Upon returning to Ball High School in Galveston, Texas after Hurricane Ike made landfall, we, the self-titled "Hurricane Story Tellers," set out to capture the tale of the perseverance and resilience of our devastated island community. As the film evolved, we turned the cameras on ourselves to show how a diverse group of young filmmakers - both collectively and as individuals - has grown through the process of making this film.
We are determined to reveal the celebration of our people and to give something back to the heroes who have worked tirelessly to rebuild our island.
AARON WEISS (Producer & Student Mentor) is a graduate of The New School University in New York City, with a Bachelor’s in Media Studies. He is the founder and operator of NYC/Austin-based production company, One Story Productions, which is a full-service independent, production company that creates customized videos used for marketing, websites, social media and fundraising. His involvement with the Ball High “Hurricane Story Tellers” has been centered around teaching proper interviewing skills, camera operating techniques and post-production editing on “Out of Chaos.” Aaron is currently based out of Austin, where he continues to produce films. He expresses his appreciation to his family for their never-ending encouragement and support. He also wants to thank The Hurricane Story Tellers for teaching him more than he could ever have taught them.
BOBBY WEISS (Executive Producer & Film Instructor) is a native Galvestonian who later attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas before moving to Baltimore, where he received a degree in Printmaking and Book Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. In college, Robert was highly involved in theater, painting, and drawing. Simultaneously, he formed a confederation of artists, performers, and musicians called “The Modern Plow Collective” who create paintings, drawings, films, and performance pieces on the stage and painting animations for the silver screen. Robert has taught at Ball High School for five years and has received numerous awards including the Teacher of the Year Award and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the district. He is now currently enrolled at Syracuse University to receive an MFA in Painting.
HEATHER WEISS (Producer & Student Mentor) is a native Galvestonian and Ball High graduate who now resides in New York City, working as a Broadway stage manager and documentary film co-producer of One Story Productions -- with cousin and founder, Aaron Weiss. One Story is a documentary production company that creates promotional videos for charitable organizations. Endless thanks and love to brother Bobby, cousin Aaron, and each of the Hurricane Story Tellers for the unwavering dedication, late nights, and many laughs. Thanks to the Galveston Independent School District, supporters of the HSTs, and the many community volunteers and donors for believing in this project. Thanks to Galveston, her hometown, for welcoming her back with open arms and for never ceasing to remain strong. Lots of adoration and admiration for the countless everyday heroes encountered on this journey who continue to rebuild.
AUSTIN ALMANZA is currently is attending Galveston College for general studies with plans to transfer to a university for a degree in filmmaking. When he isn't busy in school, he can be found watching movies, listening to music, learning about politics, or hanging with his friends. Following Hurricane Ike, Austin’s home was destroyed and he lost all but a handful of possessions. He felt a huge void in his life but has found a means of healing by being a part of this amazing group of people. Austin is beyond thankful for all he has learned through collaborating this film and wishes to thank his family, fellow HSTs and the Weisses for this opportunity.
MAMIE AOUGHSTEN is a 2010 Ball High graduate and a self-proclaimed nerd. A perfectionist at heart, Mamie is an author, poet and avid reader. Although tone deaf, Mamie loves to belt out random songs at the top of her lungs. She is currently studying at the University of Texas in Austin and plans to attend law school in the future. She would like to thank her fellow Story Tellers, Heather, Aaron, and Mr. Weiss for providing an experience unlike any other. She would also like the express her gratitude to her former English teachers, Mrs. Jackson and Ms. Maveety, for teaching her the art of writing and presentation.
MARIA BETANCOURT was born and raised on Galveston Island and is a lover of literature, cartoons, movies, art, and being a part of a vigorous community. While not as extroverted as some, she’s been happy to help out and become a part of the Hurricane Story Tellers. This experience has given her the opportunity to give something back to her island. It is still difficult for her to accept the reality, even so many months after returning, but the documentary has helped her see the aftermath in the most positive and self-healing way possible. She thanks Mr. Weiss for being patient with her, Heather and Aaron Weiss for being figures of esteem, Jennifer Willcut for being a charitable friend, every last member of the HSTs, and her family for staying strong.
CHRISTIAN DIERLAM is a native Galvestonian. In his spare time, he enjoys playing video games, surfing the web, playing on the beach, fishing and playing with his two Quaker Parrots - Cisco and Poncho. Christian dreams of one day becoming a video game designer. He was eager to tackle the documentary assignment given by Mr. Weiss in his media tech class following the storm and was quick to pick up a camera to begin filming the aftermath of Hurricane Ike. He is very excited to see the film come to life on the big screen. Christian thanks his parents, Mr. Weiss, Aaron Weiss, and Heather Weiss for their support in creating this film.
WILLIAM GOMEZ began traveling all over Texas after graduating from Ball High with the intention of gathering a greater knowledge of photography and videography and gaining insight on aspects including lighting, sound, music videos, acting, directing, and writing. His love of cinema and the arts continues to grow. He wishes everybody involved with the project be filled with love and kindness and hopes that this film represents the resiliency of the community in the face of such disaster. May they all be stronger individuals at heart after Ike.
