From Hillcrest to Hollywood
In the early months of 2014, we published a news feature on a local college student in the former Barnesville Enterprise at the request of retired editor Jean Davies.
Jean’s young Hillcrest Road neighbor, Gage Hanlon, was then a senior film major at the Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD).
Hanlon needed to raise $8,500 to film and produce a short film called “The Pinewood Man” that would be shot in Barnesville.
Headlining the production would be James Madio, talented actor from HBO’s Band of Brothers, The Basketball Diaries, and the upcoming Clint Eastwood directed feature film, Jersey Boys.
Madio portrayed Frank, a man who returns home from a scout camping trip with his son to discover his wife has left him for another man. He goes a little crazy using his son’s Pinewood Derby Race to prove to his wife and son he is a winner.
True to form, Hanlon’s hometown came through. He raised the money and the movie was shot in Barnesville with many locals filling extra roles while his home church, First Presbyterian, was prominently featured in the film.
Fast forward twelve years to 2026 and we know that Hanlon’s dedication to his chosen craft and the initial investment of local dollars – have paid off handsomely!
Earlier this year, Hanlon’s family and friends unabashedly posted on social media the news he played a major role in producing the Number #1 streaming Netflix film, “The Rip”.
Released by Netflix on January 16th to “generally favorable reviews from critics”, it was a hit with the public.
The action thriller film stars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as police officers within the narcotics unit of the Hialeah Police Department in Florida.
Also featured in the film are stars Steven Yeun, Teyana Taylor, Sasha Calle, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Scott Adkins, and Kyle Chandler.
The film focuses on a group of police officers who, during a raid on a hidden cash operation, find their trust broken down as team members suspect each other of trying to steal the large sum of cash. View a You Tube trailer of the movie here.
The production company, Artists Equity, owned by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, struck a deal with Netflix to produce this film and others, bypassing movie theaters altogether.
Hanlon’s involvement in Artists Equity, the American production company founded in 2022 by Affleck and Damon, has opened many doors.
“It happened so quickly,” Gage said of his association with the firm.
In the past Hanlon has worked on the production end from budgeting, scheduling and working behind the desk, but on The Rip – he was in the field during film production.
“Half of the movie was shot in New Jersey, the other half in Los Angles that stood in for Haleigh, the town featured in movie,” Hanlon said.
________
Our telephone interview took place during one of eastern Ohio’s numerous snowstorms earlier this winter.
Hanlon, now 34, shared that the view from his West Hollywood office looking out toward downtown LA, was spectacular.
“It’s been quite a journey form “The Pinewood Man” to working in Hollywood,” Hanlon said.
The Barnesville film, featured at the Savannah Film Festival in his senior year at SCAD, bolstered the young filmmaker’s confidence.
Hanlon’s journey to the “big leagues” of the movie world saw him first moving to New Orleans, a film production hub. He and his wife, Rachel, whom he met in college, spent several years in “The Big Easy” before moving on to Los Angeles in 2017.
“It’s hard to believe we’ve been in LA for eight years,” Hanlon said.
Noting “some successes in Hollywood”, Hanlon has busied himself working as a production assistant on several films including those with big name recognition. “It’s been sort of a whirlwind for me.”
Hanlon was involved in the production of the following films:
“Deep Water Horizon” – Deepwater Horizon is a 2016 American biographical disaster film starring Mark Walhberg based on the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Logan” – Logan is a 2017 American neo-Western superhero film starring Hugh Jackman as the Marvel Comics character Wolverine.
“Underwater” – This 2020 film follows a group of workers at a drilling facility at the bottom of the ocean who encounter hostile creatures after an earthquake destroys the facility.
“Air” – This 2023 Artists Equity production of “Air” is a history of the partnership between Michael Jordan and Nike in the creation of the Air Jordan brand.
“Small Things like These” – This 2024 historical drama film directed by Tim Mielants and produced by Matt Damon was filmed in Ireland. An international co-production between Ireland and Belgium, its plot focuses on the infamous Magdalene laundries in Ireland.
“The Accountant 2” – This 2025 American action thriller film was directed by Gavin O’Connor and written by Bill Dubuque. Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal, Cynthia Addai-Robinson and J. K. Simmons reprise their roles from the original 2016 film, Accountant.
