On Friday, Dec 13, 2024, guests were greeted by local Army Reserve Soldiers, cast and crew, and had the opportunity to walk the red carpet before sitting down with popcorn and soda at a special screening of “Wintergreen,” a holiday short film written and directed by Army Reserve 1st Lt. Tim Yao, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
What makes this groundbreaking is that 1 Lt. Tim Yao executed this production with all USAR Soldiers. The intent was to generate awareness for the Reserve through creative storytelling, a skillset that isn’t taught at public affairs school, rather exists primarily with
Reserve Soldiers that do film on the civilian side. The Defense Information School primarily trains visual information specialists and journalists across the DOD, but not filmmaking.
The program started with a few previews directed by Tim when he was still with Army Reserve marketing, showcasing water treatment specialists and people pursuing their passions and serving the country part-time. Mr. Robert Breck shared about what the Army Reserve is, the opportunities serving the country part-time can offer, and how they are different from the national guard and have more flexibility for civilian careers because you can move anywhere in the country and serve in a USAR unit.
There was a brief Q&A with the director 1st Lt. Tim Yao, actor/ producer Sgt. 1st. Class Chantell Black, actor Sgt Hue Escarpeta, and cameraman Staff Sgt. Jay Woods afterward. Black, a producer and actor in the film, shared, “So often we think mobilizations are deployments across the world, which they sometimes are, but sometimes they’re also 5 miles from your home, helping your very own community.” Yao said, “It was an honor to combine my civilian filmmaking skills to tell the Army Reserve story in a different way. I hope senior leaders see the merit in this kind of storytelling and community engagement event, so we can do more films in the future.”
Tim hopes to have other screenings nationwide through other Army Reserve Ambassadors.