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A Cinematic Revolution

Meet Greeley Filmmakers Nkosi Roma and Ryan Stephen Holly

Article by Chance Gardner

Photography by Shel Francis Creative

Originally published in Greeley Lifestyle

Nkosi Roma and Ryan Stephen Holly are sparking a cinematic revolution and Greeley will host the original fire. Akin to how Greenwich Village was the epicenter of the folk music renaissance, Greeley will forever be remembered as the dawn of a new era of cinema.

Nkosi is a native son of Greeley. He played basketball and ran track at Dayspring Christian Academy, earned an associate degree through Aims Community College and premiered his award-winning debut short film Return to Sender at The Kress. From family cameraman to 16mm film cinematographer leading productions nationwide, Nkosi’s artistic journey is imbued with over five years of colorful professional experiences that range from short films to music videos to fashion films and beyond. He shares his creative adventures on his YouTube channel and aspires to connect with and mentor the next generation. Recent notable achievements include official selections for music video By The Dawn at deadCenter Film Festival and Short Film Honorable at St. Louis International Film Festival.

Ryan earned an MFA in Screenwriting from Pepperdine University. He currently splits his time between Denver, Los Angeles and his newfound home–courtesy of the Roma family–Greeley. His scripts, films and music videos have earned honors in the world's top competitions including the Austin Film Festival. Ryan’s dedication to original storytelling has fueled over 500,000 words written. Founder and CEO of Denver-based Ocean Exile Creative, Ryan leads a crew of young filmmakers in the production of visual media. This vast production experience has been essential to his aspirations of bridging the gap from client work to his own original cinematic projects. His ambition is to build Ocean Exile into a film studio that produces original TV and feature content in addition to offering opportunities to emerging filmmakers who otherwise wouldn’t have access to professional mentors and camera equipment.

With their powers combined, Nkosi and Ryan have collaborated on numerous projects and are currently focused on their first feature film: Method. A prestige psychological drama in the vein of Black Swan and Whiplash, Method will first appear as a proof of concept short film that will be shot entirely in Greeley this month. Their independent spirit has inspired them to not only produce the picture outside of the Hollywood system but to launch a revolutionary disruptive distribution model called The Red Carpet Roadshow that will launch in Greeley this spring. The Red Carpet Roadshow is slated to tour the US and is designed to uplift local communities, businesses, and filmmakers via an elegant red carpet/black tie event that unites artists from many disciplines to showcase their work and connect with their audience. Follow Nkosi and Ryan on Instagram @nkosiroma, @rsho1ly, and @methodfilm.

Their independent spirit has inspired them to not only produce the picture outside of the Hollywood system but to launch a revolutionary disruptive distribution model called The Red Carpet Roadshow that will launch in Greeley this spring.

  • Nkosi Roma and Ryan Stephen Holly