We are a film production and distribution company based in Arizona and Mississippi with over 20 feat You can find our work on Amazon Prime.
Gus Edwards (playwright and film professor) and Travis Mills (director) founded the company in June 2010. Beginning with Man/Woman/Motel Room, they set a standard of making movies at a fast pace with a low budget, while focusing on good storytelling. Since then, we have produced over 20 feature films and 100 short film projects. In 2020, we made 12 feature-length Western films in 12 Months.
JD Pepper had never acted in a movie before he met us. He auditioned for the 12 Westerns and ended up playing significant parts in three of them, including Sergeant Meeker in HEART OF THE GUN (his best in my opinion).
Watch the movie on Tubi for free or you can find it on Amazon.
Photo by Todd South
We are excited to announce our official selections to the second annual TOMBSTONE FILM FESTIVAL.
See the list below and guess what? Tickets are now on sale! Get yours here on our FilmFreeway page for the Tombstone Film Festival. Link in profile.
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Feature Films:
Bite the Dust
Six Days to Die
Steppe
Short Films:
The Ballad of the Westwind Kid
Bloody Furry
Currie
Dark Side of the Moon
Frey
Hear Me Scream
In the Arena
Kill them all and don’t come back alone
Los Coyotes
Twenty One at the Belle Saloon
Two Bullets for the Devil
Tombstone Films:
Re-Branding 101 Tales of Sir Winston
What Must Be Done
2022: A KICK IN THE HEAD, A PUNCH IN THE GUT, AND LEARNING TO RUN WILD AGAIN
Below you'll find my thoughts on this year. You can also read them here: https://www.runningwildfilms.com/2022-a-kick-in-the-head-a-punch-in-the-gut-and-learning-to-run-wild-again/
Before writing this retrospective of the year, I returned to my thoughts about 2021 (available here: https://www.runningwildfilms.com/2021-the-12-westerns-project-ends-a-time-of-death-and-new-direction-the-legacy-continues/) and what I presumed was the direction of the coming year. Last December, I made two proclamations which can now be read with a sense of irony:
Statement #1: "I not only need a good break but I also need some time to figure out what kind of films I want to make going forward and how I want to make them. I know one thing for certain: I don’t want to keep working the same way."
Statement #2: "'If I [died] right now, would I be content with my life?' The answer would be yes, on a professional level I would be... However, the answer to that question would be a resounding no if I thought of my personal life. I would characterize that part of my existence as sometimes turbulent, often disappointing, and mostly non-existent. Therefore, I’d like to make an effort to change that answer. For ten years I have been married to my film work. My life has not been my own; it belonged to the movies. Perhaps it’s time to devote more energy elsewhere."
If you've followed my journey through 2022, you already know that taking a break from producing my own films didn't go as planned. Just a few months in the year, I found myself in a predicament: for-hire gigs with Bonfire Legend or any other companies had yet to come to fruition and I was quickly running out of money to sustain myself. For more than a decade, I'd survived for the sake of making movies; I never thought I'd end up in a position of needing to make a movie to survive but there I was. An opportunity arose to direct a Western for a certain company that makes micro-budget genre pictures and releases them in Walmart among other places. The project, a remake of the early John Wayne-starring BLUE STEEL, seemed like a challenge and it would keep me afloat for a couple of months. I was given a meager budget of 20,000 dollars for production, an amount I could work with until unforeseen demands of the company spun things out of control. Soon, my shooting schedule was changing on a daily basis, the budget was getting harder and harder to control, and I was butting heads big time with the people who hired me. At the last minute, they pulled the plug on BLUE STEEL but offered to still provide the budget for "another Western." Within a week, I came up with THE FIVE (a remake of a crime film I made in 2013 called THE MEN WHO ROBBED THE BANK) and was able to salvage most of the cast, crew, horses, and locations we'd already lined up.
Some of you have already read my reaction to making THE FIVE (available here: https://www.runningwildfilms.com/the-five-reasons-i-dont-want-to-make-a-low-budget-western-again/) to summarize the experience, it was a sobering reminder, a kick in the head wake up call of the realization I already had at the end of 2021... that I didn't want to make low-budget films anymore. My storytelling abilities were and have been severely limited by those budget constraints and the stress of making such films has increased over time. I've outgrown them but haven't found a way to get away from them, yet. More on that in a short while, first an aside about my personal life, which I so desperately wanted to give more attention to at the end of 2021.
