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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.

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.

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