Calvin Morie McCarthy, CEO and founder of 7th Street Productions, has always had a passion for filmmaking. The inception of the company began in 2004 on Northeast 7th Street in Vancouver, when McCarthy and his friends would get together to make movies. But it wasn’t until after he attended film school that he decided to make a ‘go’ of filmmaking as a career. Today, 7th Street Productions has a crew of nine seasoned film industry veterans and together, they have written, produced, and secured distribution for 10 feature films that are available for streaming on-demand on platforms like Amazon Prime, Tubi, and VUDU.
McCarthy shared, “The New York Times recently referred to our latest film as ‘unabatingly odd and enthusiastically macabre,’ and recommended it as one of the top five percent of horror movies to stream. Additionally, 7th Street Productions and our films are proud regulars at the esteemed Crypticon Horror Film Festival in Seattle, celebrating the genre’s innovation and artistry.”
Because of the emergence of on-demand streaming platforms, the entire landscape of the film industry has changed, making it easier for McCarthy to introduce his films to the world.
“No longer is there a need to run to bigger markets like L.A. and New York,” McCarthy explained. “As long as funding and resources are available, you can make a movie in any corner of the country, and still get it on the same streaming platform as the majors. It’s reminiscent of the old drive-in days of the 60s, or the video boom of the 80s, where a new way in became available to a number of filmmakers.”
McCarthy shared that he and his filmmaking team are very resourceful with the limited amount of funding they get. Even though their films are made for between $30,000 and $40,000, he has seen greater success and has reached a wider audience than movies that have ten times the budget.
“I attribute that to the incredible amount of passion our team puts into their work,” he said. “I think, certainly in the case of other lower budget films, there is a certain amount of cynicism in horror movies today. You watch a movie and think ‘boy, this was thrown together cynically for a quick buck’. But there isn’t a cynicism to 7th Street Productions – we really believe in what we are making, and I believe that makes a big difference. Being able to provide jobs and hire more actors, more crew members, get the community involved in the arts is something we hold lots of pride in.”
While the art of filmmaking is at the heart of each of McCarthy’s projects, showcasing the beautiful Pacific Northwest is also really important to him.
“The truth is, Vancouver, and the rest of the state of Washington deserves to be featured in movies,” he shared. “Some of my favorite responses from viewers around the world have been ‘Wow, where is that? It’s beautiful’. Sometimes you forget that most people don’t really know what the Pacific Northwest looks like.”
On the horizon is, of course, another movie. It will be a sequel to the company’s most successful film ‘Conjuring the Beyond’, titled ‘Conjuring the Cult’. The movie is currently in the pre-production stage, and they are actively looking for investors who are interested in getting their name on a project. They hope to offer exclusive perks for investors who join this film, so they can increase the film budget.
“We understand the value of strategic partnerships,” said McCarthy. “We are building something here. Over the past three years we’ve watched our little cult fanbase grow and grow, and there is no limit on how far it can go or where it may lead, which is the exciting part. Something is bubbling beneath the surface though, you can feel it.”
7th Street Productions can be found at: www.7thstreetfilms.com
