Long before I knew what it meant, I had naturally gravitated towards being a director, taking initiative in situations where decisions needed to be made, leading, and most importantly, uplifting those around me. I feel like a lot of people hide behind that title, or use it as some kind of status symbol, but in my opinion, success as a "director" lies in your ability to work well with others. Well that, and some kind of vision, be it real or imagined. 

Below are a handful of projects that I've worked on the past few years, ranging in subject, location, and even danger level. 

Sometimes it was just me with a camera, swatting at neck-biting tsetse flies, or trying to get a cowboy to act natural. Other times there were entire support crews, making sure I didn’t fall out of the helicopter, or that I ate lunch before I got irritable. But regardless of production size, it’s always rewarding to see a solid plan get executed, an idea come to life on screen, and a story be told.

I truly hope you enjoy the work, and who knows, maybe one day I’ll get a chance to work with you. Hopefully it's after lunch though. 

Launch film for Leica's new flagship rangefinder, the Rangemaster 2800.com, featuring friend and former Navy SEAL/turned knife maker Andrew Arrabito of Half Face Blades. Produced under the Modern Huntsman Media branch, it was fun to get to work with Andy around his hunting philosophy to showcase how a tool can be used to support his ethics.

Shot on location in Livingston and Big Timber, Montana.  

Written & Directed by Tyler Sharp - Cinematography by Steve Rokks - Additional Cinematography by Kris Rutherford - Editing by Jack Pyland - Sound Design by Defacto Sound

The film that started this wild Modern Huntsman journey a few years back. I wrote this script at a coffee shop in Livingston, Montana for the launch of our Kickstarter campaign, and my good friend Steve Rokks flew in the next day to shoot it. We quickly edited and color graded it, and within 3 weeks had launched the Kickstarter that would ultimately fund Volume One of the magazine. Thankful to see continued success in this venture with Volume Two on Public Lands, and now moving onto production of Volume Three on Wildlife Management.

Shot on location in Paradise Valley Montana, with additional footage from British Columbia, Pakistan, Georgia, Tanzania, Cameroon, Texas, Russia, Zambia, New Zealand, Spain, and Oregon.

Written & Directed by Tyler Sharp - Cinematography by Steve Rokks - Additional Cinematography by Tito West & Ryan Youngblood - Editing by Jack Pyland

This is a short film showcasing Deep Ellum, one of the more historic and flavorful neighborhoods in Dallas, Texas. Commissioned by The Epic, a new live/work residency under development in the area, they let us run wild with this one, wanting to highlight some of the best that the neighborhood has to offer. Basically, our team sat down and made a list of some of the most loved staples, and we got to go film them. 

Locations included Pecan Lodge, 44 Build, Adair's Saloon, Reel FX, The Bomb Factory, Deep Ellum Brewery, High & Tight Barbershop, Common Desk, among others.

Directed by Tyler Sharp - Director of Photography Steve Rokks - Additional Cinematography by Joseph Capps - Editing by Steve Rokks

This is short film I directed for Tecovas Boots last year, which has become one of my favorite brands to work with. For this, we traveled down to Léon, Mexico, a town built on the tradition of shoe & boot making, and spent two and a half days documenting a pair of boots being made from start to finish. From the selection of the leather, to the final inspection and boxing, we were able to see all 200 of the steps that go into these hand made boots.

It was eye opening to say the least, and gave me a new appreciation for the quality of these boots, which I already had a high opinion of. Really enjoyed this one, and hope to expand it into a series in the near future. 

Directed by Tyler Sharp - Director of Photography Kris Rutherford - Creative Direction by Steve Rokks - Editing by Quan Tran

Created by my friends over at Think Branded Media, this is a biopic piece on my life as a photographer & director thus far, and the arduous path that lead me here. While I was initially hesitant in my ability to articulately talk about my experiences, they did an incredible job of patching my ramblings into a coherent storyline that, I feel,  accurately represents me as an artist. Really humbling actually. 

Woven throughout are some of my photographs, as well as footage I shot in Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Montana, Wyoming, and Texas. It was an honor to work with these guys, and I'm looking forward to the next one. 

Produced by Think Branded Media - Directed & Edited by Beau Ethridge -Additional Creative Direction & Cinematography by Tyler Sharp

For a time in 2015, I was working with Stetson Hats to foster cross brand collaborations, and help expose a younger audience to the somewhat forgotten art of wearing hats. While in Los Angeles, I was visiting my friends at Buck Mason, and they said how the sure would love to release some hats of their own. Well it just so happened that I was in a position to facilitate that, and the rest was history. This film announced the launch, and they have since released a number of special edition Stetson X Buck Mason hats. 

