won 11 awards in 2019. Entertaining has been his passion since he was a teenager, making short films that wow and excite family and friends. Elmer got his baptism by fire into the entertainment world by landing his first job and first exposure as a craft services assistant on the Disney film Flubber with Robin Williams, where he was also an extra. After taking a 12-year detour, Elmer returned to filmmaking in 2010 when he was introduced to Phoenix’s independent filmmaking community, starting his production company Thrive Productions that year as well. Elmer has a passion and a gift for telling stories through a visual medium and positively impacting his audience by getting them to think and challenging their beliefs while entertaining them, which fuels his passion.