FILMMAKER/PHOTOGRAPHER: JULIAN STARKS started in Cincinnati, Ohio in a dance troupe called ‘FLEX’. Dancing brought Julian to NYC, where he started his career as a working actor, having studied under acting teacher legends, SANFORD MEISNER and BOBBY LEWIS. He privately studied with Martin Barter from the Neighborhood Playhouse Theater, as well. In 1995, he decided to move to Los Angeles to begin his filmmaking and television education at the UCLA Extension School of Film where he studied screenwriting, directing and editing. In 2002, he invested his creative life full-time to filmmaking by enrolling in THE LOS ANGELES FILM SCHOOL. His concentrations were directing, screenwriting, producing and editing. In 2004, Julian formed HOLLYWOOD FILMMAKERS LLC., a film production company. His first feature documentary film, A JOURNEY TO SUNDANCE, a 13-year torturous-making film, has just been release Worldwide. It intertwines the story of Robert Redford and his fabled Sundance Film Festival. It also documents the story of the struggles a filmmaker (Julian) endures to create an independent film. Julian executive produced, produced, directed, musically scored, co-edited and finally, did most of the on-camera interviews. In 2012, while filming A Journey to Sundance, he fell in love with the still photo and decided to enroll full-time at the BROOKS INSTITUTE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY in Ventura, CA. After graduating, he spent much of the last several years following his passion for wild animals by traveling the world to photograph them in both natural and confined settings. In 2018, he created VISIONS OF THE WORLD Inc., a 501(c) (3) nonprofit company. His first project: “LIFE Behind Bars” Vol. 1, his 1st Fine Art Photography book. The book was titled after the photographic series that he started in order to honor the beauty of animals in captivity, and to support the many individuals and organizations that have dedicated themselves to caring for and protecting these magnificent beasts.