Some of the best stories I've told throughout my career were never the ones I went looking for. They were the ones that found me.
That's certainly the case with Heartwood, our latest feature documentary about basketball, community, tradition, and the extraordinary bonds connecting generations in rural Missouri.
What began as a simple client assignment has evolved into an hour-long documentary. And it all started with a rainy afternoon in a town of just over 600 people.
An Unexpected Introduction
In early 2025, I was producing a film for rootEd Alliance, an organization helping students in rural communities pursue opportunities beyond high school. The project involved combining existing footage with new interviews to tell a compelling story about the organization's impact.
One person featured in the original footage was Nicole Thomas, a rootEd advisor at Arcadia Valley High School in Ironton, Missouri. As I reviewed her interview, something struck me. Nicole had a powerful story, and I felt there was more to explore. Coincidentally, we had another production scheduled in St. Louis, about 90 minutes north of Ironton.
I suggested to our client that we travel south (at no additional charge) to scout the area and better understand Nicole's story. My senior producer, Maria Irvin, and I headed to Ironton in the spring of 2025.
Neither of us knew this visit would lead to an entirely different film.
Finding Something Special in Ironton
It was pouring rain when we arrived. Driving through Ironton and the surrounding Arcadia Valley, I was immediately struck by the landscape, quiet streets, and sense of history. This was rural America, a part of the country that doesn't always receive the attention it deserves.
But what stayed with me wasn't simply the scenery. It was the people.
In communities this small, schools serve a purpose beyond education. They become gathering places, sources of pride, and anchors for generations of families.
I began to understand how important someone like Nicole could be to these students. Her work wasn't simply about college or career planning. It was about opening doors and helping young people imagine possibilities beyond the world they knew.
I returned to our client and made the case for filming Nicole again and capturing the community around her. The budget was limited, but I believed in the story enough to make it happen.
We spent a wonderful day interviewing Nicole, meeting students, filming the school, and capturing aerial footage of the surrounding valley. We left feeling we'd captured something meaningful.
But the real story was only just beginning.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
A little over a week later, Nicole reached out. Brian Beard, superintendent of the Arcadia Valley School District, wanted to speak with us. Nicole had shared her experience working with our crew. She'd seen how invested we were in telling her story authentically, and believed we might be the right filmmakers for something special. Not long after, Maria and I were on a call with Nicole and Brian.
That's when we first heard about the Thanksgiving basketball tournament.
Beginning in 1927, the tournament had become a defining tradition of the Arcadia Valley community. For generations, players, coaches, families, and neighbors had gathered around this annual event. Brian explained its history, rivalries, and remarkable place in the community.
I was fascinated. What initially sounded like a documentary about high school basketball quickly revealed itself as something bigger. This wasn't simply about winning games. It was about identity, belonging, and the traditions that hold communities together.
By the time we finished the call, I was sold.
From Five Minutes to a Feature Documentary
Initially, I imagined producing a five-minute film celebrating the tournament's history and introducing a few memorable characters. But the more research I conducted, the more I realized five minutes wouldn't do it justice.
There were generations of stories waiting to be discovered.
Former players who became coaches. Coaches who shaped countless young lives. Families whose relationships with basketball stretched back decades. And two communities — Arcadia Valley and South Iron — whose basketball traditions offered a fascinating window into rural Missouri.
I became especially interested in the relationships between coaches and players.
For some young people, a coach becomes more than someone teaching a sport. They become mentors, sources of stability, even father figures. What happens when players graduate? When coaches retire? When another generation steps onto the same court?
These questions began shaping Heartwood. The film was becoming a story about life.
Returning to Missouri
Our first major filming trip took place during Thanksgiving of 2025. We returned in January 2026, again in June, and most recently only a couple of weeks ago in October.
We've completed four weeks of filming, with a fifth scheduled for Thanksgiving 2026.
Each visit has deepened my appreciation for these communities. We've interviewed coaches, players, educators, former students, and longtime residents. We've filmed in gymnasiums, classrooms, family homes, and along the backroads of the Ozarks.
Most importantly, we've built relationships.
Documentary filmmaking depends on trust. You can't manufacture it. You have to earn it. The more time we've spent with these families, the more they've welcomed us into their lives. Those personal moments are becoming the heart of this film.
Why Heartwood?
The heartwood of a tree is its oldest, strongest inner core. It provides strength and stability as the tree grows. For me, it's the perfect metaphor.
The tournament brings people together, but the community's strength comes from something deeper. The relationships between generations. Coaches dedicating their lives to young people. Families returning to the same gymnasium year after year. Traditions that endure even as everything around them changes.
That's the heartwood.
Two Thanksgivings, One Extraordinary Story
This Thanksgiving, I'll return to Ironton for the tournament's historic centennial celebration. It will be my second consecutive Thanksgiving spent away from my family.
There's an irony in missing Thanksgiving at home to document a story about family, community, and tradition. But it's also what makes this project personal.
I'm fortunate to have a family that understands my passion for storytelling. They've always supported the travel, long production days, and countless hours required to bring these films to life. More importantly, they believe in me and my conviction that this story deserves to be told.
Their support makes this commitment possible, and I don't take it for granted.
In many ways, the values we're exploring in Heartwood — family, sacrifice, loyalty, and believing in something bigger than yourself — are the same values making this film possible.
A Story Worth Telling
I've spent more than 25 years telling stories around the world. Yet some of the most compelling have emerged from communities that rarely make national headlines.
Heartwood is one of those stories.
It began with a client assignment, a 90-minute drive, a rainy afternoon, and Nicole Thomas trusting us enough to open another door. That connection led to Brian Beard, a century-old basketball tradition, and an entire community willing to share its history.
I'm grateful we made that drive to Ironton. I'm grateful to the people of Arcadia Valley and South Iron for welcoming us. And I'm especially grateful to my family for believing in this journey.
Because what we found in Missouri was much more than basketball. We found the heart of a community.
And that's a story worth telling.
Heartwood is currently in production through TDD Films, the documentary division of Two Doors Down Productions.