Director, Producer, Writer
Not busy enough with his historical projects, in 2007, Kevin founded a new production entity based in Virginia, and affiliated with LionHeart FilmWorks - Race Day Films, LLC. This company produces human-powered sports films centered in the world of triathlons and marathons throughout the United States. Another company affiliated with LionHeart, North Bridge Entertainment, was established in 2007 to provide historical production services and consultation for feature films and TV. With his partner John D. Bert ("Cold Mountain"), Kevin plans to work as historical advisor on the upcoming Civil War feature film "Play for a Kingdom," shooting in 2008.
Also, in 2008, Kevin and LionHeart will produce a brand new feature docu-drama titled "Gettysburg: Darkest Days & Finest Hours" to tell the soldier's-eye-view of this epic battle. Hershberger and historian John D. Pagano are writing the script in a way which will follow a handful of common soldiers, both Union and Confederate, and the true story of their actions over each of the three days of the battle. LionHeart historian John D. Pagano will walk the original battlefield to introduce each portion of the field and the action of the re-enactment we are about to witness. All new digital maps, an original musical score, intense cinematic special effects and 21st century CGI will produce a new chapter in LionHeart Civil War film trilogy.
Also in 2008, LionHeart will shoot and produce a new documentary DVD on the 1778 battle of Monmouth Courthouse at the 230th anniversary event. This battle was one of the largest of the American Revolution, and the documentary will include scenes with re-enactors portraying George Washington, Howe and Lafayette.
Headquartered in historic Richmond, Virginia, LionHeart FilmWorks is a full-service production company that carries its projects from development, script, pre-production, shoot and post with superior quality and integrity. History-based feature films, shorts and documentaries are our specialty - especially military history projects. The LionHeart FilmWorks team has quickly become widely known as experts in recreating and shooting combat and other historical events.
Founded in 1999, the company was started by partners Kevin R. Hershberger and DJ Perry on the set of LionHeart's first film, "The Nest" - Kevin was writer/director and DJ was an actor. However, the foundations of this new production company started long before this meeting. Filmmaker Kevin R. Hershberger grew up in Maryland. He had always been interested in the idea of working in the movies, behind-the-scenes, not as an actor. Kevin watched video tapes on the making of "Star Wars" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" until they wore out, and he loved learning about the process. Kevin imagined a role in the world of model effects, but not being a fan of math or engineering, that wasn't going to be for him.
At VMI, Kevin majored in International Studies and History, graduating with the class of 1995. He then served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the United States Army for 8 years.
Kevin started his career as a screenwriter, and spent much of 1997-1998 working on a proposed Civil War feature film titled "Angel of Marye's Heights." While developing this project, Kevin met and traded e-mails with a man in New York who wanted to make a short war film, and liked Kevin's authenticity and detail-oriented attitude toward historical filmmaking. After a few months of writing and organizing with his producing partner Ed Scheafer, Kevin directed and co-wrote his first short film, the award-winning dramatic, Korean War-set short film "The Nest" (released in September 1999) – which aired on PBS and which has recently been released on DVD. This short premiered on the opening night of the 1999 New York International Film Festival and LionHeart won "Best Action Short" out of a wide field of entries.
Following the completion of "The Nest," in September 1999 Kevin produced and directed a 60-minute Civil War musical concert film for the 2nd South Carolina String band, distributed nationwide on home video. This project will soon be re-mastered and re-released as a 2-DVD special edition set in June 2008.
On set, Kevin met actor/producer DJ Perry and formed LionHeart FilmWorks, LLC in Virginia to developing a follow up project to hopefully start sooner rather than later. DJ considered a list of Kevin Hershberger's script ideas and one-line descriptions, and DJ latched onto one of the last ones on the page which was titled "Wicked Spring." It was a short-film Kevin wrote while at VMI -- a story about six Civil War soldiers, mixed up from both sides, who meet in the woods and spend the night together, becoming friends. This was in August 1999 and by January 2000 DJ had raised enough money to begin shooting LionHeart's first feature film in Virginia. We shot "Wicked Spring" over 29 days from January to August 2000 for just under $500,000.00. The movie was finished and premiered in the summer of 2001, then was released nationwide on DVD in December 2003. That started me on this path of historical filmmaking.
