The Blair Witch Project: A UCF Success Story

Introduction

The "Blair Witch Project" stands as a landmark achievement in independent filmmaking, achieving both critical acclaim and unprecedented commercial success. What is often overlooked is the pivotal role the University of Central Florida (UCF) played in the film's genesis. This article delves into the connection between the "Blair Witch Project" and UCF, exploring how the university's film program fostered the talent and collaboration that led to the creation of this iconic movie.

UCF: A Fertile Ground for Filmmaking

Even during the lean years for Orlando's professional production market, the city's film schools consistently produced graduates ready to work. This robust educational infrastructure, with the University of Central Florida at its center, represents Orlando's most enduring contribution to the American film industry.

The UCF Nicholson School of Communication and Media houses the film program that put Orlando on the independent filmmaking map. Five UCF film students-directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, and producers Mike Monello, Robin Cowie, and Gregg Hale-created “The Blair Witch Project” after graduating, building on years of collaborative filmmaking within the university's newly established four-year film degree program.

The "Blair Witch" Team: Forged in UCF

Five UCF film students, directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick, and producers Mike Monello, Robin Cowie, and Gregg Hale, created “The Blair Witch Project” following their graduation, bonding over years of collaborative filmmaking in the university’s newly established four-year film degree program. The film premiered at Sundance in 1999, became Orlando’s first locally produced feature to play the festival, and went on to gross around $250 million worldwide against a budget that famously started at $60,000.

The "Blair Witch Project" team's connection to Orlando's broader creative ecosystem was integral to the film's development. The Enzian Theater in Maitland hosted closed test screenings before the film's Sundance submission. One of the film's producers, Monello, had worked as the Enzian's marketing director. Ben Rock, who created the film's iconic stick figure imagery, worked as a projectionist at the theater. The end credits thank several Enzian employees. This interweaving of academic, exhibition, and creative community resources illustrates how Orlando’s film institutions function as a connected ecosystem even when the professional production market is thin.

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The Making of a Phenomenon

Released on July 16, 1999, “The Blair Witch Project” put UCF’s film program on the map by breaking multiple records. The film premiered at Sundance in 1999 and became Orlando’s first locally produced feature to play the festival. It went on to gross approximately $250 million worldwide against a budget that famously started at $60,000.

Lessons Learned: Advice from the Blair Witch Team

On April 15, the lucrative filmmakers all returned to the university 20 years after the historic film’s release to offer advice and answer questions based on their experiences and what they have learned in their careers.

Myrick, who now lives in California and has just finished writing “Skyman,” a UFO movie that is currently in the process of filming, advised: “Get a reel built up because ultimately when you get out of here that’s what you’re judged on - your work. If you’re an actor, they want to see you act."

Myrick stated, “Ideally, you want to have several different kinds of scripts. In case someone says, ‘We love your writing, but we’ve already got something like this, do you have anything else?’ It’s good to pitch to your peers and if you get a response, then you know you’ve got a little spark to work with."

Cowie, who still lives in Orlando and has recently been working under Electronic Arts, said, “When you’re raising money from investors, you have to know what is making money. Show them these are the comparables that have already made money. You have to get into the shoes of the person who’s investing in that project and understand why they would give you money or why they would trust you with that."

Myrick replied, “I have very fond memories of those days. It was that family atmosphere and that comradery that was really beneficial. We worked on each other’s projects, we supported each other, and that creative period of your life is one of the best you’ll ever have because you probably have the most freedom creatively. Take advantage of it. Take those risks now. Make your mistakes now. The relationships you forge at UCF will probably carry on the rest of your career."

Rock, who is now directing in the film hub of California, said, “I know when I was young, there was a scarcity of access to gear. When we were finally here [at UCF], I was so excited to get my hands on cameras and equipment."

Campfire: From Blair Witch to Social Storytelling

Hale and fellow “Blair Witch” producer and UCF alumnus, Monello, are also the founders of Campfire, a marketing agency that shapes perceptions and enhances brand preference through social storytelling, digital content and physical experiences - just like the promotional campaign they did for “Blair Witch,” which had many people believing the movie was real.

As the founder and creative director of transmedia marketing firm Campfire, Monello has created dozens of innovative campaigns over the years. Just like with Blair Witch, Monello’s work often leaves people wondering if what they’re experiencing is actually reality. This includes a fictional pirate radio station for Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, which takes place in an alternate post-WWII universe where the Axis powers won. “In 2017, we created a pirate radio station that broadcast from a neutral zone in the middle of the states and included original music and characters talking about the resistance,” Monello says.

Across multiple seasons of Game of Thrones, Campfire created opportunities for fans to be a part of the story. “For the show’s first season, we created a campaign around the senses, including pop-up food trucks in New York with a Game of Thrones-themed menu,” he says. For Apple TV’s new show Ghostwriter, Campfire wrote and filmed a physically distant vlog with one of the characters.

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For Amazon’s Hunters, Campfire created physical marketing experiences. “Hunters has this ’70s grindhouse movie vibe and takes place in New York,” Monello says. “For six days, we took over two blocks in Los Angeles, with actors in clothes, music and cars from the time, and altered 16 stores, a bowling alley and movie theater to look like they were from ’70s New York.

