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Inspiring the Next Generation of Filmmakers

Pictured: Kevin Smith. Provided photo.

There is a responsibility that Sarasota has as the center of Florida’s Cultural Coast. Art is transient by nature. Each season brings a new slew of productions at the area’s performing arts organizations, new gallery openings and exhibitions at the museums. For Sarasota, there is a duty to inspire the next generation of artists, to become a place where people will come to create art for years to come.

On March 23, that duty was fulfilled with the Florida Premiere of Kevin Smith’s film KillRoy Was Here at the Burns Court Cinema, followed by a Q&A with Smith. KillRoy Was Here, a comedy horror anthology film, traces its roots to the graffiti phenomenon “Kilroy was here”, a meme depicting a looming character with a large nose that became popular during World War II. In the film, which is set in Sarasota, four intertwining stories illustrate the legend of Killroy, a local boogeyman figure, and the dire consequences of saying his name three times.

More significant than the presence of the film, however, was the process of making it. Shot in 2017 and 2018 in different locations around Sarasota including Ringling College of Art and Design, Nathan Benderson Park and Longboat Key, KillRoy Was Here was made as a series of short films by Kevin Smith in collaboration with Ringling College students. Smith, who rose to prominence with the low-budget comedy Clerks, says the enthusiasm of film students reinvigorates his own creative drive.

“Young folks are hungry for it. It is something that I’ve done so many times, so being around that enthusiasm just pumps you back up,” says Smith. “It reminds you of why you started this journey in the first place, because you can see your youthful brio in their eyes. If you’re going to make pretend, which is essentially what we do as filmmakers, you want to do it with people that are open to it.”

The participation of the students—which has sparked a larger initiative, the Creative Empowerment Project, a collaboration between the Florida Wine Festival and Auction and Semkhor Productions—was more than just a learning experience, however. It was the chance to have real input on the creative process.

“The kids brought so much energy and originality, they really made it better,” says Smith. “Watching these kids reach for and achieve new artistic heights while making this little horror movie was pretty inspiring.”



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SRQ Daily Archives

Welcome to the archives of SRQ DAILY: Freshly Squeezed Content Every Morning, produced by the team at SRQ Magazine. From this page, you will be able to view the most recent SRQ DAILY editions as well as search for a specific edition and keyword. The SRQ DAILY Business Edition runs on Mondays; the SRQ DAILY Philanthropy Edition publishes on Wednedsays; the SRQ DAILY Weekend Edition featuring arts and culture publishes on Fridays; and, the SRQ DAILY Perspectives Edition featuring op-eds, columns and letters publishes on Saturdays.

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This Week's SRQ DAILY Editions



Friday Weekend Edition – Mar 28, 2025

Purchase Tickets to the Best of SRQ Local Party | Friday, April 4, 2025 •  The Suncoast Black Arts Collaborative Presents Tradition and the Abstract: Improvisations and the Norm •  Palmetto Marriott Resort and Spa Announces That April Sunset Music Series Is Now Free •  Tony Award Nominee Eden Espinosa to Perform at Hermitage Greenfield Prize Dinner •  Inspiring the Next Generation of Filmmakers  •  Sarasota 2K - Sun Rowing and Rivalry •  ARRIVAL from Sweden Brings the Ultimate ABBA Experience to Sarasota for One Night Only!

Thursday Family and Recreation Edition – Mar 27, 2025

Embracing Our Differences Reading Day Reaches More than 14,000 Students Across 727 Classrooms on March 11 •  Community Day School Second Graders Explore Immigration Through Personal Stories •  Sarasota Nonprofit's Preschool Teacher Apprenticeship Program Sees Flood of Applicants •  Purchase Tickets to the Best of SRQ Local Party | Friday, April 4, 2025 •  SCS Job Fair: April 2  •  Embracing Our Differences A Celebration of Kindness is Sunday in Sarasota's Bayfront Park •  Palmetto Blues Festival Delivers High-Energy, Soul-Stirring First Annual Celebration •  All BayCare-Sponsored Graduate Medical Education Programs Receive Remarkable 100% Match •  Elizabeth Moore Sarasota Open Names Coastal Orthopedics as Medical Partner for 2025 Tournament •  Community Day School Cheer Team Wins First Place at Statewide Competition •  The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota Presents A Luxurious Easter Retreat •  Ringling College Launches new Author/Illustrator Certificate •  Jackson Holliday Readies Himself for Rookie of the Year Campaign