We spent several days filming in the historic factory in Garland, Texas, following the hats through various stages of production. Really cool to see this come full circle from that initial conversation, which added to the character of both brands.

Directed & Edited  by Josh Franer - Cinematography by Josh Franer & Tyler Sharp

Just another day on a cattle ranch in La Grange, Texas with Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo. Commissioned by Red Bull Racing, this piece was directed Steve Rokks, who as always, made it look easy (other than getting baked in Texas heat & humidity). Being that I have some working ranch experience, I did my best to help with creative direction related to cowboy culture, despite the concept being tongue-in-cheek from the beginning.

Regardless, none of us were really prepared for the awesome power of the "Twisted Whip" doing burn outs in the hay field at the end, which sounded more like a rocket ship than a drag racer. 

Directed by Steve Rokks - Cinematography by Steve Rokks & Joseph Capps - Creative Direction by Tyler Sharp - Editing by Steve Rokks & Kris Rutherford

This is a short film that I got to work on with my buddy Asher Moss, which basically meant we got hang out with all of our musician friends, and document it. Shot over the course of several days, it details the collaboration between Johnathan Tyler & Nikki Lane on the song "To Love is to Fly," which debuted in a NYE performance at the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas. Jan 2015. 

The film premiered on Rolling Stone's website, but was also part of Johathan Tyler's recored release, titled Holy Smokes. 

Directed by Asher Moss - Cinematography by Tyler Sharp & Melodi Meadows - Editing, Color & Sound Mix by Zac Taylor - Additional Editing by Erica Silverman - Music by Johnathan Tyler, Nikki Lane & the Texas Gentleman

This was a short film that we did for the Hageman Reserve, a 14,000 acre private sporting club in East Texas. It was a world class property that offered everything from quail hunting, fly fishing, and sporting clays, to an on-site winery, full spa, and gym. I spent quite a few days over several trips getting to know the staff, exploring the grounds, and developing storylines that we were going to expand into an entire series. 

Sadly, the reserve had to close before we could complete the project, but this piece still helps showcase this amazing location, first class amenities, and staff that were good friends by the end of it all.  

Directed by Tyler Sharp - Director of Photography Steve Rokks - Additional Cinematography by Kris Rutherford - Edited by Steve Rokks

For several years, Director Chad Nicholson and I worked in collaboration with the Texas Historical Commission to document the rich history along the Chisholm Trail in Texas. We traveled all over the state, and met all kinds of interesting folks from resident historians, to gunfight re-enactors. Along the way, we discovered a common moral thread amongst those that call themselves “cowboys,” and wanted to delve a little deeper.  This was the trailer for Cowboy Lessons, a series for which we filmed several episodes, but never released.

More or less, it’s aim was to teach folks what it means to be a cowboy, in the words of those few left who still keep to the old, "cowboy way." 

Though tabled for some time, something tells me we’ll be picking this one up on down the trail soon. Locations in Texas included San Antonio, Austin, Georgetown, Waco, Cleburne, Fort Worth, Decatur, Saint Jo, and Nocona.  

Co-Directed & Cinematography by Tyler Sharp & Chad Nicholson

This was a short video I shot for Garden & Gun magazine on the competition sport of helice, a very difficult alternative to shooting clays. On location at the Dallas Gun Club, I got the full run down from United States Helice Association President Mike Higgins, as well as the reigning international women's champion, USA Team Captain Mimi Wilfong. 

At the end of filming, they even let me try my hand at it, which was much more difficult than it looks. Apart from being released on Garden & Gun's website, this video was also included in the digital version of the magazine. 

Directed & Edited by Tyler Sharp

For the better part of three and a half years in my younger days, I was traveling constantly, filming for various TV shows on the Outdoor Channel. The more remote, the better, as the storylines usually revolved around adventure, exploration, and hunting. I went to over 25 countries in that stretch of time, and saw an incredible variety of cultures, wildlife, and extreme conditions. Those experiences largely shaped the way I see the world, how I interact with others, and the respect I carry towards any who come from a different background. 

This was filmed between 2009 - 2012, when I had far less gray hair, and far more endurance to walk miles on end with heavy camera gear on my back. 

Locations in this piece include Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Russia, Pakistan, India, Nepal, New Zealand, and Australia.

Cinematography & Editing by Tyler Sharp - Music by Medeski Martin & Wood