Monello’s work often leaves people wondering if what they’re experiencing is actually reality.

The Enduring Legacy of UCF's Film Program

UCF’s film program continues to produce graduates who contribute to both the local and national film industries. UCF's film program famously produced the team behind “The Blair Witch Project,” the fifth highest-earning independent film of all time.

Valencia College: A Vital Partner

Valencia College’s Film Production Technology department provides a community college pathway into Orlando’s film industry, an accessible, affordable alternative to the four-year programs at UCF and Full Sail. The program emphasizes hands-on experience that translates directly to professional production environments. Professor Eric Fleming has described the program’s philosophy as ensuring that graduates have already done the work when they enter the professional world, so they feel comfortable on set from day one.

Valencia’s program earned praise from Steven Spielberg, who described it as one of the greatest programs for training young movie technicians, a remarkable endorsement for a community college.

Full Sail University: A Hub of Technical Sophistication

Full Sail University, located on a 200-acre campus in Winter Park approximately 8.6 miles northeast of downtown Orlando, operates one of the most technically sophisticated film education facilities in the country. The campus includes soundstages, a film backlot, and 110 studios across multiple disciplines. The Full Sail University film programs offer bachelor’s and master’s degrees that emphasize the practical aspects of production, balancing creative storytelling with the technical and logistical skills needed to manage professional productions.

Full Sail’s infrastructure has expanded significantly in recent years. A Virtual Production Studio opened on campus in March 2022, bringing LED volume technology into the educational environment. In 2025, two emerging technology labs were added: a Spatial Computing Innovation Lab for exploring video and spatial computing technologies (including Apple Vision Pro and Blackmagic immersive camera systems) and a Drone Innovation Center with indoor airspace for instruction in drone technology. The university’s partnership with ESPN for a studio technologies research and development laboratory, and its relationship with WWE (which filmed episodes of NXT at Full Sail from 2012 to 2019), have given students exposure to live production workflows at a professional scale.

Orlando: A Unique Ecosystem for Filmmakers

One of Orlando’s distinctive educational advantages is the presence of Disney, Universal, and other major themed entertainment companies as employers of creative talent. The skills transferability between themed entertainment and film production, set construction, lighting design, costume fabrication, animatronics, visual effects, live show direction, creates a cross-training environment that few other markets can replicate. Many graduates of Orlando’s film schools begin their careers in theme park entertainment divisions, acquiring professional skills and building portfolios before transitioning into traditional film and television production.

This dynamic also means that Orlando’s skilled workforce doesn’t evaporate when film production slows down, as it does in markets where crew members have no alternative employers. The themed entertainment sector provides a stable employment base that keeps trained professionals in the region, available to staff productions when they arrive.

Hale's Journey: From Super 8 to "The Quest"

As a child, Hale used a Super 8 camera to make short films, stop-motion animation and zombie movies. Hale grew up in Kentucky and was on his way to California to pursue his film education at UCLA or USC (“because those are the big, famous film schools”), when he got a call from a childhood friend who was working on “Superboy” in Orlando. That was right before Universal Studios Orlando opened and right after Steven Spielberg told the world via “The Today Show” that Central Florida would be Hollywood East.

Hale had already been working in the industry when he started taking film classes at Valencia College, where he learned the technical skills necessary for filmmaking. Hale and Sanchez still own Haxan Films and continue to make indie movies, as well as television shows, games and comic books, and also do some creative consulting. Most recently, the pair produced a show for ABC called “The Quest,” a fantasy-based reality competition, which began airing at the end of July and wrapped up in September. In addition, their Bigfoot horror film, “Exist,” comes out Oct. Hale explains, “It’s a cycle of developing and then producing. When we do the indie thing, we have to sell them. So, we’re trying to transition more into television, which is steadier. There’s more money in it now than there is in indie films, and we don’t have that cycle of taking a long time to create something, then make something, then sell something.

Hale says, “Being a filmmaker is the only thing I ever really wanted to do. I’ve known since I was 11 that that’s what I wanted to do, when I saw ‘Star Wars’ (A New Hope). I was young enough to be totally amazed by the movie in that kid way, but old enough to realize somebody made it - there was a camera, and people behind a camera, and somebody decided what the set was going to look like and what Darth Vader looked like. When Darth Vader walks through the door at the very beginning of the movie, it blew my mind - the visuals, the music, everything.

Hale's Advice to UCF Film Students

His advice to current UCF film students? “There’s talent and intelligence and all of the other attributes that are part of being a successful filmmaker, but you need perseverance,” he says. “It’s a hard business. If you allow yourself to get discouraged, you’re not going to make it as a filmmaker. There have been a lot of ups and downs for me and Ed. Since ‘Blair Witch,’ we haven’t had that level of success we started out with, and that can be a downer at times. Things don’t always go the way you want them to go, but you have to stick with it.

During his time in the Army, he earned money for school. He enjoys learning. The classes he enjoyed the most were film theory and film history.

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