Milwaukee Filmmaker Built Success Through Bringing People Together
Ezekiel N. Drews attributes filmmaking and festival success to bringing people together and collaborative leadership, finding great people to work with making every dream smashing success after breaking into Milwaukee independent film with award-winning first feature “Happy Birthday.”
People-Focused Leadership
Ezekiel N. Drews, Founder of Lucid Films, Ltd. Co., identifies bringing people together as what sets him apart from others in the filmmaking space. He actively looked to lead in many processes creating success through collaboration rather than solo effort.
This people-focused approach contrasts with the auteur filmmaker model emphasizing singular vision and control. While Drews maintains creative leadership writing, directing, producing, and starring in work, he recognizes success depends on team contributions.
Love of people and telling their stories drives Drews beyond just personal achievement. This motivation creates an inclusive approach where collaborators feel valued and invested in shared success.
Finding Irreplaceable Collaborators
Drews found out he didn’t have to do everything alone. Finding great people to work with made every dream he concocted smashing success. The people he worked with and built success around are all irreplaceable parts of the puzzle.
This recognition that collaborators are irreplaceable rather than interchangeable shows respect for individual contributions. Great people bring unique skills, perspectives, and creativity that cannot be easily replaced.
First film “Happy Birthday” achieved high production value from cast, crew, equipment, and end product despite being under a $10,000 budget. Talented collaborators compensated for financial limitations through skill and commitment.
Team Building for Filmmaking
Bringing people together as one overall unit is what you have to do making films according to Drews. Film production requires coordinating dozens of people across different departments toward unified creative vision.
Cinematographers, sound recordists, actors, editors, and other crew members each contribute specialized skills. Leadership challenge involves aligning these diverse talents toward a cohesive final product.
Micro-budget productions especially depend on team cohesion. When paying minimal or no wages, people work for belief in projects and relationships with collaborators. Strong team culture sustains motivation through production challenges.
Team Building for Festival
The collaborative approach also applies to running Milwaukee Independent Film Awards. Bringing people together as one overall unit is what you have to do for a running festival.
Festivals require volunteers, venue partners, sponsors, filmmakers, and audiences all working toward a successful event. Coordinating these groups demands relationship building and clear communication.
The festival just finished its second annual run December 5-7, 2025. Successfully executing second year proves collaborative approach created sustainable team supporting ongoing event.
Learning Without Credentials
Drews accomplished collaborative success without film school or event planning education. The biggest challenge was that everything he did, he learned to do by himself with no experience, film school, unlimited budget, or industry connections.
Relationship building and team leadership represent skills developed through practice rather than classroom instruction. Drews learned what motivates people, how to communicate vision, and how to resolve conflicts through doing.
The collaborative approach compensated for lack of credentials or resources. Talented people joined projects based on Drews’ leadership and shared vision rather than impressive resumes or substantial paychecks.
Sharing Success Vision
Drews’ future vision emphasizes collective success over individual achievement. He looks to push careers of both himself and others to bigger and better things. If he makes it to the top, he doesn’t want to stand alone.
He wants every person working with him there absorbing success and recognition. This vision creates loyalty and motivation among collaborators knowing their contributions lead to shared rewards not just filmmaker’s personal advancement.
The collaborative vision also builds a sustainable career network. People willing to work on early micro-budget projects become long-term collaborators on larger productions as careers grow together.
Multiple Projects Collaboration
Drews develops multiple projects including “The Deep State,” “The Visitor,” and “The Rejects.” Different projects provide opportunities for different collaborators contributing unique strengths.
Some actors suit serious drama while others excel at comedy. Cinematographers have stylistic preferences. Writers bring varied experiences. Multiple projects in development accommodate diverse collaborator interests and skills.
Festival Supporting Community
Milwaukee Independent Film Awards extends collaborative philosophy to supporting broader filmmaking community. The festival provides a platform for other Wisconsin filmmakers gaining exposure and recognition.
This community support aligns with the vision of not standing alone at the top. Festival success creates opportunities for multiple filmmakers simultaneously rather than just advancing Drews’ career.
The 3-day festival screening features and shorts primarily from Wisconsin but also projects worldwide brings people together celebrating film and building relationships that support future collaborations.
Leadership Reflection
Looking back, Drews sometimes wonders how he got through challenges without handling them the way he did. This reflection shows awareness that leadership approach was critical to success.
A different leadership style emphasizing solo control rather than collaboration likely would have produced different outcomes. Team-based approach enabled accomplishing more than possible alone.
Business Life Magazine Recognition
Business Life Magazine featured an article about building a film company one project at a time. This recognition validates collaborative business models not just as a nice philosophy but as an effective strategy.
Lucid Films growth from first feature to multiple projects in development demonstrates sustainability of approach. The company builds on successful collaborations creating the foundation for continued expansion.
Future Collaborative Growth
Drews looks to continue making films, expanding festivals, acting, writing, directing while maintaining a collaborative approach. Growth won’t abandon principles that created initial success.
As Lucid Films and Milwaukee Independent Film Awards expand, maintaining personal relationships and collaborative culture becomes more challenging. Drews recognizes the importance of preserving these values during scaling.
Ezekiel N. Drews built Milwaukee filmmaking success through bringing people together and collaborative leadership, finding great people to work with, making first feature “Happy Birthday” win 50-plus festival awards and secure Amazon Prime Video distribution despite under $10,000 budget. The self-taught filmmaker founded Lucid Films developing multiple projects, launched Milwaukee Independent Film Awards completing the second annual festival December 2025, and maintains vision where success means everyone working together reaches top together absorbing shared recognition.
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