"Wicked Spring" (2001) -- is an epic character study of lost soldiers during the American Civil War. "Wicked Spring" has already won two awards for ‘Best Cinematography’ and Kevin’s awards include ‘Best Director’ and ‘Best Action Feature’ at the 2002 New York International Independent Film Festival. Allumination Filmworks Home Entertainment released the film worldwide on home video/DVD in December 2003. The release has been a phenomenal success so far with more than 100,000 DVDs sold.
In December 2002, Kevin worked on the music video to legend Bob Dylan’s "Cross the Green Mountain." In February 2003, for LionHeart FilmWorks, Kevin wrote and directed "Mystic Motel" ('Best Director' at the 2004 Vision Film Festival); and then a national commercial for Time/Warner Books and best-selling author David Baldacci. In early 2004, Kevin shot and directed the short film "The Image," alongside frequent collaborator, John D. Pagano. This short will be released in late 2008, along with all of LionHeart's short films, in a volume 2 compilation DVD release available for sale on the company's website.
With his experience in directing combat scenes, in 2004-2005, Kevin and the LionHeart FilmWorks team worked as 2nd Unit for Eleventh Day Entertainment's new documentary "For Love of Liberty," the story of African-American soldiers from the Revolution to Iraq. This 3-hour program will air nationally, and is hosted by Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, and features the voice talents of Mel Gibson, Sam Elliot, Robert Duvall, Ossie Davis, Susan Sarandon, Jonathan Pryce and John Goodman.
LionHeart completed work on his second major feature film, "No Retreat From Destiny: The Battle That Rescued Washington" which was distributed nationwide on DVD in March 2006. The 106 minute film is a docu-drama detailing the third grand Confederate invasion of the north in 1864, and the ill-fated attack on Washington, D.C. and President Abraham Lincoln. Since its release, the film has won more than 20 national and international film festival and industry awards.
In August 2006, Kevin Hershberger traveled to Boston as a Producer on the upcoming PBS documentary "Rebel," the true story of Confederate cavalier, Loretta Valasquez. Then, in the fall of 2006, Kevin directed/produced the new Indie-film "The Scarlet Letters" for production company Virginia Reel, LLC. This film is part of a potential seven-story feature about the seven deadly sins.
In 2006 and 2007 LionHeart produced and directed interpretive films for the Green Spring and Yorktown Battlefields (225th anniversary events), as well as a new series of 35, hour-long documentary films for "The American Soldier Series" - a DVD series created by Kevin and partner John D. Pagano. The first DVD is titled "Von Steuben's Continentals: The First American Army."
"The American Soldier DVD Series":
The plan, in a very basic sense, is to produce a live-action, full-color documentary series, using re-enactors and actors in uniform, to tell the 'detailed' story of the American soldier from the French & Indian War through World War 2 - perhaps beyond. Right now we have outlines for thirty-five different titles to be produced in the series, with more ideas always coming. In the same way the Osprey series of books detail the uniforms, weapons and tactics of specific periods of history, these films seek to detail the uniforms, food, weapons, camps, drill, training, and general soldier life from period to period - the fun hard-core details that re-enactors and students enjoy. The first titles we're producing will deal with the American Revolution and Civil War, but we'll quickly branch out into other periods in the next few years including titles on the French & Indian War, the War of 1812 (in time for the bicentennial), World War One and World War Two.
In 2008, LionHeart will release several more titles in the series, including: "The Life & Death of the Army of Northern Virginia," "Fighting Women of the Revolution" and episodes on Hessians, Fife & Drum music of the American Revolution and the Army of the Potomac.
Since 1999, LionHeart's various projects have been awarded more than 45 national and international film festival and industry awards.
These days, LionHeart FilmWorks self-finances and self-distributes it's projects and DVDs.
Kevin and LionHeart are always open to investments and partnerships to help the company move forward and continue to produce quality historical films, ideally more re-enactment-centered documentaries and feature films for the big screen.
with these other companies: