Get to know Jarod O'Flaherty, producer/director of Vindication Series - season 3 releasing on Pure Flix September 1. I did this interview with him which was really neat and kind of a great thing to do as well.
Q. What was life like growing up for you? And at what age did you get into film making? A. Growing up, I was the oldest of 5 kids and our family didn’t always have a ton of extra money. Around second grade I was transferred to a program for “gifted kids” in the public school system, so I guess I excelled a bit at something to get noticed. In 5th grade, our family purchased a video camera and I loved playing with it and making goofy, comedic videos. Years later when I graduated high school, I got a laptop and digital video camera - which allowed me to move forward as a hobbyist filmmaker shooting events for the youth group at our church local church. So at that time I was 18 years old. My first “widely viewed narrative” filmmaking would come about 9 years later when I was 27 and filmed a music video that went on YouTube. Q. Did you ever experience bullying in school, if so how did you overcome it? A. I can recall times when I was teased about things in elementary and middle school, but never to the point of feeling I was bullied. I was smart enough to talk my way out of any vulnerable situations - and/or smart enough to avoid them in general. I unfortunately can recall similar situations where I WAS the bully by verbally degrading others for laughs or attention. In high school, I did experience a few more intense situations, but none that I would consider bullying. However, in one particular instance of being threatened by others - it was through “prayer for my enemies” that I experienced a pretty awesome outcome. It was like they didn’t even see me anymore and the comments/threats came to an abrupt end. Q. Who helped you in learning about God and when can you recall your first time, really accepting Him as your Savior? A. I prayed to receive Christ as a 6 year old and I remember every bit of it vividly. But it wasn’t until I was 16 years old that He truly became Lord of my life. Most of the teaching and disciple ship I’ve received has come through the local church - in particular my youth minister. Q. Was filmmaking something that you’ve always wanted to pursue growing up to where you are today with it, or was there something else that you wanted to do before God lead you to this? A. Filmmaking was never a dream or passion of mine. I’ve never taken any formal classes on it - at any level. I simply wanted to become a dad and have a stable job working with computers/technology. But over time, my enjoyment in the hobby of filmmaking began to grow and eventually became my profession. Q. What is it like being a dad? How has that showed and molded you into who you are today? And how has it been a blessing for you? A. I think being a dad gives you a quantifiable daily responsibility and purpose, beyond just yourself, which causes you to want to do better and be better. Obviously those special moments with your children - that can happen at the most random times - are blessings and gifts you want to always cherish. Q. How did you get involved with Pureflix? What is the inspiration behind the show Vindication? A. PureFlix licensed the first season of Vindication through our distributor, and after it performed well on their platform, they got involved with the subsequent seasons. I started Vindication just as a single short film about a detective performing an interrogation where the audience doesn’t know what the crime is. They have to figure it out as they watch. But from that short film it grew into a series that has taken many twists and turns in the faith-based crime drama genre. Q. Did you ever think that Vindication would become the series it is today in how it's grown? A. Not really. Each step of the way, I have thought “This might very well be the end, so treat it accordingly. Give it everything you’ve got to make it the best you possibly can! Because there may not be another..” Q. How long does it take for the filming process when recording a new season for a faith based crime drama like this one? A. Each episode takes about a month of prep, 4 days to film, and then another month to finish. Typically we film 2 episodes at a time. Q. Do you have a favorite episode after filming each one? Or do you like all of them pretty much in their own way? A. Every episode is special to me because every episode has its own unique backstory. Not so much in the storyline of the episode, but in the production of it. I do have a set of favorite episodes (plural) from the perspective of me being a viewer. Q. How did you come across Pureflix, and what made you want to be involved with their platform? A. PureFlix licensed season one of Vindication through our distributor and after it performed very well with viewers on their platform, the ongoing relationship was formed for the subsequent seasons. Q. Without giving much away, are there a lot of exciting plot twists that people can look forward to watching in this upcoming season and do you think that there’s going to be many seasons to come after this current season airs? A. Season Three continues with the trend