Fallston High grad Kendall Outing keeps the camera rolling as college moviemaker

Kendall Outing has a cinematic dream: to one day see his name up in lights in Hollywood and beyond.

Already, the 21-year-old film student is making moves — or more precisely, movies — while honing his craft as an emerging director, producer and screenwriter.

“I’ve made six short films including my first documentary,” said Outing, who is completing his junior year at Florida State University’s College of Motion Picture Arts. The top-rated film school’s alumni include director Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” fame. Another graduate, Allison Rose Carter, was a co-producer for this year’s Oscar-winning film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“It’s amazing to be learning and doing what I love,” said Outing, a New Jersey native whose family, including older brother Chaz, relocated to Harford County when he was in kindergarten.

“My wife Robin and I introduced our sons to sports and all kinds of activities, from religious camp to the arts,” said his father, Cornelius “Neal” Outing. “Our philosophy in raising children was, ‘It takes a village.’ School, church, grandparents. They were never idle, and we kept them engaged.”

Today, the family and “village” are cheering on both brothers — Chaz Outing is a visual artist/designer who graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design — as they pursue creative careers.

“We are very proud of them, and they support each other,” said their father.

Family movie nights provided inspiration for Kendall Outing’s early film interests. After viewing movies, “we would talk about them, watch behind-the-scenes videos’ and look at the equipment the filmmakers used,” he said.

In 8th grade, he penned a feature film script. At Fallston High School, encouraged by his teachers, he wrote several screenplays. “I convinced my friends to act in them,” he chuckles.

These days, the aspiring auteur is juggling coursework while promoting his first documentary, “Freetown.” The short film tells the story of a small Black community in Anne Arundel County established December 26, 1845.

“The founder of Freetown was my great-great grandfather, James Spencer” said Tony J. Spencer, a descendant and historian who appears in the documentary. “He was a sea captain, landowner, and during the Civil War, he served in the Union Army with the U.S. Colored Troops.”

Early settlers in Freetown were free or formerly enslaved Blacks, and some of their names still exist on street signs in the community. The film features several descendants, highlighting their memories of a tight knit, self-sufficient enclave that has survived for centuries.

“I first heard about Freetown from my father,” said Kendall Outing, explaining that his dad knew a family with ties to the town. “I started doing research,” aided by Spencer and other sources.

Once his professor greenlit the project, Outing and two classmates with whom he collaborated on the film, embarked on a road trip from Tallahassee to Freetown, which is in Glen Burnie.

The production had a shoestring budget — about $400 dollars — mostly allotted for gas, hotel and food costs. “We filmed on location over four days in March 2022,” said Outing, adding that they captured “a ton of footage,” which had to be whittled down to the movie’s final 8-minute cut.

“Freetown” has since hit the film festival circuit. This spring, the documentary was screened at the D.C. Independent Film Forum and the Annapolis Film Festival. Up next is a festival in Toronto.

Meanwhile, Outing is developing new projects that offer different perspectives. “Being raised in rural Maryland, I realized that many people live in a cultural bubble,” he said. “I’ve used my films to try and pop it. …to see a person’s experience on screen, completely different from my own, and still empathize and connect with them always intrigued me.”

With his senior year and anticipated graduation approaching, Outing said he’s considering a move to Los Angeles to further his career.

“There are production assistant jobs there for young people, and I want to network, and seek mentorships,” he said. Above all, he is committed to his craft.

“I want to continue to tell great stories.”