Wednesday Philanthropy Edition – Mar 26, 2025

Kari Jo Koshes Honored at SRQ's Good Hero Luncheon •  Spreading Kindness with Gulf Coast Community Foundation •  Kicking Off Spring the Right Way with Back-to-Back Equestrian Excitement! •  FCCC Hosts Photography Conference at Manatee Technical College •  Nominate Someone for the 2025 Women Who Roar Awards | Nominations Close April 4, 2025 •  Sarasota Jewish Theatre Honors Sarasota Arts Advocate Nancy Roucher on April 22 •  Selby Gardens Announces Resiliency Efforts

Tuesday Dining and Food Edition – Mar 25, 2025

Rush Inn Bar and Grille Debuts at Miromar Outlets •  There's Always Something Brewing At Calusa  •  Sarasota County to Celebrate Historic Keith Farmhouse Restoration with Ribbon Cutting •  Gulf Gate Library Celebrates 10 Years in its New Facility with a Luau-Themed Anniversary Event •  Florida Studio Theatre Announces Lineup for its 2025 Burdick Play Reading Festival •  Donna Davies, Executive Director of Pilchuck Glass School Basch Glass Talk •  The Perlman Music Program Suncoast Presents The Renaissance Quartet •  A Grandpa Joe Day Brings Free Family Fun and Live Entertainment to Palmetto on March 29 •  Fresh Fridays Brings Back to the 80s to Main Street •  Purchase Tickets to SRQ Magazine's 2025 Best of SRQ Local Party | Friday, April 4, 2025 •  Sugar Champagne Bar Opening in Downtown Sarasota

Monday Business Edition – Mar 24, 2025

Integrative Wellness at Aven Clinic •  Manatee County Unveils New and Improved MyManatee.org Website •  Sarasota County's Bee Ridge Project is First in Florida to Achieve Top Distinction •  Sarasota Performing Arts Foundation Names Laura Ansel Director of Communications •  HCA Florida Wellen Park Emergency Celebrates the Upcoming Opening with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony •  BayCare Ranks No. 30 as a Top Workplace by USA Today and Energage •  1000 Boulevard of the Arts Makes its Debut at The Quay •  SCSO Property and Evidence Section Reaccredited •  HBK CPAs and Consultants Earns Prestigious Best of Accounting Award for Client Satisfaction Excellence •  Investigational Device May Help Minimize Bleeding, Other Complications in Patients Undergoing Dialysis •  Kensington Park Community Cleanup April 5

Saturday Perspectives Edition – Mar 22, 2025

Ensuring the Best and Brightest Want to Work at Ringling College •  CareerEdge: A Game-Changer for Sarasota's Workforce

Friday Weekend Edition – Mar 21, 2025

The Light They Cast: A Documentary Film on Reentry and Redemption Selected for the Sarasota Film Festival •  April Events at Creative Liberties •  Enchanted Garden Family Festival This weekend at Historic Spanish Point Campus •  Sarasota Reggae and Food Festival  •  Celebrate the Legacy of Ernie Kretzmer •  The Sarasota Film Festival Follows Its Own Rules •  The Enchanting World of the Moulin Rouge Cabaret •  Floral Artistry Blooms at the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg This Spring •  Tom Stephens Puts the Power of Process on Display at 502

Read More

Market Magic

The Farmers Market at Lakewood Ranch has grown into one of the area’s premier attractions.

Kate Wight | Mar 10, 2025

Spring Explorations

Four area businesses offer exciting and creative activities for kids.

Kate Wight | Mar 9, 2025

A Place for Everyone

The Lakewood Ranch Library is more than a place to pick up a book—it’s a crucial community hub.

Kate Wight | Mar 9, 2025

2025 Home of the Year

Award Winning Residential Spaces across the Gulf Coast

Competition Produced by SRQ Magazine | Mar 3, 2025