Catching up With Jeremy Collins at Adventure Film

Every year, the fun and chaos of the Adventure Film Festival draws talented artists, athletes, filmmakers and writers to Boulder’s quaint streets.

Jeremy Collins, from Kansas City, is all of these – a rippin’ climber with first ascents across the globe, an artist whose work has graced many outdoor pubs and a filmmaker whose forays into this art form have been extremely successful.  Plus, he’s a stand-up guy and a dedicated husband and dad with 2 little ones – Zion and Sela –  who keep him even busier than before.

Collins is in town for the festival and will be taking center stage Saturday night at the Boulder Theatre. Don’t miss this unique event as Collins presents his latest film, The Wolf & The Medallion with a live music ensemble and a theatrical art performance.  More info about the show here.

Jeremy was kind enough to give me a few minutes in between climbing in Eldo, festival commitments and fulfilling the duties of fatherhood. Here’s a little insight (without giving too much away about the film) into the man behind so much creativity.

CK: The film description for The Wolf & The Medallion says that a “moment of reflection” led to a letter to your son…Can you tell us more about this ‘moment’?

JC: Just sitting there looking out across a valley of summits and wishing my son could see the same thing… Then realizing it’s not the golden blobs of rock and pretty views that I wanted him to see – really- although that would be nice…But, more what living an adventurous life helps me “see” in myself, and in others. I had to write it down before I forgot….which happens often.

CK: Why did you choose to express this in a letter to your son (as opposed to your wife or a good friend or another way)?

JC: As I observe other parents in my life, I realize how quickly childhood comes and goes, and that in a short 15 years, my kids won’t be as much a part of my life as they are now.  I want my kids to know as they grow older what I want(ed) to share with them at different times in their lives.  This won’t certainly be the last letter I write my children, but it was the first where I felt like I was  actually sharing something of real substance.