Meet William Joseph Hill | Actor/Writer and Filmmaker — creator of CYBER FIGHTER, a sci-fi martial arts adventure with a comedic kick

We had the good fortune of connecting with William Joseph Hill and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi William Joseph, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Constant communication and engagement with my followers and fans. Building a brand includes nurturing online relationships between you and your fans (or customers). With CYBER FIGHTER, both promoting the book as well as the film project and Indiegogo Campaign, it has been a lot of outreach via email newsletters, social media posts and direct emails as well.

Before you start, though, be sure to build your branding and improve your product/service so it is top notch. Quality is what is going to make people respond well. The goal has to be providing something useful that adds to the world, instead of trying to cash in on a trend or go for a money grab.

Marketing materials should also be adding value. With my newsletters, I try to write articles that give tips on my process as a writer and filmmaker. Since I’ve been doing this since my teen years, I’ve had a lot of ups and downs that I can share with those just beginning their journey and give them encouragement to keep going.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I’ve been making films since high school, growing up in Hawaii where I also began my lifelong journey in the martial arts. I always wanted to work in Hollywood and moved here where I began acting in indie films and writing screenplays. It’s definitely been a challenge as it takes a lot of time to build working relationships here that help you get more jobs and work in the industry.

Around the early 2000s I began working on development for my feature script CYBER FIGHTER which was a sci-fi/martial arts mashup that was inspired by “The Matrix”, but instead of downloading skills to work in the VR world, the technology used VR to download real life martial arts skills to the brain to work in real life. At the time I was writing the script, I was temping at an aerospace contractor, so I incorporated a lot of the defense industry into the story. CYBER FIGHTER became this military-grade program designed to train troops at an accelerated level, and my hero Brian Baldwin was the beta test guinea pig.

The script has gone through many rewrites over the years — I would get other gigs and jobs and have to put it on hold, or I would be developing it with different producers and then the project would fall through. But I never gave up. Each iteration brought me closer to this moment.

Finally a few years ago, I decided to take the feature script and turn it into a novel which I self-published on Amazon. I also decided that the best way to get the feature film done was to first do a short film proof-of-concept that would show not only my vision, but me in the lead role of Brian Baldwin. It’s a character that is close to my real-life persona, and showcases my decades of martial arts training — though in the story, I get these skills in only 3 days!

The book has done well and I have just launched an Indiegogo campaign for the short film. Along with that, I’ve done a comic book adaptation as well that shows a lot of my production design for the short.

There are some groundbreaking special effects that we need a budget to pull off, using virtual sets built in Unreal Engine and compositing them with live action actors shot on a greenscreen stage. Plus, one of the practical locations we want to use is an iconic office building in Downtown L.A. that has been used in many movies and TV shows. It really captures the feel for the defense contractor.

I’ve learned that you need to stay persistent and cultivate a sustainable lifestyle so that you don’t burn out. This business definitely takes a lot of courage to keep going. But taking the indie path gives you a sense of control and empowerment that creative artists in the film and TV world usually don’t get to experience.

Another lesson is to keep learning new things. I’ve had to teach myself everything about film production, from development all the way through distribution. I work in front of and behind the camera and this gives me a real appreciation for those craftspeople who all contribute to the making of a film or show. From the Production Designer, to props, wardrobe department, hair & makeup, etc. …as well as the many grips and craft service people who make a film set one of the most awesome places you can work.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My wife Pamela and I love Burbank. Not only do you have Warner Brothers and Disney relatively close to each other, but the parking is awesome. Toluca Lake is also another favorite haunt for us. We love the Bob’s Big Boy that’s been around since 1949 — it’s an iconic sight that you can see pop up in some vintage TV shows too! My favorite cuisine is Mexican, so we also love Don Cuco’s which is down’ the street from Bob’s.

The brand new Academy Museum down the street along the Miracle Mile is a must-see for anyone who is interested in the movies. You also can’t forget Hollywood/Highland and the iconic Chinese Theatre — seeing a movie on the big IMAX screen is also a must-do. I’ve lived in L.A. for a long time — when I moved here, they were still building Hollywood/Highland, and the Chinese Theatre was only a 3-plex. (If you watch the original “Rush Hour” with Jackie Chan & Chris Tucker, that was what Hollywood looked like when I moved to L.A.).

If you love live theatre, The Pantages in Hollywood gives you a taste of Broadway, as many of the national tours will perform here. Pamela & I have seen many awesome shows there from “Book of Mormon”, to “Wicked” to the revival of “Fiddler on the Roof” where we were blessed to witness the late great Topol reprise his role of Tevye.

Hollywood Bowl — best venue for summer concerts! You can bring a picnic basket and get there a few hours before the show for a dinner date complete with a bottle of wine. We love the concerts where they play the movie score live with the film. One of our favorites was when they did a live score of E.T., one of John Williams’ greatest scores.

I can’t forget to mention — as a former Kama’aina from Hawaii, you gotta experience the beaches here! I love Manhattan Beach and Playa Del Rey — great for boogie boarding. Venice Beach is where all the tourists go — locals like quieter places to relax and grab some rays.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to dedicate this to my wife Pamela who’s been by my side and my biggest cheerleader since the beginning. We’ve just celebrated our 21st Wedding Anniversary. An actress and writer herself, most notably with her book “The Next Contestant is…” which chronicles her many game show appearances, she’s given me encouragement and has helped guide me on this path. I’ve certainly stumbled less with her in my corner!

Website: http://williamjosephhill.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/williamjosephhill

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/william-joseph-hill-609b971a/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/fourscorpio

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

Youtube: http://youtube.com/fourscorpio

Other: Please check out our Indiegogo campaign for CYBER FIGHTER — we are looking to raise production funds for the short film. I’ve created many awesome digital perks including a behind the scenes “backstage pass” video diary, scans of early script drafts with rewrite notes, a digital copy of our shooting script, eBooks of the novel and comic adaptation, and also digital art books showing our production design, and my favorite — digital movie trading cards modeled after the old Topps “Star Wars” cards from the 70s. You can see it all here and back us at: https://igg.me/at/CYBERFIGHTER I want to thank you in advance for your support!

Image Credits
Lesley Bohm