Alumni Spotlight
Hayden Craddolph ’93 & ‘06

When Hayden Craddolph ’93 & ’06 began writing a thesis for his Master’s degree in Electronic Media at KU, he knew he wanted to think outside the box. He may not have known, however, that his creative graduate project would become a cutting-edge, prestigious on-line venue for independent short film makers in only a few years!

In October 2004, Craddolph launched Haydenfilms.com and the Online Film Festival as a component to his graduate thesis “Developing a Community of Independent Film/Video Producers to Foster Creation, Marketing, and Distribution of Digital Media”. Finalists for the on-line competition submitted short films of various genres, no longer than 35 minutes in length. The winning filmmaker of the First Annual Haydenfilm Online Film Festival, Quinn Saunders, received a $10,000 cash prize which was awarded in January 2006 at the Director’s Guild Theater in New York City.

Since graduating this past May, Craddolph, who resides in Kutztown, devotes much of his time making sure the second season of his Online Film Festival proves to be as successful as the first. This year he received over 195 international entries, which were reviewed by industry experts. The pool of candidates has been narrowed to 50 finalists, which are displayed on the website www.haydenfilms.com. The top four filmmakers will have their films shown during the winner’s ceremony in January 2007, and one finalist will earn the top $10,000 prize.

For Craddolph, Haydenfilms has been a dream project, despite some challenges. “While it is becoming more common to watch content online, most people still aren’t comfortable viewing a feature-length film on their computer, which is why we limit submissions to 35 minutes,” says Craddolph. The online format of the festival also makes securing sponsorships more difficult. “Most sponsors aren’t accustomed to promoting their products via an online festival,” Craddolph explains, “But, we can actually offer a more captive audience through interactive streaming video clips preceding our films. In addition, our awards ceremony allows sponsors direct and personal access to our filmmakers and members.”

In spite of the drawbacks, Craddolph plans to continue cultivating relationships with talented filmmakers and offering them an alternative distribution model for their work through Haydenfilms. The Online Film Festival currently runs from September 13 – November 15. Craddolph is also involved in the Berks County Movie Madness Festival, which promotes films with a Reading connection. The Berks Movie Madness Festival, sponsored by the Berks Arts Council, is screening films October 4-12, including the animation films presented by KU Emeritus Tom Schantz. For more information, please visit the KU alumni website.

Craddolph credits his film achievements back to the support he received from KU faculty. “KU prepared me for a future in film because all of my professors were flexible and open to my ideas on creating a film community and online festival,” Craddolph acknowledges. His thanks are especially extended to his Electronic Media advisor, Dr. David Kintsfather, who supported the project from the start. “I cannot overstate my gratitude to my thesis advisor for guiding me in my pursuit of such a unique thesis topic.” While Craddolph plans to pursue a PhD in film or computer science, for now, he is enjoying the success of Haydenfilms and the opportunities he provides struggling filmmakers to display their work. Craddolph’s greatest joy was reading this quote from Quinn Saunders who won the first $10,000 grand prize: “I plan to use part of [the money] to shoot another short film, but most if it I’m going to save – this is the first time in my life I won’t be living week to week!”