Alumni Interview: Huntr Takes Hollywood
The world of filmmaking and the movie business are tough, but that isn’t stopping Palm Desert High School alumnus Huntr McMillan (yes that’s how it’s spelled) from following his dreams. Anyone who knows Huntr knows that he is a guy that lives life to the fullest, making the most out of every situation he comes across. Huntr says that, “it’s really hard to be good at anything. So if you’re going to spend your life doing something, it should be what you love.” He has carried this belief into his career when he graduated and went to school in New York to study something other than film. During this time he realized that it just wasn’t a fit so he decided to transfer and move back across the country to Northern Arizona University and live out his dreams of studying film. Huntr explained how he’s always had an interest in movies ever since he was young. He listed some of his biggest inspirations which include legendary samurai film director Akira Kurosawa, multiple Academy Award winner Quentin Tarantino, as well as one of the most important filmmakers of all time, Alfred Hitchcock, all of which he considers masters of their craft. Huntr has seen success so far in his young career, winning multiple awards for his short films. The young director explained that the award that means the most to him is the Rocky Mountain Emmy award for Best Director. He explained that in 5 states he beat out all other college directors in the area. Huntr is the first and only NAU student to ever win this award, making it even more honorable and prestigious for him. Currently, he is doing his best during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep on doing what he loves, making sure to have strict guidelines for onset protocol. He praised Palm Desert High School for having a faculty that has inspired and pushed him to where he has gotten, specifically listing Mr. Kemp and Mrs. Larson as “hugely inspirational”. He also joked that Mr. Saad making fun of him for making movies has pushed him to try even harder to get to where he wants to go. Hopefully, one day when Huntr is giving his speech after winning the Oscar for best picture, you’ll remember his name and where he came from: a former student of the one and only Palm Desert High.