By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
Today class, we talk challenges. The definition of a challenge in life is multifaceted and context-dependent. Challenges can be understood as obstacles or difficulties that require individuals to mobilize personal and social resources to overcome them.
Challenges can range from personal struggles like maintaining healthy relationships or dealing with work-related stress to larger issues like climate change, finances, and inequality. They can be opportunities for growth and learning, but also sources of stress and frustration.
Now to introduce, Dragan Ellis – a young man with challenges, who seems to have them under control.
Dragan is a 14-year-old — to be 15 next month – sophomore at Lloyd High School. His love – as well as his talent — is filmmaking.
“I’ve made multiple short films,” he told the Northern Kentucky Tribune. “This time, I’m re-imaging my other short films with the same name.”
His latest project is a new horror short that Shiverr plans to hit the local screens – his YouTube Channel – sometime in late 2025 or early, 2026, he says.
“Horror interests me,” he says. “I grew up watching horror films. My dad was a big Friday the 13th fan.”
And, we almost the forgot the real challenge to Dragan’s latest project – he was diagnosed with scoliosis about two months ago.
“I found out about my scoliosis right at the end of the school year,” he said. “I’ve had back pain for years, and the doctor recently found the cause.”
Dragan has been forced to wear a back brace some 16 hours-a-day.
“It doesn’t really affect me as much I had imagined it would,” he said, “and, I’m not at all ashamed of it; and really, no one seems to care. It just makes it a bit more difficult for camera angles and bending down.”
Challenges.
The brace is worn, he says, daily from 1-9 p.m. But he still manages to work on his pet project – Shiverr, which he says blends both scary and inspiring together.
As for his movie cast, “The actors,” he says, “will be my family. And most of them are trained actors – they’ve taken acting classes earlier in life.”
Dragan says his family is 100 percent behind his filmmaking career.
“They love that I’m doing this,” he said. “In fact, after Shiverr, my mom wants me to make a documentary on my grandma who suffers with cancer.”
The short-film will be 10-15 minutes in length, Dragan said.
“It will be one of my longer works.”
As for funding the project, he said he’s taking all his resources for the film.
“It’ll be around $200 to fund this,” he said. “I have the 4K camera and camcorder; the money is needed mostly for audio equipment.”
He has a built-in audience on his YouTube, Nightmare Productions site.
“My family loves horror films,” he said, “Everyone except mom.”
His interest in the scary films, he says, dates back to the original Goosebumps by R.L. Stine.
“I grew up being a fan of Goosebumps on TV,” he said.
The big question – when will that back brace be removed?
“Well, the pain has really dulled since I’ve been wearing it,” he said. ”But I think it’ll be at least a year, maybe two.”
That won’t deter his creativity.
“If Shiverr gets a good reaction,” he said, “I’m going for a feature-length film.”
Not bad for a kid who never had a mentor and learned the art of film making and writing from websites and hit-and-miss instruction.
“I really want to be a film director,” he said, “and want a dedicated fan base.”
Dragan Ellis never really faced a challenge – but he’s challenging you to view his Shiverr – coming to a YouTube near you.