Around the time of THE FIVE, I started seeing a lady who lived in Tucson. I was careful not to jump into a serious relationship too fast, or at least I thought I was, but by the middle of June she accompanied me to the premiere of TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE in Nashville and I was proudly calling her my girlfriend. Over the summer, I spent most of my time with her, giving us the time and attention I may have neglected with women in recent years. There were issues and, in retrospect, some pretty glaring red flags. However, I believed whole heartedly that we were working through our problems and learning from each other. We loved each other or at least we both said so. In August, in a moment of true irony we were talking about OUTLANDER, a show I'd turned her onto which is all about working hard for a relationship, and she hinted at how romantic she felt marriage was. A few days later, she decided to end the relationship because she'd lost faith in our ability to make it work.
It was a punch in the gut, one that hurt more than I realized it would at first. If anything good came from that situation, it's that I learned what saying "I love you" means to me at this point in my life. It means I won't give up on us; it means I'm going to fight for this relationship until there is no other choice. I'd reached that point with her. I was ready to keep working hard for us no matter what. She wasn't and it's as simple as that even though it isn't easy to understand. Looking back, I was so desperate this year to have a good relationship, one I could give time and attention to, but we weren't right for each other for so many reasons, the biggest being the desire to work hard for each other. I will be more careful the next time I say "I love you" because now I know what it means.
Soon after a tough August, thankfully a new gig in Kentucky distracted my attention. I was hired to help produce a drug/crime drama called M30 OXY. Off I went, leaving Tank behind with my friends John and Cara, for a month in a different place to work with people I'd never met before. The big question at the back of my mind was, "Is this something I want to do more often? Produce for filmmakers who can benefit from my decade of experience?" That is one of the reasons I took the job, to find out if such opportunities were worth exploring in the future. And after a few weeks of hard work, fun and frustration, I can confidently answer yes.
Going into production, I made a choice that might sound unusual to some of you: to do my job to the best of my ability for the sake of the film regardless of what the cast or crew thought of me. It was liberating and ultimately rewarding to not care if anyone liked me or not. I believed some did, some didn't, and that everyone respected my contribution to the project. Perhaps some of us will collaborate again. You grow close to certain people on a film set and then sometimes never see each other again. That is the way of this work.
Another realization I had during the Kentucky movie came when telling stories to some of the crew about all my filming adventures during these twelve years of Running Wild. Suddenly, it dawned on me... I've been through a lot. My life has been quite an adventure, from growing up in the Comoros Islands to all the daring challenges and experiences I have put myself through since becoming a full time filmmaker in 2010. For the first time in a while, I came to peace with my crazy lifestyle. A couple of months prior, all I could think was "life is a disappointment so what now?" Would I ever find the kind of relationship I wanted? Would I ever reach the level in my film career I so desire? It certainly can be a disappointment and maybe always will be to some extent, but moving forward I took pride in what I've done, how I've done it, and embraced the wild story of my life, one that might be worthy of its own movie someday.
And so I returned to Arizona in better shape than when I left. With a few months left to finish out the year, I was in the same predicament as before: I needed to make a movie to keep paying the bills. What would it be? I needed to be careful with the investment dollars at my disposal. Also, I didn't want to make another 15 to 20k movie like THE FIVE again. After much deliberation and throwing out a ton of ideas, the solution came to me one morning. I would produce a documentary about the making of our 12 Westerns. It would be a cost effective project I could shoot on my iPhones with a little help from my friends. And it would be get me through the year. What I didn't realize at the time is that the process of filming our interviews for THE LEGACY OF THE 12 WESTERNS would be a cathartic experience. This was the right time to look back, for myself and others. I hope this coming year when I release the film that it will also have a strong effect on our audience.
Pursuing that final project also provided a possible new direction for my career, which has been in limbo since wrapping the 12. As stated, I want to work at a higher budget level. KILLIN' JIM KELLY, funded at 100,000, is a good start. From there, my goal is to find 200 to 250k in funding for a new feature to be filmed in 2024 or 500k plus to finally make our Western series CONTENTION. But what can I do in meantime? While raising funds for bigger budgeted projects, I could still make little movies on my iPhone to keep creating and living as a full time filmmaker. And therefore that is my strategy moving forward: to reach the next level of financing and exposure for key projects while feeding my passion for filmmaking with small, personal films. For every CONTENTION, there might be a BRIEF ENCOUNTERS or another documentary. I only have so much time left and there are a few stories I would really like to tell before I'm gone. Of course, I remain open to working for other productions, lending my experience to new directors or serving as a "Swiss Army Knife" as I did with TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE. There are some promising opportunities on the horizon and I will see where they take me.
To close, my friend John recently recounted a conversation he had with another Western filmmaker. While scouting Gammons Gulch, the subject of the 12 Westerns came up. The other filmmaker admired the ambition and asked John, "What is Travis going to do next?" John replied that he didn't know what challenge I might take on in the future. Well, sorry to disappoint expectations but I have no desire to complete another quantity-based endeavor. The answer is much more simple yet just as difficult: I want my work to astonish people. I've put myself through more than a decade of training. Now, it's time to make some great movies.
-Travis Mills
Production has begun on THE LEGACY OF THE 12 WESTERNS, our documentary looking back on the incredible journey we had during 2020 making 12 features in 12 months. This past weekend, we filmed interviews and more in Young, Globe, and Superior, Arizona. Work continues next weekend! Donate to our GoFundMe to Make Westerns Great Again if you want to support this project.
Photos by
Two years ago with three of our cast members for TALES OF THE NATCHEZ TRACE. Watch it for free on
I am excited to announce the first casting call for KILLIN' JIM KELLY. Please share to your stories and read all details below.
I am currently casting thirteen characters in our Texas-based Western feature including roles for men, women and actors of various ethnicities. The compensation for all roles is $100 a day. This is a non-union film and we are aiming to schedule production during April of 2023 near Fort Worth, Texas.
Preference will be given to Texas actors but casting is open to all performers around the country and ultimately I will cast the best person for the role and travel expenses may be covered on a case by case basis.
To submit:
1. Email me at [email protected] with your name, your location, what character(s) you'd like to audition for, your headshot/picture, resume, and demo reel if you have one.
2. If you have experience riding horses, I'd like to see a clip or reel of you riding. Please note that some roles listed below require an experienced rider.
3. I will select the actors I want to audition and you'll be given a week from selection to submit your audition with detailed instructions.
4. Failure to follow these directions or read all the details below will most likely result in no response at all from me.
5. The deadline to submit is no later than a week from today, Friday October 28th.
See the character list in this image or on our 12 Westerns page.
Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. After helping us with the I recommended for a speaking role in TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE and he nabbed it. Here we are at a year ago today.
I am excited to announce that tickets are now available for THE TOMBSTONE FILM FESTIVAL. Visit the festival’s page on to get yours!
We are offering two festival passes which grant admission to all festival events:
1. THE MARSHAL'S BADGE for $50- VIP access to the entire festival, including all screenings, panels, the opening night showing, and awards ceremony. You will also get exclusive discounts at local restaurants/bars and business with this pass.
2. THE DEPUTY'S BADGE for $30 - This pass grants the same access to all events and provides discounts but it is ONLY available to Cochise County residents. We want to do right by our local audience, offering them this discounted pass.
If you don't purchase one of these two full festival passes, single screening tickets will be available at the door for a price of $15 per event so you can save money by getting one of these. Get yours before they sell out!
A year ago today, making good friends and long lasting collaborators on the set of TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE.
Check out the new key art for THE FIVE!
I noticed it this morning on our IMDb page for the film, created and added by Green Apple, the company that hired me to make the film and will be releasing it reportedly during January. It looks a lot better than most of their covers, thanks to some great stills taken by . He made the poster along with the rest of "The Five": , , , and Frank McCadon.
Casting call for new Arizona project. See details below:
I'm excited to share that we are now offering rewards for donations to KILLIN' JIM KELLY, the new Texas Western we plan to film during 2023. Donate here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/makewesternsgreatagain
To be clear, KILLIN' JIM KELLY is fully funded by our investors. All donations will go to additional expenses for cast/crew and allowing us to make an even better Western.
Here are the rewards you can receive by donating the following amounts to this project:
$15 - Special Thanks on IMDb/End Credits
$50 - Special Thanks and Copy of the Film on DVD when complete
$150 - Signed Screenplay by writer Jerry Jones
$250 - Two tickets to the premiere of the Film when complete plus a signed DVD copy of the Film (travel expenses not included)
$500 - Visit our set for up to three days plus dinner with the director and/or writer one evening during production (travel expenses not included)
$1000 - Visit our set for up to five days and have dinner with the director and/or writer one evening during production plus exclusive access to "dailies", raw footage of filmed scenes (travel expenses not included)
$5000 - Associate Producer credit plus all previous perks
Our plan is to film this project during April of 2023 near Fort Worth. Feel free to contact me at [email protected] if you have any questions or message us on this page.
