Meet Jd Karpicke

Today we’re excited to be connecting with Jd Karpicke again. If you haven’t already, we suggest you check out our prior conversation with them here.

Jd, we are so thrilled to be connecting again and can’t wait to hear about all the amazing things you have been up to. Before we jump into all of that, some of our readers might have missed our prior interview, so can you take a moment to reintroduce yourself?
My name is JD Karpicke, founder and lead producer at Row7films.com. We are a storytelling operation through the expression of film. Growing up as a musician, I’ve collected decades of experiences participating in the harmony of working with an ensemble. In pursuit of my true passion, filmmaking, I was able to harness some of the same techniques the language of music afforded me and apply that to a much broader art form. My art has always been about collaboration. Though I’ve been confident in my ideas, I also saw that my vision was not something I could achieve on my own. I found early on that to manifest this, I needed to build a crew so we could all shine brighter together. Picking a great team has been the single most important decision I’ve ever made. There are filmmakers who claim to “do it all”, but I’ve seen those films that suffer from a lack of outside input. If someone is there for you and shares your passion, you should give them a key to it so you can enjoy the collective outcome. I’m not interested in telling one story, one script, one project; rather we’re committed to find the way our team can grow together over a multitude of projects.

Alright, so our main goal today is to give our audience an update on what you have been up to since our last conversation. We’d love to hear how things are going and what you are most looking forward to or excited about these days.
WE FINISHED OUR FIRST FEATURE FILM!!!

BEST OF TRADES is a detective story, in the noir style. Plenty of Hollywood classics set this familiar genre in New York and LA, but Best of Trades brings the buddy cop genre to the city of Houston. Houston has everything that makes a noir ….. noir. Sprawling city, remote ranches, bad guys, good guys, people doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, and the reverse. Femme fatales, innocents, dark humor, and dark corners where characters can do all kinds of deals.

Meet Miles: a straight-laced private detective who has a system, honed after years and years of methodical, gumshoe tactics.

Enter Jakoby: a rogue ex-con, who has more experience getting answers to clients’ questions at any cost, even if most of them are the wrong answers.

We follow these two unlikely partners all across this incredible city and run into a cast of characters longer than Jakoby’s rap sheet. Do they solve the mystery in the end? Does it even matter? You’ll have to watch and find out!

What I loved most about this film is using Houston talent and locations. It has been a life-long dream of mine to make a feature film with all of the friends who have made an impact on my career thus far. Our cast is made up of 34 incredible actors from our great city. Actors you have seen on the Alley Theatre stage, in your local 48-hour film project competition, and ones who have worked with A-listers on the Big Screen.
Not to mention filming in 28 locations across Houston’s multitude of cultural landmarks, such as: Avante Garden, Murder by the Book, Spaghetti Western, Rainbow Lodge, Warehouse 72, and many more. From the Buffalo Bayou trail to a diner in Hockley, and then back to the big city; we wanted to show all of Houston.

Beyond finding familiar places around our city, sometimes the location showed up and understood the assignment. We were doing a film-roast comedy show, Bowl Cuts, in a venue that no longer exists, and there was a back room/storage closet that we turned into an office. This captured Igaal’s character perfectly, and saved us money on set design. The near-empty liquor bottles, exposed pipes, and a fish bowl filled with cigarette butts really tied the room together.

Casting was also such a fun process. Sometimes that actor you need is right under your nose. Along with the amazing talent we have in the film, we also cast who we know/who fit the part. Donald Rodgers has been a family friend of mine for over a decade and he’s always been a fan of film. Beyond his support of this project, he’s always wanted to act, and has a striking presence akin to Carl Weathers. He was the perfect fit for the counterfeiter’s “handler” and “heavy”. As much as I’m astonished by the dedication of the seasoned cast, there were also some day-players that showed up and knocked it out of the park. Joel Leones, who almost shoved me through a window, is a bass player I’ve worked with for years. As gentle as his personality is, he really knew how to turn up the heat and put his game face on for this role.

Sometimes the perfect fit is where you least expect it. There was a character we added very late in pre-production and the stars aligned when we got to casting. Nick Mills and I had run into each other at auditions for years, and I always said “I can’t wait to cast you in something”. This clicked into place when we cast the part of Calvin. In addition to that, his wife was also an incredible acting teacher and recommended Lucas Hale for another part, and his performance was also a knock-out…literally. Not only was I able to sign-on an actor who I’ve admired for years, but also find a real gem who is now starring in our next two features. Stay tuned.

We also want to give folks a chance to get to know you a bit better so we’ve prepared a fun lightning round of questions. Ready?

Favorite Movie: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Favorite Book: The Creative Act: The Way of Being (Rick Rubin)

Favorite TV Show: Arrested Development

Favorite Band or Artist: Run the Jewels

Sweet or Savory: Both, alternating

Mountains or Beach: Mountains

Favorite Sport (to watch): Roast Battle

Favorite Sport (to play): Billiards

Did you play sports growing up (if so which ones): No, wasn’t allowed

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up: Comedian

French Fries or Onion Rings: Fries

Chuck Rhodes or Bobby Axelrod: Rhoades, but I haven’t seen that show LOL. Giamatti is always entertaining, so I’m assuming.

Favorite Cartoon growing up: Ren & Stimpy

Favorite Childhood movie: Matilda

Favorite Breakfast Food: Tacos

Life is often about tough choices – can you talk to us about your thought process, strategy or philosophy when it comes to making difficult choices or tradeoffs.
The role of a producer is to make tough decisions. We make the decisions – mostly off set – so the director can have the freedom to make difficult decisions in the moment; however, the art of improvisation can make for some beautiful cinematic serendipity. My philosophy is: ask for what you want.

For instance, in our short film “Blonde Roast”, you will see a foot chase through a neighborhood in the second half of the film. While we planned our route, there wasn’t much going on other than capturing the two actors running. Luckily, there was a doggy day care a half block away with almost 40 dogs outside on their lawn facing the street. I simply walked in, talked to the manager and got permission to capture the dogs barking at us to play alongside the chase. This gave the scene more vibrance that carried the energy of the scene from a different angle.

There is incredible freedom in production because no one has a handbook for how to do it. Unfortunately, for a first-time filmmaker, that can feel very desperate and isolating. How do we balance those feelings: find your strengths and let go of what you can’t control. Leaning into your strong suit is always better than worrying about what “they” are doing. Do not compare yourself to the success of another, instead look inward to what makes you special. No matter how many seminars you’ve been to for “how to write a script” or “Indie Filmmaking 101”, execution is something you can only achieve from doing it. While you may feel sheepish with your first film, you can throw all the “rules” out the window if you have a strong vision and a compelling story.

One thing that is not a tough decision is collaborating with people you admire. When you have something to offer another creative, you have also made their decisions easier. Most people in the creative field are looking to tell their story in a grander way. You cannot do everything yourself, and the more successful you become, the more collaboration becomes necessary, so start now. Go for it! And go with a purpose. Saying “I want to make movies” on a film group on facebook is fine, but what do you have to bring to the table? Other artists are looking to collaborate with you too! Find a way to help them, and you will double your harvest. Bottomline: don’t be afraid to ask.

Website: https://row7films.com

Instagram: row7films

LinkedIn: jdkarpicke

Facebook: Row 7 Films

Youtube: row7films

Image Credits
Vince Rockwell – Bowl Cuts BTS/A Spark of Madness Poster
Zach Salazar – Best of Trades Poster
Christina Griffin – Bowl Cuts BTS
David Serna – Row 7 Logo