of Seasons One and Two where the unexpected - should be expected. There are several moments sprinkled throughout the season where we expect audiences to gasp at the plot twists. Every season is difficult to get a green light from productions partners, so while we certainly have many great stories left to tell, it's never a certainty of how many seasons are ahead. Q. There was a little bit of an unexpected passing of one of the actors that was in a previous season of vindication due to health issues. With that being mentioned, can viewers and fans of the show look forward to possibly seeing in this upcoming season an episode that is in memory of the actor? A. We've had three cast members pass away in the short time that we've been creating Vindication and we are thankful they will live on through film as more and more audiences see the show. If there are opportunities to honor them, we certainly want to do so. Q. What was it like to film the episode where Detective Travis has his daughter Katie come back into his life? A. That was one of the first episodes we filmed - back in 2017 - and it was interesting to see Detective Travis in a situation where he seemed confused and uncertain. His daughter, and their complicated relationship, brought out a side of him that was new to audiences, but also new to all of us filming the series. Q. What has been the story behind having detective Travis go from having a detective that eventually worked for the other agency and then bringing in T.C. Stallings to fill that gap? Also without giving a lot away, do you think the partner Detective Travis had before T.C. Stallings could be somebody that got knocked out and was in the body bag or do you have your own theories of who it could be? A. From a story perspective, we wanted season two to offer a new dynamic than season one, so with that intention we moved Kris Tanner to the other precinct. Splitting up her and Travis gave us some rich opportunities to explore their relationship. Tre joining the force in her place again gave us an opportunity to explore new storylines instead of just repeating season one. Kris Tanner being in the bodybag is certainly one of the strongest possibilities and would give us an interesting storyline in Season Three as Travis investigated her murder. As far as we know, no one else was aware of her being at the warehouse - except for maybe Anthony. Q. What are some things that you look forward to with people seeing season three next month? What are your hopes that people enjoy from it, like the previous seasons? A. Season 3 will be coming out later this year, but not next month. (Since the interview took place - release date is now September 1) I look forward to audiences getting answers to questions they’ve had for a long time, but also raising new question that will have them clicking play on the next episode - over and over. Q. What is it like to be a producer and director? How much time do you put into these tapings? A. Being a director is fun and enjoyable for me with only a limited amount of stress. You get to be creative and work with people. Being a producer is strenuous hard work that is draining and highly stressful! We film each episode in four days but put about two months of work into preparing for those four days of shooting. Q. Have you created other shows or documentaries that have been based on people’s life stories? A. In 2011 I created a feature length documentary called “We Were There” that shared the stories of 21 World War 2 veterans. It was early in my filmmaking career but is a project I remain proud of and enjoy watching. Q. Have you ever thought of making a documentary on other people's stories? A. Not really. I’m enjoying telling stories in the fictional narrative space for now. Q. Have the people you have come to know with Vindication become a family to you? A. Absolutely. We have filmed the three seasons of Vindication over 115 days and that’s a lot of time to spend with people. We have frozen together and burnt up together. Yet the team has always maintained a positive attitude and taken a “we can get it done” approach. And those are things that build a family bond. Q. Is there any advice you would like to give to those who are considering a career in filmmaking and acting? A. For those considering a career in film, I’d advise them to have a secondary, flexible profession developed as an option to keep the bills paid. That will take a ton of stress off of the film side and allow it to remain enjoyable. Q. Finally, what do you hope people get from your testimony, what is your hope that people will enjoy about Vindication’s third season and what do you want people to take away from this interview? A. My hope is that Vindication audiences are entertained, touched in some way, and forced to reflect in some way on their own life based on what they have watched. And I hope that seeds are planted that at some point later will spring forth a positive life change with eternal value. Smalls goals, right? Ha. But truly, I believe visual stories can impact people and stick with them long after the viewing experience is over - so considering our series points to Jesus as the answer - I hope with some viewers it sticks.
