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Blount County man shares stories of the Smokies at Maryville event

Filmmaker Carson Hunt will share new videos in his "Footnotes" series.

MARYVILLE, Tenn. — Blount County filmmaker Carson Hunt isn't just interested in sharing stories about his home, he also wants young people to know they don't need fancy equipment to be creative.

He's the creator of the "Footnotes" series that features the sights, sounds and people of Blount County.

A special sold-out showing of his series, including a few episodes that haven't already been published on his popular YouTube page, will be held at the Capitol Theatre in Maryville on Thursday, Feb. 29. 

"It's just a big celebration of Blount County," Hunt said. "And we're going to show the first five episodes that have already been previously released, and then there's going to be a premier of two brand new episodes that haven't reached the public yet."

Hunt said WBIR's "The Heartland Series" really influenced Footnotes.

He's lived in Blount County his entire life and wanted to highlight things important to him in the community. 

Footnotes have featured artists Chuck Finley and Michael Lexie, along with the Millennium Manor in Alcoa and Maryville teacher Dr. Penny Ferguson. 

Episodes that will premier at the event are personal to Hunt, too. 

"The brand new ones that are coming up are about the Rocky Branch Mountain Music Center, which used to be an elementary school, which I used to go to school at," he said. "And my father went to school there, too. So there's some special ties there, too."

The second episode premiering at the event is about the Capitol Theatre and its owner, Heath Claiborne. 

Hunt said he shot the entire series on his iPhone and that it's important for young people to recognize that they don't need the most expensive equipment to tell a compelling story. 

"So one of the challenges that I put for myself and making Footnotes was, I wanted to be sure that the gear that I was using is something that a college student or a young aspiring filmmaker would be able to get their hands on," he said. "Almost everybody's got a phone."

Footnotes can be viewed on Hunt's YouTube and Facebook pages. 

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