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SSG Ham's Army Films - '14-'17 (Part 3 of 3)

Welcome back to my blog and thanks for your continued support. For this post I’d like to round out this series about the films I made during my military service and share my time transitioning out of Active Duty to the Reserve and starting Film School at the University of Southern California. If you haven’t read my first two posts check them out here Part 1 Years ‘07-’10 and Part 2 Years ‘11-’14. This time of my life I was also struggling a lot personally in many different ways. I’m thankful that I made it through that dark time of my life and have come out the other side stronger, more resilient, more purpose-driven and full of gratitude and there are alot of people that helped me along the way.

SSG Ham's Army Films - '11-'13 (Part 2 of 3)

Welcome back to my blog and here’s my part two of three of my military service and the films I created during that time, read part one HERE. Once I came back from Afghanistan the next few years I was able to travel all over the world continuing to tell the Soldiers’ story and I subsequently earned two more Military Videographer of the Year awards (MILVID), and my first two Emmy wins. This was an exciting time for me not only because I was feeling like my career in the Army was going really well but also we ended up moving from Alaska to Hawaii where my daughter was born. These ended up being some great years of our small families life.

SSG Ham's Army Films - ’07-’10 (Part 1 of 3)

Welcome back to my blog and thanks for your continued support. For this next post I would like to share with you the stories behind the films I made while I was in the Army as a combat videographer, public affairs specialist. I had never thought about joining the military until September 11th, 2001 happened. That horrible morning changed the trajectory of all of our lives and set in me the desire to serve my country. However at that time I had turned 18 and had started my undergraduate degree in film, was starting to date my late-wife Melanie and was not ready. Fast forward 2007 our country is at the height of violence in Iraq as our forces start a new surge and I decided to join the military in order to “tell the soldiers’ story from the front lines.” Subsequently I have become the most award winning military combat videographer in the post 9/11 era.

My Armenian Story and The Ongoing Nagorno-Karabakh War

Who are we? Where do we come from? What does it mean to be part of a community? I’m now 40-years-old and well into my life with two kids, now two step-kids, a war veteran, a widower, now starting my second marriage and I still ask these questions of myself. I’ve grown even more curious about who I came from. I’m a six-foot-two, protestant-raised, anglo-saxon white guy raised in the 80s/90s San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles with the last name Ham but I am also third generation Armenian. I have not been one to identify as an Armenian throughout my life; I didn’t grow up with Armenians, I don’t speak the language, my last name doesn’t end with an “ian” or “yan” and I’ve lived very much outside the culture. I think the story that has kept me curious and tied me to my lineage the most is that of my great-grandmother Adrian Gurganian.

One Year Anniversary of “Made With Melanie” and My Pat Tillman Leadership Summit Keynote

Summer is almost over and the children will be heading back to school soon. Life almost seems like it’s back to some semblance of normalcy, yet grief always lingers like a dark shadow that looms in the background. Our family is now almost a year and a half removed from my late-wife’s departure from this earth and the further we get it seems the more capable we are to cope but we still have our bad days. It’s also been a year since we released my feature documentary Made With Melanie and in this post I’d like to share some of my thoughts, feelings and observations about it. Additionally I was fortunate enough to give the keynote speech at this years Pat Tillman Foundation Leadership Summit in Chicago. Take a watch below to hear some of my story, why I became a filmmaker and share what happened to Melanie and the film about her. Read to the end of the blog for some big personal news!

Part 2 - The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Beautiful of the Veteran's Health Administration

Veterans have a lot of feelings associated with V.A. healthcare and oftentimes I hear from them how horrible it is and sadly too many of their stories are true. George Washington was once attributed as saying “The willingness with which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the Veterans of earlier wars were treated and appreciated by their nation.” Whether President Washington actually said that or not, it entirely holds truth. If we can’t take care of our returning Veterans not only is that a great moral injustice but it also sends a negative message to those who may want to defend our nation in the future. Veteran’s issues should be one of the most unifying ideals in our country and it transcends party lines. As you read this post, take a few minutes to watch some of the short stories about the V.A. I directed along with the great team at Gig Line Media.

The Good, Bad, Ugly, and Beautiful of the Veteran's Health Administration - Part 1 of 2

When you hear the term “The V.A.” or “Veteran’s Hospital” there are a lot of thoughts that come to mind especially for Veterans. I’ve heard everything from, “let’s burn it down and rebuild,” to “it’s an abusive system that is hurting Veterans, let’s go private,” to “it’s some of the best healthcare in the world and Veterans love it!" So what’s the truth?! As with anything the truth is usually somewhere in the middle. I’ve now spent several years on both sides of the V.A. working as a sub-contractor directing almost 100 videos for them, traveling to some of the top-rated V.A. hospitals in the country and have met some amazing doctors, nurses, and personnel (roughly about 1/3 of whom are Veterans themselves) who work tirelessly to give Veterans good healthcare. I’ve also explored a much darker side of Veteran healthcare with my films highlighting stories of scandal, cover-ups, betrayal and abuse, some truly egregious stories.

My time at USC School Of Cinematic Arts - Alumni Class '17

The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is a world renowned film program that some notable filmmakers like George Lucas, John Carpenter, Ryan Coogler and Ron Howard have attended. The Master’s in Fine Arts program boasts a 3% acceptance rate and the school has been named in the top three of best film schools for decades. I was among some of the older students in my cohort and one of the only one’s married, with kids and a veteran, so at times it was very challenging, but in the end worth it. In this blog post I’ll share a bit about my journey through USC and the impact it made on me as a filmmaker with some of my student films I’ve made along the way.

Interpreters Wanted - Feature Documentary - COMING SOON

Interpreters Wanted is my second feature documentary about the harrowing journey of Saifullah and Ismail Haqmal, two brother interpreters who were left behind in Afghanistan. This film took 14 years to finally finish and I’m very proud of it. In this post I’d like to share with you the adventure of how this very complicated and personal film came to be made. Check out the trailer below.

Robert HamApril 14, 2023 Comments

Pat Tillman Foundation at Super Bowl LVII

Hey look Ma! I made it to the Super Bowl! If you were one of the 113 million viewers who watched the biggest event in the world on February 12, 2023 you may have seen myself and three other Pat Tillman Scholars as honorary captains for the coin toss (Fabersha Flynt, HyeJung Park, and Dave Prakash). It was one of the most extraordinary and humbling experiences of my life and wanted to share a little about this amazing experience. Check out the video below that NFL Films made, directed by the talented Nick Mascolo that aired before the Super Bowl and on national TV highlighting the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Robert HamMarch 1, 2023 Comment

Behind the Scenes: Songs Of Service, an Emmy winning TV Special

Sacrifice, honor, courage, leadership; these are a few of the words that you think of when it comes to those who have served in our armed forces but artistic, creative, musical and beauty may not be what you think of next. When it comes to the U.S. Army Field Band all of these are the perfect descriptors as they are some of the best musicians in the country and also are Soldiers who are actively serving our nation.

Robert HamFebruary 8, 2023Comment

The Making of "Made With Melanie"

Since the passing of my sweet wife I’ve been learning and growing a ton and feel like I have a lot to share, probably no surprise to those who know me. My family and I decided to continue posting updates on Melanie’s blog highlighting her work. I’ve been receiving lots of requests from people wanting personal updates on my kids and I. We felt a better way to do that is for me to start a blog here at my website. I thought it’d be best to start this whole blog thing discussing the film I made about the love of my life Made With Melanie; the decision behind why I made it, how I went about crafting the story and the aftermath of releasing such a personal film on the internet.

Robert HamJanuary 5, 2023 Comments