On International Men’s Day, we are recognizing and celebrating the contributions and achievements of men all around the world. Larry Harris and Leonard Martin are two examples of men who have made significant contributions to society, and we recognize them on this day.
In 2016, Larry Harris and Leonard Martin, both People of Color, founded ArieCan Productions. They believed that creating quality content that resonated with their audience required them to take matters into their own hands. With this in mind, they embarked on creating various forms of content that can be accessed online and through streaming services. ArieCan Productions, based in Baltimore, specializes in producing film and TV productions.
“It starts with a dream”, Leonard says, “Baltimore has a wealth of talent and potential. We were disappointed at how little recognition there was. So, we decided to create our own content.
Larry continues, “It was a huge adventure – we didn’t know what we were doing when we started, but then we ‘learned by doing’ and it has become a great success.
The pair had to struggle to get the series made, and it is a testament to their drive and enthusiasm that this TV show exists.
Creating an amazing production company is not the only goal for them. They are also committed to giving back to the community with their talents. In partnership with Baltimore City schools, they offer a six-week course on film production to children. The children are even given an opportunity to showcase their production on the big screen.
What was the inspiration behind your brand?
The inspiration behind our brand comes from the slogan we have which is ‘It Starts with A Dream’. Being overlooked and ignored just made us fight harder to do whatever we needed to do to become successful and make our mark in the film industry.
What makes your business unique?
ArieCan is unique because the stories we tell come from the viewpoint of two guys from Baltimore. Our city is unique within itself. We’re not bound by the typical Hollywood rules and because of that, we’ve been able to stand out from the rest.
Tell us about the program you have in Baltimore schools.
BCPS heard about one of our shows and they reached out to us about doing a program for them. They told us that it could be anything we wanted, and we thought about it and we both came up with a six-week program called, ‘Intro into the Film Industry’. With our program, we teach the students everything we know about the film industry. We teach them the basics of owning their own business and what it takes to maintain it. We teach the students about script writing, editing, cinematography, directing, and acting. We love teaching the students because they are so open to the process, and they are always excited to come to class. Some of the parents have come to the training class as well as some of the people from the BCPS board. We’ve received great praise from both the parents and the school board, and we were asked to continue the program and we’ve agreed to do it as long as they’ll allow us to.
How important is it to you to give back to the community?
It’s extremely important for us to give back and to continue to give to the community. We are the community, ArieCan has always given back to our community through turkey drives, angel trees, or Adopt a Family. We’ve always felt like we have to be the ones to give back to the people who helped raise us. So, giving back to our community will always be something that we’ll do.
Learn more about these amazing men by visiting their website below.
Website: https://www.ariecanproductions.com/
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