PASSION
“ I ’ ve known I wanted to act and be in the film industry since I was a child ,” says actor and film producer Sean Freeland .
Born and raised in Pittsburgh , Freeland attended Pine-Richland High School and graduated in 1989 . His favorite subject was math and he also enjoyed wood shop , gym and writing for the school newspaper . He was also involved in a number of school activities including soccer , ice hockey and school musicals .
During his school years , Freeland witnessed the entertainment and music industry firsthand through his father ’ s career . “ My father , Dave , was the drummer in a very popular Pittsburgh-based band called The Corbin / Hanner Band ,” says Freeland . The band recorded two albums and toured the country with bands like The Oak Ridge Boys and Mel Tillis . “ The band broke up right around the time that I was entering high school , so I observed how unstable things could be in the entertainment business .”
As a result , Freeland ignored his passion and attended Florida State University to study engineering , which later turned into a Criminology ( Pre-Law ) degree with a minor in Communications in order to pursue a “ more stable ” career — most likely as an entertainment lawyer .
“ Of course , I never went to law school after graduation ,” smiles Freeland . Instead , he moved to Atlanta and opened a restaurant and bar in Roswell , Georgia , called Freeland ’ s Pizza and Pub . “ I turned it into a Steelers bar ,” he laughs . “ It was great because I got to meet a lot of cool people who were also from Pittsburgh — many of whom I ’ m still friends with today .”
After 10 years of running the restaurant , Freeland decided to focus on acting and producing full time . “ Acting , because it was always my first love ,” he says , “ and producing because I had learned in the restaurant business that I was a pretty good businessman and good at getting things done — two key elements in being a good producer .”
When deciding to concentrate specifically on film , Freeland landed a few roles on network shows — one on “ Nashville ” and one on “ Constantine ”— and began producing independent films . During this time , he met Paul Jenkins , who is now his business partner . Jenkins wrote for Marvel and DC Comics for 20 years , created original material for the video games God of War and The Darkness , and recently released his first novel .
Together , Freeland and Jenkins created Meta Studios , a cross-media production company that is helping assist the Jacoby Group , which focuses on real estate , energy , biotechnology , media and education with an emphasis on sustaining the environment .
“ Paul and I create projects that engulf all aspects of entertainment ,” says Freeland . “ From movies to television , video games , apps and more — our goal is to produce cross-media projects that feed off of the different platforms available to tell a much more entertaining story and to enhance the viewer ’ s / user ’ s overall experience .”
The multimedia facility that Meta calls home hosts some of the top filmmakers , game developers , comic book publishers and technology innovators in the industry . “ I ’ ve had the pleasure of working with a number of great people over the past few years ,” says Freeland . He ’ s worked with Rose Byrne (“ Bridesmaids ”, “ X-Men : First Class ”), Hayden Panettiere (“ Nashville ”, “ Heroes ”), Aaron Paul (“ Breaking Bad ”), Nick Offerman (“ Parks and Recreation ”), Michael Biehn (“ The Terminator ”, “ Tombstone ”), Octavia Spencer (“ The Help ”), and Tom Cruise to name just a few . “ It ’ s a really fun experience to wake up some days and find out you ’ re going to be working with an actor or actress whose work you have admired for years ,” he adds .
Freeland ’ s recent projects include a role on CBS ’ s “ The Inspectors ,” Season 2 Episode 11 (“ Mistaken Identities ”), which aired in December 2016 . He ’ s also just filmed the movie “ The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks ,” starring Rose Byrne and Oprah Winfrey , as well as the film “ Steel Country ,” by one of the producers of “ The King ’ s Speech .” “ I ’ m very excited about “ Steel Country ” although I can ’ t say much because it ’ s not out yet , but it ’ s based in the suburbs of Pittsburgh ,” he says .
Freeland credits his growth and acting success to his coach , Crystal Carson . “ Crystal is based in Los Angeles and has done wonders for my performances , and therefore my career . I owe her a lot for being able to bring out the best in me .”
Through Meta Studios , Freeland and Jenkins are teaming up with regional universities to help educate young Georgia filmmakers and help them get credits on films that could otherwise take years to achieve in other markets around the country . “ By building the knowledge base for students in Georgia , it will strengthen the independent film market here ,” notes Freeland .
When giving advice to aspiring entertainers , Freeland warns that the entertainment industry is not an easy one . A lot of money , time and preparation go into the career and the return can be minimal . With numerous auditions a year , the process is very hard , very taxing and can be depressing , he says . “ But , with all of that being said , when I arrive on a set in the morning , it is one of the highlights of my life . I love the atmosphere , the entire process of making a film , and I love being a part of something that you know is going to achieve a response and affect people ’ s lives .”
Freeland ’ s words of wisdom to those who want to act or produce : start immediately and know that you have to work at it for as long as it takes . “ It takes a lot of time to earn trust in this business , but if you can stay with it , work hard and not give up , good things will happen .” ■
Pine-Richland | Spring 2017 | icmags . com 23