Today we’d like to introduce you to Reed Martin.
Hi Reed, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My journey began in 2017 when I directed my first documentary short, “Change is in the Water,” through Canyon Crest Academy’s after-school Cinema Conservatory. The film highlighted the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on climate action and protecting life above and below water. It became the first student film to premiere on an IMAX screen — an experience that ignited my passion for using film to convey messages that resonate with audiences.
During my time in the Cinema Conservatory, I directed several other shorts, including “Bee Conscious” (2017) and “XONR8” (2018), the latter made in collaboration with the California Innocence Project. In 2019, I helmed “Ascent,” a documentary profiling Joshua Golden, an 18-year-old rock climber with autism. The film traces Joshua’s journey from childhood through his life as a competitive climber, and was embraced by the autism community, screening at the San Diego International Film Festival and Indy Shorts International Film Festival, among others.
From 2019 to 2023, I studied Film and Television Production at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where I directed and edited everything from documentaries to comedic shorts. My senior thesis, “A Hand to Hold” (2022), is a 22-minute exploration of street medicine in Los Angeles, praised for its uplifting portrait of resilience. It screened at the American Documentary and Animation Film Festival and the DaVinci International Film Festival, was named Best Documentary at USC’s 2024 First Look Film Festival, won the Documentary Award at the 2024 PBS SoCal Fine Cut Festival of Films, and was broadcast on PBS SoCal in October 2024.
Alongside these projects, I’ve leaned into sports content to sharpen my directing and explore a personal interest. “Tahj Eaddy: Basketball’s Nomad” (2022), “Nourse Twins: Beach Sisters” (2022), and “Miles Partain: Above the Net” (2024) have let me work alongside D1 NCAA Champions, an Olympian, and other inspiring athletes while experimenting with different storytelling approaches.
After graduating from USC, I spent a year as an editor at the boutique creative studio Shadow Lion, refining my craft in a fast-paced commercial environment.
In October 2024, I founded Grandview Studios, a documentary-focused production studio that is now my full-time work. Filmmaking lets me combine my love of storytelling with a beautiful craft to produce emotionally compelling narratives.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a smooth road, and I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Documentary filmmaking, like the entertainment industry as a whole, is built on rejection and uncertainty.
The biggest leap was leaving a stable job to start Grandview Studios in October 2024. There’s no playbook for founding a documentary production company. It’s a tricky product to sell, and it takes an immense amount of work, more than people realize, to deliver what you’re selling. I make films that feel effortless and elegant, but getting to that point is hours upon hours of work. It’s been a real journey of learning about myself.
There’s a line from Steve Jobs I come back to often: you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only looking backward. That belief is what gets me through the parts that aren’t smooth. You trust the work, trust the instinct that pulled you toward each project, and trust that it’s all building toward something, even when you can’t yet see the shape of it.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I run Grandview Studios, a documentary focused production company I founded in October 2024. We make character driven films, the kind of work that takes audiences inside worlds they might never otherwise see and introduces them to people they won’t forget.
What I specialize in, and what I think sets us apart, is finding the human story inside subjects that might feel niche or hard to access from the outside. “A Hand to Hold,” my USC thesis, profiled street medicine doctors in Los Angeles and ended up winning Best Documentary at USC’s First Look Film Festival, the Documentary Award at the PBS SoCal Fine Cut Festival, and aired on PBS SoCal in October 2024.
“Ascent” followed Joshua Golden, an 18 year old rock climber with autism, and resonated deeply with that community. The throughline across all of my work has been finding the emotional core of a story, the part that makes people lean in, and treating subjects with real respect.
Something else that shapes how I work is my sports background. I bring that same fiercely competitive mindset to filmmaking. Every project feels like a game I want to win, in the sense that I’m constantly pushing to make the next film better than the last and to outwork the version of myself that made the previous one.
What sets me apart, I think, is that I take both the craft and the relationship seriously. A lot of documentary work can feel extractive, where the filmmaker shows up, gets what they need, and leaves. I try to do the opposite. The films I’m most proud of came from genuine relationships with the people in front of the camera, and I think that shows up on screen.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
The best way to work with me is to reach out directly through Grandview Studios (www.grandview-studios.com). We’re always open to new projects. If you have a story in mind, I’d love to hear about it.
For collaborators, I’m always interested in connecting with other filmmakers, cinematographers, editors, and composers who care about the craft as much as I do.
And if you want to support the work, the simplest thing you can do is watch the films, share them with people who might connect with the subjects, and follow Grandview Studios as we continue to grow. Word of mouth means everything in this industry, and every person who takes the time to watch a film and pass it along helps us keep making the next one.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.grandview-studios.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reed-martin/
