As Fat Monster nears the end of 2008 we decided it would be a good idea to begin a series of profiles for the various members of the Monster family and crew. After a brutal beer pong competition, Mr. Tim Hyten won the honor of having the first profile done:
Tim hails from what Angelinos refer to as "the high desert" -- a.k.a. Apple Valley, California. At 25, Tim has achieved enough recognition and buzz to make many professionals' lists for young directors worth watching in the L.A. basin.
Tim was front man and guitarist for the band Something From Nothing, which toured nationally and was courted by major labels including Fat Wreck Chords, arguably the most successful indie label in the world. His experience and contacts from the music industry gave Tim a solid basis from which to begin developing music videos.
Tim recalls that the very first time he saw a DVD with a "making of" feature he became hooked on learning as much as he could about the process of making films. From that day forward Tim made most of his DVD purchases based on the content of the "extra" features and he sought as much information as he could find on the technical and artistic aspects of filmmaking.
Without funds to attend film school, Tim told anyone who would listen that he would be willing to work on any film set or music video shoot for the experience alone. Within a month, word got out about the young guy who would bust his butt on set for nothing other than a few donuts from the craft services table. Tim was literally working every day on progressively larger shoots and he soaked in information like a sponge.
It was during this period when Tim found himself working as unpaid crew on an independent film being directed by the legendary Curtis Harrington. Harrington began his career in the 40's as an author and film critic before he began directing a series of avant-garde films that gained him notice in Hollywood. He even played several cameo rolls in pictures for Orson Welles and Bill Condon. Harrington also gave Dennis Hopper his first feature role in a 1961 film called Night Tide that is now considered to be a classic.
While working on Harrington's crew, Tim became friends with the great director, who said he saw a lot of himself in the young protege. Harrington befriended Tim and agreed to act as his mentor and confidant. Harrington was particularly fascinated with the digital technology that Tim was using for his own experimental films.
Sadly, Mr. Harrington passed away in 2007 and he was never able to see Fat Monster Films come to fruition.
Tim flirted briefly with acting, but decided that his talents were better spent behind the camera. Nevertheless, he has appeared as a fireman in an episode of "24."
He also has shown remarkable skill as an editor and most recently Tim has been representing Fat Monster while editing on the Warner Bros. studio lot for a project being produced by HDFILMS. Recently Tim directed a pitch piece set in Iraq during the recent war with a cast that included Tom Sizemore, Tim Abell and Will Estes.
At this writing we are negotiating several projects that Tim will be featured as director or as lead editor.