“Unstoppable” – This 2024 American biographical sports drama film about Anthony Robles, a wrestler who was born without a leg and overcame obstacles to become an NCAA Division I wrestling champion, was produced by Ben Affleck.
_______
In addition to these films the Hanlon worked as an assistant to the late actor/director Rob Reiner in 2016-17 during the filming of the movie “Shock and Awe” that was partially filmed in DC. The movie that starred Reiner, Woody Harrelson and Tommy Lee Jones followed a group of Washington Bureau journalists who investigated the George W. Bush Administration’s impending invasion of Iraq.
Reiner and his wife’s tragic deaths, allegedly at the hands of their troubled adult son just weeks before the interview, weighed heavily on the young filmmaker during the interview.
_________
Production is complete on Hanlon’s next film “Animals”, another Ben Affleck directed film. The screenplay was written by Affleck, Connor O. McIntyre and Billy Ray. It will be a Netflix release later this year.
It is the story of a Los Angeles mayoral candidate whose young son is kidnapped, with the candidate and his wife having just a few hours to come up with the ransom no matter the source.
Beyond that project, Hanlon, who has also produced film for Amazon and Apple TV, said, “we’re working on several ideas for the next movie.”
_______
Reflecting back to the film that gave the young filmmaker his start, he said “It is hard to believe how long it has been since we produced ‘The Pinewood Man’.”
“Folks who came to work on ‘The Pinewood Man’ in Barnesville were shocked that the community would do what Barnesville did for me – open the school, churches, cater meals, etc.”
“Some came from New Orleans, others Dallas. A couple in the crew saw snow for the first time,” a twist added by Mother Nature that Hanlon worked right into the plot.
On one of his wife’s early visits to Barnesville, the couple pulled into Hissom’s Service Center for a gas fill-up. The attendant on duty that day asked, “Gage, how’s school?”
“He knows you?” She said.
“Yes.”
That’s one of the great benefits of being from Barnesville. The community does not forget its own. They’ll invest in worthwhile projects and individuals, helping make dreams come true, paying it forward for the next generation!
Gage Hanlon’s remarkable journey over past dozen years confirms this.
___________
Twelve years ago, we wrote this about the young filmmaker:
For those unfamiliar with the 2010 Barnesville High School graduate who is the son of Ted and Kelly Hanlon, owners of the Barnesville Do it Best Hardware Store, Gage knew at the young age of seven that he wanted to make movies.
The youngster’s initial hurdle was getting permission from his parents to borrow their Panasonic VHS camcorder, an expensive recording device. There were times, he now admits, that he would “sneak it out of the house” to film his sisters and neighbors on his first set, the Hanlon family’s backyard.
Barnesville teachers, Mitch Bartles and Luke Johnson, encouraged the young filmmaker during his days in middle and high school, Bartels predicting Hanlon was going to be a “movie director.”
During his senior year at BHS, Hanlon won “Best of Show” for a film he entered in the Belmont County Art Show. That landed his film as one of 300 works selected from over 100,000 submissions statewide for exhibition in the Ohio Governor’s Art Show.
Winning this contest also secured the young man a scholarship at the prestigious Savannah arts school where he has worked on more than a dozen films as producer or director. He also served as a production assistant on the film CBGB staring Alan Rickman, veteran actor who played Professor Servus Snape in the Harry Potter series, and most recently starred as President Ronald Regan in Lee Daniel’s summer hit, The Butler.
“This is just another step in my career, and it is a BIG one,” the young man concluded. “I believe in this film and the people working on it. I also believe in Barnesville.” Combining a passion for film and his hometown could propel this promising filmmaker to the “big leagues.”
As in the lyrics of a classic hit by the Beatles, “I get by with a little help from my friends,” Gage Hanlon is counting on his family, friends, hometown and the entire Upper Ohio Valley to make “The Pinewood Man” a reality.
Barnesville Area News Needs Your Support!
We're dedicated to providing coverage of the local happenings in Barnesville and the neighboring communities.
As a non-profit entity, we rely on the donations of readers like you.
Make a donation today and you'll be helping keep local news alive in the Barnesville area.