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The Story of Your Story

RESEARCH × grant-writing × crowdfunding × producing  

for the creative sector

• Sundance Documentary Fund                               • Tribeca Film Funds
• San Francisco Film Society Doc Fund                  • Princess Grace Foundation
• Austin Film Society Grant                                       • Independent Feature Project
• Catapult Film Fund                                                  • Kickstarter campaigns 

Watch - Shouting Down Midnight - now on MSNBC
Above All Else - now on Google Play, Amazon, and IndieCanEnt!
Coming Soon: Raising Aniya 
Exciting news: Raising Aniya receives support from The Redford Center

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Testimonials

"Chris has gone above and beyond the call of duty to be more than helpful to me for a wide variety of projects. His writing is beautiful, eloquent, and simply superb. Having him on board elevates the quality of any proposal like magic!"

- Maria Ibrahimova (Miss Gulag)

In writing about Julie Gillis it is not that I don’t know where to begin, it is that I don’t know what to leave out: writer, actress, instigator, agent provocateur, entertainer, fundraiser, social media master, outraged and engaged citizen, promoter, innovator, social activist, cultural catalyst and that’s just the prelude. She’s a creative force guided by a master theatrical and media sensibility.

- Louis Black (Founder, Austin Chronicle and  SXSW)

Julie was instrumental in helping me raise 150% of my Kickstarter goal and keeping me sane in the process. Julie is strategic, professional, reliable, AND a champion of any project she takes on.

- Shelby Hadden (Tightly Wound)

Working with Chris is stunning and a life saver. Before you are even sure of your story of your film he is able to script the narrative you hope your project will become. He is familiar with most granting opportunities and helps navigate you through the maze, His experience with crowd funding and producing truly raises the bar.

- Amy Goldstein (The Hooping Life)

Julie's worked onstage and off with her consulting and is committed to supporting progressive actions/causes all while helping the activists and groups she works with tell their story. She brings it, totally, to the cause and to working with her clients.

- Lizz Winstead (Co-creator, The Daily Show)

Chris was an invaluable help with writing polished, articulate grant proposals that captured the essence of a complicated, nuanced project. Where every word counted, his choices always maximized the story and emotions we were trying to communicate. Moreover, he was writing for a film midway through production about a topic hardly covered before. Where one word could tip the scale, his writing was able to strike a sensitive balance between empathy and objectivity. Writing talents aside, Chris is a pleasure to simply be around especially if you're lucky enough to catch him soon after a trip to Portugal with a bottle of port in hand!

- Drew Xanthopolous (The Sensitives)

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Who We Are

Tilton River Productions is Christopher Lucas and Julie Gillis and their deep network of writers, researchers, artists and filmmaking talent. Christopher Lucas earned a graduate degree in media studies from the University of Texas Radio-TV-Film program, where he co-founded Flowtv.org, an online forum for media research and criticism. From 2009-2016, he was a visiting professor of communication at Trinity University. In 2013-14, he produced Fiege Films' environmental documentary Above All Else, which premiered at SXSW, played festivals all over the world and is now available on Amazon, Youtube, VMX, and other streaming outlets. He associate produced The Sensitives, a film about environmental illness, that premiered at Tribeca in 2017 and is now available on iTunes. In addition to his work in grant-writing, research, and story consulting, he has worked on a range of commercial projects as writer, director, or producer and is currently at work developing another ecologically-themed documentary, Raising Aniya. He also holds an appointment at Southern Oregon University as an instructor of digital cinema.

Julie Gillis is a crowdfunding specialist and event producer focused on theater and film. Julie holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in Theater from the University of Georgia and a Master’s of Applied Behavioral Science from Bastyr University and the Leadership Institute of Seattle. She has worked extensively with organizations such as Production For Use, The University Of Texas, Woodhull Freedom Foundation, 14/48 Austin, BedPost Productions, and The Ladies Are Funny Festival. She's advised and worked on successful crowdfunding campaigns for the Let Go And Love Tour, Tightly WoundWindows, Duels, The Territory, and 40 Hours for the Forty Acres. Julie's passion for for the art of storytelling has guided her as a co-founder of BedPost Confessions, a singular monthly storytelling series on sexuality, and (un)Spoken, a storytelling series dedicated to helping people open up about the difficult parts of life all humans share.  An intuitive listener and compassionate coach, Julie loves helping groups get the resources they need to make their art.

See below for frame grabs and behind-the-scenes looks at past work.

Send us an email for a free consultation and quote on your creative project.

chris@tiltonriverproductions.com

julie@tiltonriverproductions.com

@christophrlucas
@thejuliegillis