ATLANTA — For Leland and Phaedra Benford, film is one of their first loves.
They power couple grew up with movies as an escape from reality and a way to enjoy life. Their childlike curiosity with the process of filmmaking blossomed over the years and later led to them meeting while on a music video set at Full Sail University in 2018.
It was more than love at first sight for them. It was as if two stars aligned together and led to a magical connection.
In 2023, the Benford’s united to create the movie “Empathy,” a dark, romantic thriller that follows a man in a grief therapy group who falls into a rollercoaster romance that has red flags he ignores because he is too “empathetic.”
Leland says what inspired them to do the movie was the writer Rob Ganz, who lives in South Carolina.
“When I met Rob through another filmmaking friend, they explained that Rob he wrote this movie and was in the process of trying to get it made,” he said. “Rob never did anything previously with film, but he was a producer on the song “Baby Got Back” and he was a police officer.”
In addition to editing, Leland made his directorial debut and it was produced by Phaedra. The movie was recently released to Tubi. Working on the film had some “roadblocks,” however, the Benford’s were happy they united to make the movie come to fruition.
“Being able to experience our path together, we say we’re like the Sims on this filmmaker journey,” said Leland. “We get new achievements unlocked.”
When Leland and Rob spoke about the movie, Leland said it just needed some work but it was interesting.
“At first, we wanted to make it into a short film as a concept,” Leland continued. “Once we started getting into rehearsals, and casting calls, I spoke to other investors about making a short film and they wanted to make it a feature film.”
Leland and Phaedra learned that Ganz was battling brain disease for over a decade and has been in the hospital since Thanksgiving 2023. The cast and crew were all inspired to make the movie for Rob.
“I told Rob as a creative I know the feeling of seeing your characters come to life on screen and seeing these worlds be built,” Leland said. “Its such a privilege as filmmakers to see these worlds come together and was something that I wanted to deliver for Rob.”
Unfortunately, Leland says Ganz’ brain disease has “taken a turn for the worse.”
“I can’t call him because he has issues with his lungs,” he said. “I am grateful that we were able to get the film out so he can see everything. The reason why he wrote the movie was the message about not wasting time.”
They each shared what the word “empathy” means to them.
“Empathy means to place yourself in another’s shoes and try and feel from their perspective. Our main character takes that way too far,” Phaedra said.
“There can be an extreme side to empathy. It means you don’t turn your heart out to certain problems,” Leland said.
Leland said during the pandemic, he had a sales job that paid him well. He knew that he needed to take a giant leap of faith to make his dreams a reality.
“If I didn’t have a passion for film, I would’ve retired with that job,” Leland said. “The day I went into my boss’ office to quit, my boss said she wanted to give me a promotion.”
Leland worked in that new promotion for seven months, saved more money where he was able to buy equipment to help bring his dreams to life.
“I had to watch how God was working. God was telling me I wasn’t ready yet and I had to listen.,” he said.
While being a freelance filmmaker has ups and downs, Leland said it’s worth it.
“I love working with creatives,” said Leland. “I love working with the team that a film set needs. I love the planning process, pre-production, production, and post-production. Going to set early in the morning, having coffee, standing on set, and watching the light guys put together the lights or talking to the cast. Seeing the actors come to life and seeing the camaraderie is great.”
The Benford’s agreed that the most rewarding part of being a filmmaker is doing it together.
“We are kindred spirits when it came to that,” said Phaedra. “Leland is on the directing side, and I’m on the producing side, so our skillsets matched up. It has been a great whirlwind being with someone who is so like minded in terms of the types of projects we’re interested in creating and the way we can balance each other on set.”
“I’ve talked with other filmmakers who have partners who are outside of the industry and its hard to explain to their spouses those 12-hour workdays or 14-hour workdays,” said Phaedra. “Having someone who understands that is helpful.”
Leland and Phaedra’s many combined talents inspired them to create Cupcake Rapture Studios LLC, a studio that produces films, commercials, music videos and helps people focused on their brand.
“Film has always been a part of my life. I’ve been looking for the next opportunity to showcase our talent and showcase our art,” Leland said.
Phaedra said what inspires her the most to be a part of film projects is the story first.
“The entertainment business is a feelings business,” she said. “We’re trying to connect with our audience. When you come across a project or a script that makes you feel something when its still on paper, you can tell that’s something special. We ask how in love am I with these characters? Am I interested in following them? What is the story trying to tell us? What is the greater message? Everything else falls into place from there.”
Phaedra originally fell in love with film when she was 9.
“I’ve always wanted to be in film and I stayed on that trajectory ever since I was a kid,” she continued. “Growing up on a small island in Bermuda, there isn’t much for us to do but to hang out. Going to the movies became a favorite pastime for my sisters, my friends and I. Movies have always been ingrained into my childhood.”
Every Christmas, Phaedra says her mother would buy the DVD of her favorite movie she watched in the movie theaters. As she got older, her curiosity grew and she wanted to understand how movies were made. In addition to producing and working on other projects, Phaedra also works as a script reader at Netflix.
For Leland, movies was an escape from reality growing up.
“I lost my dad when I was a 8-years-old. Going to the movies with my mother was a way for us to get lost and just escape,” he said. “As I grew older, I wanted to provide that for other people.”
Leland would make skits with his friends while growing up in Detroit. When he was 16, he went to a school that taught video. He later became a teacher’s assistant and helped others create their own skits. His passion grew into video shoot weddings, shooting commercials, music videos, then it grew into making short films. The Benford’s love the process of an everyone coming together to bring an idea coming to life.
“I come from a theatre background and people always talk about how in theatre, you become a family backstage,” she said. “I feel the same way working on a film. It’s exciting to be with that group of people working together on one goal. Its even more amazing to see that final project at the end of it knowing how much work you put into it to make it happen.”
“When you see the passion of other people come out, its really inspiring and makes you want to keep going and work even harder,” he said.
The Benford’s also shared words of advice for anyone chasing their dreams.
“Know when it’s your time and dig in. When it’s your time, know God put it your dream on you for a reason, and follow it. Dig in,” said Leland. “The community and culture here in Atlanta rewards creativity and out of the box thinkers,” he said.
Phaedra added “this industry rewards those who keeps going no matter what happens, no matter if you see the light at the end of the tunnel or not. If this is what you want, you must keep going in any way you can. There are ways for us to maneuver in this industry without risking everything. Have faith, keep going and your break will come to you.”
To watch Empathy on Tubi, click here.