TAYLOR GREENWALT is now playing soccer for Austin College while working toward a major in media studies. He has always been interested in filming and editing and working on this film has led him to pursue a career in media studies. When he isn't shooting footage or playing soccer, he is most likely enjoying a delicious bowl of ramen noodles, hanging out with his pals, or enjoying board games with his family. Taylor is grateful for his new HST friends and this experience for giving him the tools to achieve his future goals. He wishes to thank his family, friends, and fans of the documentary for their continuous support.
RAFAEL LAZO is currently attending Galveston College for general studies to pursue a University major in video digital broadcasting. The moment that Rafael became involved in filmmaking, he knew it would be a lifelong passion and hopes to one-day work for ESPN. When not going to school or working as a pool attendant, Rafael enjoys skim boarding, surfing, playing volleyball, basketball, baseball, and watching ESPN.
NATALIE MARTIN finished her two years in San Jacinto College's Department of Theatre and Film and now plans on pursuing a career in education. She has been extensively involved in her church throughout her life, where her love of music first blossomed and where her singing and performing career began at the age of eight. She also enjoys writing, public speaking, riding her bike, hanging out with friends, sunbathing, and meeting new people. As she has lived on the island for most of her life, having the opportunity to help bring Galveston’s story to light with this documentary is an honor. She’d like to thank her fellow HSTs and her loud and supportive family and friends for being loud and supportive.
MARGARET PATTERSON is a true maladroit who stumbled upon the project and never left. She loves the crazy antics of the entire film crew and feels right at home with the Hurricane Story Tellers. Margaret enjoys playing with animals, listening to all types of music, and being quirky. A master at karaoke, she torments her family by singing in the shower and spouting random animal facts. This opportunity to be involved with the documentary is tremendous and Margaret would like to sincerely thank her producers, The Weisses, and fellow HSTs for their never-ending support and friendship.
LAUREN RICE is a 6-foot tall Ball High graduate who enjoys working out to old Jane Fonda exercise tapes. She is planning to major in Bio-Psychology and Spanish at Tufts University. Upon hearing about the story of the Ike Documentary, she quickly joined the team and began taking an active hand in the post-production process. Through being a part of this project, she has found a sense of normalcy and harmony.
MELNIKIA SMITH is now living a new house with her family and her little sister, “Survivor” is two years old. Melnikia is a senior at Ball High and plans to pursue a degree in psychology upon graduation. Following her struggle through the hurricane and then residing in the shelter provided by The American Red Cross called “Tent City” with her parents and thirteen siblings, she was introduced to this project and her life was turned around. Through this documentary, she learned how the storm affected others in the community and is incredibly sympathetic to their struggles. She would like to thank her parents, friends, Mr. Weiss, Heather Weiss, Aaron Weiss, and the rest of the “Hurricane Story Tellers” who supported her through this very challenging time.
JOVANNA TORRES is a creative spirit who enjoys vintage-era music and movies, and art. She now attends Galveston College and is an aspiring art teacher and fashion designer. She is a local artist who spends much of her free time painting and drawing. When she is not creating art or going to school, she enjoys volunteering in the community. Being a part of this documentary has been an empowering experience and has given Jovanna an outlet to express her innermost feelings towards her fellow islanders and their struggles with mother nature’s tribulations. Thanks to Mr. Weiss, Aaron, Heather, fellow HSTs, friends, and family for their guidance and continued support. She hopes that everyone enjoys the film as much as she has enjoyed her role in it.
KYLE TRAMONTE is a 2011 Ball High School graduate and a third generation Galvestonian. If you cannot find him battling a sedentary lifestyle on the couch or creeping on Facebook, he is probably "that guy" at the movie theatre sitting in the middle of the row, forcing people to sit next to him. Returning to his home after Ike was a very difficult task for Kyle, but after the storm he realized the power of his sandbar community, making everything worthwhile. Kyle is a proud Hurricane Story Teller and would like to thank everyone involved with the documentary for welcoming him as part of the family.
JENNIFER WILLCUT is eternally in love with her fellow HSTs and the Out of Chaos producers, and is grateful to them for helping her grow. Because of her experience through making this documentary, she's learned that the uncertainty of the future does not have to be frightening as long as she is writing and/or making movies and free to be as loud and sarcastic as she wants. The multitude of choices that await her after graduation are thrilling to her, specifically careers in screenwriting, documentaries and editing, and she recently discovered the joys of photography. So be nice to her, because she is a stealthy sneak-attacker with a camera, and she hopes you send her a Tweet at Twitter.com/JenniferWillcut.
HANNAH WILLEY has lived in Galveston her entire life and is a senior at Ball High School. She became completely enamored with the project from the moment she heard about what her fellow students had set out to accomplish and decided that she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get involved. Since she began helping out with the documentary she has a new found a surprising interest and passion for filmmaking. When not working on the movie, Hannah can be found reading, hanging with friends, or playing with her tortoise, Rojo. She thinks all of the Hurricane Story Tellers have done an exceptional job and is looking forward to all of the exciting things in store for the documentary.
