Meet Taylor Morden | Independent Filmmaker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Taylor Morden and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Taylor, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I really like making stuff. I think the feeling that comes from putting something out into the world, whether it be a film or music or any piece of art, and having someone respond to it in an emotional way, is one of the greatest feelings in life.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’m an independent filmmaker. That means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. I think that what it really means to me is that I’m making movies without the support of any studios or the Hollywood establishment.

I started out as the kid in high school in the 90’s carrying around the VHS camcorder to avoid having to do actual schoolwork. Then spent many years pursuing a life as a ‘professional’ musician. By the time I turned my focus back toward filmmaking, it came with a bit of the DIY flavor that I learned from playing in bands.

Making a living with art was always the goal, but often times in the world of filmmaking you have to do a lot of things that aren’t necessarily feeding the artistic soul. I filmed a lot of real estate videos, wedding videos, and commercials over the years before ever thinking about making feature films.

One thing I’ve learned along the way is that persistence is rewarded and giving up will get you nowhere.

My particular brand of filmmaking tends to lean into nostalgia, pop-culture. I like to say that if it wasn’t for pop-culture, I wouldn’t have any culture at all. That’s part of why my company is called Popmotion Pictures.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
(Assuming this is about LA? I’m from Oregon)

When I’m in LA, it’s often as the tourist, so I usually go wherever someone recommends.

As a permanent pop culture nerd, I’m always up for a studio tour or a trip to Disneyland. I love a good comedy show at the UCB theater. There’s also something pretty incredible about just heading to the ocean and putting your feet in the sand and staring out into the void.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I think that the person that most influenced my carreer in the arts is my mother. She spent most of her life making art and being creative and although it wasn’t always easy, it definitely put the idea in my head that it was possible.

Website: https://www.popmotionpictures.com

Instagram: @popmotionpictures

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-morden-a5808961/

Twitter: nah

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PopMotion

Image Credits
Courtesy of Popmotion Pictures