The Human Angle: Why Farm League Is on a Mission to Empower “People, Places and Culture”
Farm League’s informal mission statement, first written a decade ago, states that “life is too big, fun, and instructive to keep separate from work.” Speaking to founder Tim Lynch (aka ‘TL’), it rings true all these years later as the creative film company looks to the future. The California-based Farm League, now a certified B Corporation, made its name by working with some of the biggest names around and keeping true to its musical roots, all while shining a light on subcultures and left-of-field figures whose stories need to be told.
Before Farm League, before a career in film, or a move to California, TL was enamoured with the surfing aesthetic back in his native Houston, Texas. “I grew up next to the only surf shop in Houston and I was in there all the time watching punk videos, skate videos, surf films, captivated by what I saw. People were pushing the boundaries and starting to span the globe in search of experiences,” he explains. An opportunity to move to California for college presented itself, giving TL the chance to follow “the surf, the bands, and the culture” right to the epicentre of it all.
At that point, film was still somewhat of a distant dream. “I wanted to make films, I just didn’t know what that meant,” says TL. In LA, he sought out “the people who I thought were doing interesting things, to be around them and to learn from them.” Soon he was hanging out with skateboarders and surfers who were making their own videos with camcorders, channelling the spirit of a lo-fi DIY culture as it happened around them. A love of music led TL to making music videos, which he also credits as his introduction to film.
Reimagining the documentary form
A particular highlight is the work he did with Green Day at the height of their 'American Idiot' fame, including the subsequent live concert documentary film 'Bullet In A Bible', on which he served as a producer. He recalls the period fondly: “It was such an exciting time in music, just incredible. Green Day was probably the biggest band in the world then; to watch and capture them play to a stadium of 50,000 people was amazing, and then to go on to create concept videos with a director was a major rush.” His approach to the documentary, which can be felt in many of Farm League’s projects, centred on “getting to know the artists, something that not many others were doing then and peering beyond boundaries with a camera, getting the artist to open up their lives on film.” His work in music film led to an MTV Music Award and a Grammy nomination, among other accolades.
TL brought his love of subcultures and storytelling to Farm League, saying that they’re “looking to push the style of unscripted to a new place, experimenting with the form and exploring what it means to make hybrid films.” The company’s next longform project, 'The Burning Eye' (working title), looks to explore the formal and narrative boundaries of the documentary further still. Focusing on the cult figure of Rick Griffin, the psychedelic artist and underground legend behind some of The Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix’s album art and posters, the film will fuse Griffin’s art with “mind-melting” animation. TL sees it as a chance to use Griffin’s biography to explore the darker themes of the 1960s period while connecting it forward to the present moment, in contrast with most other biographical films’ desire to reconstruct the past. “We want to be inspired by Griffin’s art to make new art, but we don’t want to be bound by it. In a way, the film will offer its own inspired animation,” adds TL.
Centring an insider’s perspectives
When it came to building a roster of talent for Farm League, TL turned to the people within subcultures who instinctively understood how to make films others want to see, instead of searching for commercial or branded experience. Each signing brought with it a fresh, diverse perspective and a set of interests that in turn shaped how the company approaches filmmaking and projects as a whole. Directors like Chris Malloy, an environmental steward, brand ambassador for YETI, and a former pro surfer; and Greg Hunt, a photographer and filmmaker responsible for many of the skate’s scene cult films and photos, and a former skate pro himself. Years on, the company still looks for creatives with heart and an insider’s perspective above all else.
Years of involvement in different scenes provides professional benefits to the Farm League team. Their network of athletes, artists, musicians, and unsung heroes bring an authentic element to casting that cannot be matched, or faked, by anyone else. A heart-forward approach translates to matching projects with people who have personal ties to the themes at hand; sometimes, they even help companies (Patagonia, YETI, and SeaVees) find genuine ambassadors for long-term partnerships.
“Stories that empower people, places, and cultures”
Thoughtful, subtle, human, and insightful are words that can be applied to all of Farm League’s work. “Our mission is to tell stories that empower people, places, and cultures (especially sub-cultures). That goes for every piece of work we produce, from film to spots,” TL says. Looking at the company’s slate of projects, it’s easy to see this ethos in action.
Nowhere is it more evident, however, than in their work for Stumptown Coffee Roasters; specifically the Wax & Gold project, directed by Britton Caillouette and shot in Ethiopia. The film is a hyper-visual, dream-like representation of a place little known to Western audiences, weaving together a number of narratives to create a tangible sense of time and place. “It’s about looking at the region and the gifts it has given to the world; from jazz, art and agriculture to the birth of civilization. The coffee is just a part of the story, the people are at the heart. That’s branded entertainment at its best,” explains TL.
Stumptown Coffee Roasters are just one of the company’s long standing clients, with brands like Yeti and Patagonia returning to Farm League again and again. TL says that he’s excited about the “deep relationships we form with brands, where we build a history of trust and experiences together. A lot of creative exploration and great ideas come from that place.” Blue Heart, created in partnership with Patagonia and directed by Britton Caillouette, documents the fight for Europe’s last wild rivers, and earned Farm League and the brand a Grand Clio award, epitomizing the ethos of “stories that deserve to be told.”
No matter the size of the project at hand, Farm League is always on the lookout for “the right visual approach to the story,” highlighting “honesty” as the quality behind a great piece of work. TL adds: “We always prefer a subtle hand. We look for the human angle, so that the walls can come down between brands and people, fostering a connection. That’s what we get excited about with brand work.”
Patagonia, 'Blue Heart'
Born out of an organic moment in time and a desire to bring together talented, collaborative people, Farm League are now looking to the future. What is the next decade likely to bring? For TL, the answer lies in its current roster of talent. “Some of our directors are getting into humour now, we’re looking to do our version of funny, with a light touch. We’re expanding on how we tell stories – like through animation, puppets, TV writing, or creative direction – but always in ways that serve a purpose.
We’re giving space to our filmmakers to follow their passion and harnessing the collective energy that says “let’s try something different in this space.” Keeping it honest, keeping it new.” For the fresh energy to keep flowing, Farm League are on the lookout for “new storytellers with diverse voices” to join their tight knit team. There’s also a desire to bring more of TL’s first love, music, back into the fold with the company actively exploring the right projects to take on in that space right now.
The word ‘authentic’ gets thrown around a lot, but it’s one that Farm League can really claim as their own. By centring people and their stories in front of and behind the camera, they’re comfortably breathing authenticity into all elements of their work.
