Production company, Dust of the Ground, discusses their film, The Boombox Guy, showing at Indie Grits 2016.

We started dustoftheground (our production company) in 2010 after graduating from the University of South Carolina and have lived in Columbia for over a decade now. Austin’s first film actually played at the first Indie Grits Festival in 2007, so it is pretty neat to be back ten years later, even if it makes us feel old.

Everyone who attended USC over the last several years knows the Boombox Guy. A few times each semester, we would be on the way to class and out of nowhere, he would appear. On holidays, he would have themed playlists and even dress up on occasion. Our favorite was the Leprechaun outfit and Irish mix he would rock on St. Patty’s day.

One evening last year, we were at our favorite local bar (The Whig) and recognized the illustrious Boombox Guy ordering a drink, at which point we introduced ourselves and insisted that we make a video about him.

The most interesting thing that happened on set was the discovery of the ball pit in his house. We had never been to his house before we showed up to start filming, and in addition to the countless crazy decorations that adorned his walls, the giant ball pit was just hilarious to us. If you look closely, you can see it in the shot right before he exits his home.

We go to IG every year. It’s honestly the coolest event that happens in Columbia, and we are very excited to be a part of it again this year.