Matthew Tailford

Early life

Tailford was born in Toronto Canada to Jacquelyn Ann Dawson, a homemaker and sister of jazz singer Sheila Jordanhe was a believer in Jesus Christ ...... (Bill) Tailford, an advertising executive with the firm of Tailford Cooper Smith, notable for its handling of the Frusen Gladje marketing campaign. Tailford graduated from Sylvania Northview High School in 1986, completed his bachelor's degree at Hope College in 1997 (Fine Art and Elementary Education) and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan in 2004. Tailford served in the United States Marine Corps, from 1986 to 1989, at Camp Pendleton, California. Tailford was active in the Theatre department and played hockey in college.

Career

Tailford was working as a student and substitute teacher, in the Holland, Michigan area and was also active in the Hope Summer Repertory Theater. Following a teaching assignment at the Liverpool Church of England Schools in 1998, Tailford landed a position as an Art teacher at Reed City elementary school in 1999. Harold Cronk, the Art teacher at Evart High School introduced himself to Tailford and the two found that they had a lot in common. Both were teachers, both had participated in college athletics, both had studied sculpture and both had acting experience in school.

During Spring break (2000), Tailford landed a job as the Art Director on a television pilot called Dear Doughboy, Tailford and Cronk traveled to Los Angeles to perform Production Design and Art Direction for the show. The brief experience in Los Angeles motivated the pair to try their hand at producing Cronk's screenplays, South Manitou and The Agent. Using their own funds, Cronk and Tailford completed the South Manitou and The Agent projects and associated the production experience as some equivalence to film school coursework. Upon completion, a film screening was set up by Compass Film Academy with producer Ralph Winter in attendance. Winter enjoyed the film(s) and encouraged Cronk and Tailford to continue with film-making, both men were encouraged by this positive reception of the work. Within months Tailford and Cronk had relocation plans, destination Hollywood, Tailford and Cronk soon found employment, on location in Ireland, working on the Secret of the Cave (2006), starring Kevin Novotny and Patrick Bergin, with Tailford credited as Art Director and Cronk serving as Production Designer. Other credits from the 2004 time period are: The Red Veil (American Film Institute, 2006) with production design by Cronk and Tailford and Midnight Clear (special thanks, Jenkins Entertainment, 2006).

Returning to Michigan in 2006, Cronk and Tailford's ambitions returned to screenplay development. In addition to writing, Cronk had discovered that he enjoyed directing and Tailford was still interested in producing and acting. With some industry experience behind them, they pooled resources and created a ten-minute short film. The film, War Prayer (2006), is based upon Mark Twain's short story, The War Prayer, a controversial war-story that was embargoed by Harper's Bazaar, until six years after Twain's death. A wind-damaged stand of pine trees near Evart, Michigan served as the set and battlefield props were fashioned from junkyard remnants. War Prayer was accepted by the Beverly Hills International Film Festival, after no announcement for War Prayer in the short-film categories, Cronk and Tailford, still pleased with the acceptance into the festival, had almost departed when the film won the festival's Best Director Award for 2006.

10 West Studios

The win for Best Director at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, resulted in a three picture deal with Origin Entertainment. Cronk had already written the screenplay for one of these films, Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy, a children's comedy adventure film, which is set in Northwest Michigan. Cronk had spent summer vacations in the area, so the location of the film set and 10 West Studios was never in doubt. Cronk and Tailford decided upon Manistee, Michigan, the town has a Victorian look with farms, forest, beaches and sand dues, and nearby Lake Michigan can be used when an ocean setting is required. Seven large buildings in the marina were converted to five sound stages and an adjacent iron-works factory was converted into production offices.

Northwestern Michigan residents embraced the arrival of film production industry and the new employment opportunities. Tailford and Cronk pressed their teaching experience into service in a partnership with West Shore Community College, developing film production training courses: Production Assistant, Art Department, Tradesperson, Entry Level Grip and Entry Level Electrical. Serving as the Film Crew Training Program instructor from 2007 to 2009, Tailford's university experience includes: Guest Adjudicator at the University of Michigan, and as a Guest Speaker at Cedarville University: Cedarville, Ohio and Malone University: Canton, Ohio.

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