Forrest Proctor’s new documentary tells the story of Lucedale entrepreneurs John and Savanna Webb. The couple owns Lucedale Coffee Shop and brews their own craft-roasted Opossum coffee, a unique blend that holds a special place in their hearts and the local community.
At Lucedale Coffee House, each batch of coffee is a labor of love, carefully developed and roasted to bring out the most exquisite flavors. The smooth-tasting coffee, unique to the Webbs, is not just a beverage but an experience that feels like home. John and Savanna Webb take immense pride in this unique coffee experience, and it’s a story that needs to be shared.
“I have a soft spot for entrepreneurs, especially those who step outside the box. I’ve known John and Savanna Webb for a few years and have watched them grow to the point where they are roasting their coffee. I thought the story needed to be told,” Proctor shared.
The idea came about when John called Proctor to ask if he would make a video of their new roaster being delivered.
“It’s not just a roaster you can buy online and send over the next week. It’s a hefty investment that took 8 months to get in, so making a nice little video about that sounded fun,” Proctor shared. Little did I know that the drama that would come along with it would make a fantastic TV-style episode, so that’s why we went that direction. I have TV experience as a camera operator and editor on reality-style TV shows, so it came naturally to me.”
Proctor is no stranger to documentary work. He has worked on dozens of documentaries for tourism boards and companies and as an independent filmmaker.
“Most notably, I’ve teamed up with Our Mississippi Home and 228 Sports the past couple of years to produce a few award-winning documentaries,” Proctor shared.
Passionate about the project, Proctor’s company, Epoch Creative Group, has invested its own money and time in pre-production, production, and post-production.
“We had about 50 hours in this first episode. If we were hired to do this for anyone else, the bill would be between 6-10k, and in my experience, a 20-minute TV episode with the same logistics costs around 50k to make. I know how to cut costs, so we don’t need that much, but we will need working funds to continue. We plan to create a crowdfunding campaign to incentivize the audience to support the project.”
The community support for the documentary has been overwhelming and heartwarming. It’s a testament to the power of local stories and their impact on a community. This support is not only for the Webbs; it’s also for Proctor and the entire Lucedale community, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
“The first 48 hours, we were able to get 5,000 views onto the project, which has given us the confidence to start production on episode #2,” Proctor said, with the thought that it could likely be packaged and sold to a streaming service such as Amazon Prime, Netflix or Hulu.
“Telling real stories about real people is my passion. This documentary is really important. I have a personal connection with John and Savannna—I’ve seen them go through good times and not-so-good times. Growing up in Lucedale, we didn’t have the same spark of creativity and drive, so to be able to tell these stories now about my hometown is really special.”
With a drive to tell the stories of local community members doing positive things, Proctor shared, “We are constantly fed media from all over the world, but we neglect our neighbors’ stories. I think it’s time to start looking around our communities and highlighting all the great people around us and their journeys. Myself and the folks at Our Mississippi Home have some big things in the works, and I’m so excited!”
