Stone Castle Pictures is a film and video production company founded in 2008 by Barry Simmons. Though primarily focused on non-fiction projects, SCP also works with agencies and music labels to create commercials, PSAs, and music videos. The company's first documentary, "Sons of Lwala," won the Human Spirit Award and Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Nashville Film Festival. It has been screened for students at more than 50 college campuses and raised over a half-million dollars to support the struggling Kenyan health clinic featured in the film.
Previously, the company's founder, Barry Simmons, was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation fellow at the International Reporting Project at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
As a fellow at the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Barry produced "Hope For Lwala," a mini-documentary that aired nationally on PBS' "Foreign Exchange" with TIME's Fareed Zakaria.
Before launching SCP, Barry was a television reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, where he won nine regional Emmys and two Edward R. Murrow Awards.
Harmony Republic Interview
Harmony Republic,
"TV Reporter Gives Up Everything To Tell a Story"
Poynter Online,
"Kenyan Village Gets Clinic From Brothers It Helped"
Associated Press,
"Mission of Mercy"
Nashville Scene,
"Sons of Kenyan Village Build First Clinic"
ABC NEWS,
"Fest Bits: 'Sons' Wins Nashville Prize"
Variety.com,
Click here to watch.
In January 2009, a crew from ABC NEWS met us in Lwala, Kenya, as we prepared to screen our documentary, SONS OF LWALA, for the villagers there. The story that aired focused on the documentary's main characters, Milton and Fred Ochieng', and ran as a weekly feature called "Person of the Week" on WORLD NEWS TONIGHT.
Click here to watch.
In July 2009, right off the heels of the ABC NEWS story, Barry and the Ochieng' brothers appeared on CNN for a live interview segment with anchor Fredricka Whitfield, who greeted the brothers on-air in Swahili. Respect.
Click here to watch.
During his fellowship at the International Reporting Project, one of Barry's presentations was covered by C-SPAN. He didn't think much of it: Who watches C-SPAN, anyway? Besides, Barry had been on local TV for years. But within minutes of the broadcast, friends and relatives he hadn't spoken to in years contacted him to reconnect, share stories, or ask for money.
EMMY NOMINATION, 2010
AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY
HUMAN SPIRIT AWARD
OFFICIAL SELECTION
SPECIAL JURY AWARD
BEST OF FESTIVAL
SILVER TELLY AWARD, 2010
SILVER TELLY AWARD, 2009
9 REGIONAL EMMYS
2 EDWARD R. MURROW AWARDS
5 ASSOCIATED PRESS AWARDS