I’ve released the latest episode of our podcast, a conversation with French cinematographer who I worked with on the new Western TERROR ON THE PRAIRIE from and - Search “Making Westerns with Travis Mills” wherever you listen to your podcasts!
Big news!
I am excited to announce our new creation: THE TOMBSTONE FILM FESTIVAL - https://filmfreeway.com/TheTombstoneFilmFestival
The Tombstone Film Festival, which will take place January 27th-29th, has been created by John Marrs, Actor and myself to showcase the best Western feature and short films in America's most iconic Western town. The event will include screenings of selected films, panels, a special opening night event, and closing awards party.
Submissions for the festival opened today on FilmFreeway. We encourage anyone with a Western feature or short to submit your work and tell your friends. Click Here to submit: https://filmfreeway.com/TheTombstoneFilmFestival
I am excited to announce that TURN AND BURN is now available as a paperback on Amazon. Click here to get yours: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2XCJPF
TURN AND BURN is a barrel racing screenplay written by Joe Pevey. It was originally planned as one of our 12 Westerns but had to be postponed because of the pandemic. We still plan to make the film once we secure funding. For now, I'm excited to share Joe's script with the public. Order your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BF2XCJPF
The cover photographs were taken by Free Spirit Photography and Jeff L Homan Photography featuring actresses Kris Fricke and Cloie Cornish Malone.
Our movie THE PLEASANT VALLEY WAR continues to succeed on the big screen in Payson, Arizona and has already been extended another week!
Photograph by
Our movie THE PLEASANT VALLEY WAR is back on the big screen in Payson, Arizona! The historical western was such a hit in the town that they’ve brought it back nearly a year after its initial release. Spread the word!
Photograph by
I have great news to share regarding our Western BASTARD'S CROSSING!
As of this month, all investors on the film have been paid back 100% of their original investment. This means BASTARD'S CROSSING is officially "in the black". It's not easy for indie movies to make a profit so I'm very happy about this. A big reason for this success can be attributed to viewership on Tubi, the most profitable platform right now for independent films, so please encourage your friends to watch the movie there.
Actor behind bars where he belongs 😉
Two years ago today at Yuma Territorial Prison, filming THE WOMAN WHO ROBBED THE STAGECOACH. Watch the finished film on
We released a new book today by Running Wild co-founder Gus Edwards. Get yours here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB56YJZ2
I'm excited to announce the release of our new book! I just published LOVE HAS TOO MANY FACES, a collection of poetry by my friend and Running Wild Films co-founder Gus Edwards. Get the paperback or kindle edition here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BB56YJZ2
I want to thank actress/filmmaker Brianna Young for helping me create the book's cover photographs. My goal going forward is to publish a new book from Running Wild once a month, alternating between what Gus has written, my screenplays, and possibly the work of other writers.
Watch actor as Jack Travers in HEART OF THE GUN, now available on Amazon!
Exciting news! Our movie HEART OF THE GUN hits Amazon next week. You can buy or rent it starting Friday August 19th. Mark your calendars to see the last of our 12 Westerns anywhere in the U.S.
Two years ago today while filming our iPhone-shot Western THE WOMAN WHO ROBBED THE STAGECOACH in Globe, Arizona. Watch the film on Tubi!
This coming week is your last chance to take advantage of our Summer Sale discounts on DVDs. Click Here to get yours: https://www.runningwildfilms.com/store/
Until August 13th, we have some of the 12 Westerns available for $12 and our older films available for $6. Our latest movie HEART OF THE GUN is only $15.
On August 13th, all 12 Westerns DVDs will be $20 each. All older films will be $15 each. Take advantage of these discounts while you can!
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Contention Western Series Update. @travismills_filmmaker shares the latest for our series including our budget estimate. #western #westerns #westernfilm #film #filmmaker #cinema #independentfilm #12Westerns #12Westernsin12Months #acting #actor #makingwesterns #contention #westernseries #gofilmaz #travismills
Contention Western Series Update! @travismills_filmmaker shares the latest about our upcoming series including thoughts on the new Arizona tax incentive and our sales goal for the Episode One paperback. #western #westerns #westernfilm #film #filmmaker #cinema #independentfilm #12Westerns #12Westernsin12Months #acting #actor #makingwesterns #contention #westernseries #gofilmaz #travismills
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Gus Edwards and Travis Mills founded Running Wild Films in June 2010. Since then we have produced over fifteen feature films and 100 short projects. We set a standard of making movies at a fast pace with a low budget, while focusing on good storytelling. Our goal: to produce challenging work and help build a cinema around the U.S.
