July 6, 2021 Grandfather is to blame

The Liberty Gazette

July 6, 2021

Ely Air Lines

By Mike Ely and Linda Street-Ely

Linda: Not often do I sit down and chat with multiple Emmy Award winning director/producers. Through their company, Hemlock Films, Kara White and her husband, Adam, produce the most stunning aviation documentaries.

I first met them on scene at an Air Race Classic race several years ago while they were filming their documentary, “Beyond the Powder,” about the history of the race. Theirs is a story as sweet as the movies they make. 

Kara graduated from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in video production and went to work for HBO and A&E in New York City. After a few years’ experience under her belt, she decided it was time to return home to northeast Ohio. While job hunting, she came across Adam’s website. 

Aviation documentaries? You can do that? she wondered. 

Let me step back for a moment and tell you that growing up, her best friend was her grandfather. “My grandfather is to blame for everything,” she grins. “He taped movies on VHS, and we used to watch Turner Classic Movies together all the time. His name was Richard Moore, and he liked ‘Band of Brothers,’ not only because it’s a great story, but there’s also a guy named Moore in it.”

So, when she had this assignment in college to interview someone not of her generation, she naturally chose her grandfather. “What shall we talk about?” he asked. Anything would have been fine with Kara, but he had a perfect suggestion. “How about the war?”

“Grandpa had been a tail gunner on a B-24 in the Pacific during World War Two,” Kara explained. “I was 18, and it was my first documentary. He died in 2006, and I am so glad I have all those stories. He had all the letters he had written to my grandmother. Their whole courtship. It was so beautiful, I made it into a book, “My Very Dearest Anna.” I fell in love with his scrapbook and then with airplanes.” 

Fast-forward, now she had discovered this niche film company. Could there be a more perfect job than this, with Hemlock Films? She contacted Adam, and they met for an interview. Everything went so well, that the next day they went on their first date — he took her flying in a Cessna 172. It was love at first flight.

Adam’s degree is in motion picture production from Wright State University’s prestigious film program. Together, their passion for aviation, history, and the art of storytelling drives them to make movies that are profound. While most folks can tell if a movie is or isn’t good, knowing how to make it magnificent is a gift. How to capture an image technically is one thing, but how to tell a story is another. Kara is a huge part of the reason Hemlock Films produces the kind of movies that cuddle up to your heart, open your mind, and settle well in your soul.

Come back next week to find out what it means to tell stories that change lives.

ElyAirLines.blogspot.com