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Julian the Viking Returns, But Now He’s a Foodie Vlogger

Well, Julian didn’t actually go anywhere, but we figured that since he left our humble horror festival a few years back, you may have lost touch with what’s he’s been up to. The answer is… an awful lot. But, before we get there, let’s bring it back to BAFF 2018, when the Redhead English Viking made his way to Hotlanta to hang out for the festival and catch some local sights.

Alberto Corredor’s impressive short film, Baghead, was selected for BAFF 2018 and the film’s star, Julian Seager, decided to travel “across the pond” to hang with the BAFF crew, take in some great films, and scoot over to Marvel to see some of his Asgardian buddies at Marvel – since it’s just down the road. He got more than he expected. getting to spend a day at Marvel, walk on set with some of his faves at The Walking Dead, and meet tons of great creative minds at the BAFF screenings and events.

 

His two latest projects are certainly. ones worth your time. One professional and one personal, Julian is both back at his old Viking tricks in an upcoming Netflix show and taking his love of food and competition to his new food fueled YouTube channel.

Vikings: Valhalla comes to Netflix in February with one burly Mr. Seager as Viking Jarl Gorm. No stranger to being an on-screen Viking, Seager did work on Thor: The Dark World and has played a Viking in various other projects on the big and small screens. While there seem to be a variety of reasons to check out Valhalla, Julian’s Jarl Gorm should prove to be among the top reason.

 

When I asked Julian about his new YouTube channel, asking what he’s been doing on there, he responded:

Reviewing food, doing stupid challenges, beating speed eating records, and sometimes failing miserably at the huge portions of food records

He has, however, beaten 3 professional eater’s records and has applied for an official Guinness book of records certificate for one of them so far. This is his other main focus, when his not on set for Valhalla or one of the other various projects he’s been a part of. Well, that and his family, of course. Those of us who hung out with him at BAFF couldn’t forget the comic and collectible stores he checked out while stateside, picking up swag for himself and his family.

Even if food videos aren’t your thing, following Julian’s HairyFoodyGuy YouTube channel is definitely the right move. He’s funny, entertaining, and sometimes quite impressive, as well. Whether you wanna see him suggest some great grub or just need a laugh, go check it out. In fact, get a sneak below of one of his more idiotic feats below:

 

All said and done, Julian has certainly kept busy since visiting us in 2018 and we’re excited to see how he continues to be successful and entertaining in everything he does. That said, we sure hope to get him back in Atlanta soon. Hurry back, Jarl!

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INTERVIEW: Brian Lonano Has a Collection of Short Films on Arrow Player Out Now

This interview was conducted by our very own Justin Harlan for Cinapse in 2019 to promote Brian Lonano’s shorts collection on Arrow’s streaming service. Brian’s films and Brian himself are always mainstays at our annual festivals, from Sinema Challenge entries to world premieres.

I’m what you may call a “trash filmmaker.” I make films that tend to be low/no budget and feature ridiculous creatures and concepts. Some might find my work to be strange, others may find it challenging, and most find it to be stupid.

When I was a kid, I knew I wanted to do something creative with my life. I was interested in puppets , drawing and making people laugh. But it didn’t solidify in my mind that I wanted to be a filmmaker until I saw Jurassic Park at age 10. After I saw that, making films was all I was interested in. Though we couldn’t afford to buy a camcorder, I found ways to create stories and my parents bought me a lot of books about filmmaking. Once I got to college and had access to cameras and equipment, I made over 40 short films in that time.

Back in 2014, my wife Tori and I were attending the Florida Film Festival where one of my films was screening. We got our badges and walked to the parking lot and there I came across a strange totem on the ground that looked like a crow. Tori was creeped out and told me not to pick it up… but I did anyway because I was curious. I joked that because I didn’t listen to her, my hand was cursed by the totem and transformed into a crow. I yelled out “CROW HAND!!!” and we both laughed and said, “that would be a fun movie to make.” Funny enough, a year later after the film was completed, the film screened at the Florida Film Festival where a person came up to me and said they lost their keychain in the parking lot the year before…and his keychain looked like a crow!

The short film is a great way to experiment with ideas and make something outside of the traditional three act structure. Films like CROW HAND!!! and Gwilliam work perfectly as short films. I tried to elaborate them into features but it falls apart for me. I lose interest. A feature could be in my future someday but I really need to find the right idea and be in love with it. But most of my ideas I imagine as short films.

It might be fun to do a “pod people” type of film with podcasters replacing people. They can point their finger at a normal person like in the 1970s Invasion of the Body Snatchers but instead of shrieking, they thank a sponsor.

It’s the greatest compliment I could ever receive for one of my films. But I am sorry she threw up.

I’ve got a music video that will be premiering online later this month. And I’ve got 3–5 short films I am working on! Lots of stuff coming!