This video is basically a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to host my 7th annual Horror Short Film Contest, and why I keep doing it year after year. I’ve loved Halloween since I was a kid—building little haunted house setups at my parents’ place—and this contest is my way of channeling that same vibe into filmmaking. What started as a challenge for my YouTube subscribers turned into something way bigger than I ever expected: this year we had around 200 films made specifically for the contest from filmmakers all over the world. I’m not gonna lie—this is months of planning, prepping, and execution, and I personally finance the whole thing. It’s a giant passion project that I don’t make money on, but I do it because I genuinely love giving the film community a reason to go create. The biggest “win” isn’t even the trophies—it’s hearing people tell me they made a film because of this contest. We also hit a turning point this year: Fear Pix stepped in and helped fund filmmakers with real money to make their next projects (two $5,000 budgets, plus two more $2,500 checks). On top of that, we celebrated the top films, fan favorite, and the overall winner—proving again that visual storytelling and execution matter more than just having fancy gear.