CHS Senior Profile: Amateur Filmmaker 'Ready for Real World'

Like many children, Geddy Cahoon grew up on a steady diet of comic books, cartoons and movies, mostly supplied by his equally pop culture-enthused father.

But as he matured, Cahoon wasn’t satisfied with simply enjoying other people’s stories—he wanted to tell his own.

Now 18, Cahoon is set to graduate from Cinnaminson High School on Thursday, and will attend the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he plans to pursue a degree in screenwriting, with an emphasis on film.

He didn’t truly develop an appreciation for motion pictures until recently. But once he did, they really took hold.

“They have this profound emotional impact on you,” Cahoon said. “You can watch a movie and it stays with you for days. I’d love to have that kind of impact on somebody.”

Cahoon’s first directorial effort—a mockumentary titled “A View from the Gutter: The Chad Kensington Story,” which he wrote and filmed for his TV production class—might not produce the emotional resonance he’s talking about, but it certainly whet his appetite for filmmaking, and perhaps more importantly, gave him the confidence he’ll need to succeed in a very challenging industry.

“It’s a real miracle for me to finish something I started. I don’t have the greatest attention span,” Cahoon admitted. “I have this problem where I really get into something, and then a week later I’m focused on something else.”

He called the nearly hour-long short film—which you can watch on YouTube here—his “most fully realized creative endeavor.”

Cahoon’s ultimate career goal—a job in professional wrestling—might be somewhat off the beaten path, but it all comes down to the same desire: “I like entertaining. I really like to tell stories.”

It’s the same desire that compelled him to sign up for the school play this year, despite the fact that he can’t sing or dance.

“But I tried it anyway,” he said.

Although Cahoon’s father was hugely influential in shaping his son’s career path, the senior credits his teachers with having the biggest impact on that front and says he’ll miss them the most once he’s graduated.