When Jim Stone accepted a prestigious industry award in Atlanta early this summer, the Eatonton-based filmmaker wasn’t thinking about himself or even his wife and longtime creative partner, Roxy.
He was thinking about Addie Brown, a 15-year-old girl from Madison who starred in Timeless: 1929, the short film he produced last year for the Eatonton-Putnam Chamber of Commerce (EPCOC). Stone said he was wondering what might be going through Addie’s mind as she walked across the stage in an evening gown, standing shoulder to shoulder with seasoned actors, film producers, and network executives.
“That’s the joy for me,” he said in June, shortly after winning a Southeastern Emmy for Arts and Entertainment. “We don’t have kids, so to see young actors have that kind of moment — it’s actually worth more to me than the statue itself.”
The statue in question was awarded for Timeless: 1929, a short film providing a glimpse of what bluesman Peg Leg Howell’s life might have been like in Eatonton during the Roaring ‘20s. The win pitted Eatonton-based Tytan Pictures up against competitors like Georgia Public Television, backed by a far larger budget.
For Tytan, it was a true “David and Goliath moment,” Stone said.
Timeless: 1929 had previously been nationally recognized with a Silver Telly Award, too, an equally prestigious honor for advertising and creative media. In that competition, the locally produced film tied with Delta Airlines after going head-to-head with tourism campaigns from the likes of Disney, Universal Studios, and Hyatt.
“And our little local film beat out Hyatt,” Stone pointed out, still sounding more than a little amused — and proud. “They probably had a half-million-dollar bigger budget.”
That juxtaposition says everything about Tytan’s approach. Where other entries looked like typical, polished, big-budget commercials, Timeless: 1929 unfolded like an indie film.
“We treated it as an honest-to-God movie,” Stone explained. “Anytime you do a re-creation, you need authentic cars, authentic wardrobe, and authentic locations. People scrutinize that stuff. And if you’re not authentic, it shows.”
The project began modestly last year when EPCOC hired Tytan to produce tourism content. Stone’s early concept leaned heavily on CGI to keep costs down.
But a Halloween party conversation changed everything, he said.
Then-chamber director Maggie Milner (now Garny) pulled Stone aside and told him she could stretch the budget a little. That set Stone to work. He and collaborator Drew Waters quickly sketched out a new proposal. Instead of CGI, they would stage a full 1929 production, complete with Model T Fords, jazz clubs, flapper dresses, and fedoras.
“It grew into something far bigger than what we’d first imagined,” Stone admitted. “But when you go all in, the results speak for themselves.”
But for all its historical detail, Stone stressed that Timeless: 1929 would not have worked without its cast. Sharing the spotlight were actor-director Drew Waters, a Texas native who has become what Stone calls “an adopted son of Eatonton,” and Erin Bethea, known for her breakout role in “Fireproof.”
Their performances anchored the film’s story of family and resilience during the Jazz Age. Supporting roles were filled by local talent, many of them appearing on camera for the first time.
“The stars brought credibility. But the local actors brought authenticity,” Stone pointed out. “It was a beautiful balance.”
Producing a period film in a small town like Eatonton meant paying painstaking attention to detail. Storefront signs were repainted; windows were re-lettered; background actors were outfitted in thousands of dollars’ worth of replica clothing; everything filmed had to say “1929,” Stone said.
That led to a lot of painstaking invisible work: digitally scrubbing every frame of anything too modern.
“It’s like photoshopping 24 frames a second. It was brutal,” Stone recalled. “But those are the details that win awards in the long run.”
That attention to detail is where Roxy thrives, he added. A photographer by trade with a sharp eye for design, she worked on casting, set aesthetics, and costuming, making sure every detail of every shot conveyed a sense of authenticity. More than that, she was the emotional anchor for the cast, Stone added.
“Her gift is that she can see the good side of anyone,” he said. “That’s invaluable in storytelling. If she doesn’t like someone, there’s usually a reason. And if she says someone has something special, you’d better pay attention.”
Thanks to EPCOC support, Tytan was able to pay Screen Actors Guild minimums for principal performers and compensate extras above industry norms.
“I wanted them to know their work mattered,” Stone said. “Because it really did. The action in the background can be just as important or even more so than what’s up front when it comes to completing the feel and the look.”
Although up against corporate giants, Tytan's industry recognition and award success with Timeless: 1929 was not unprecedented.
It wasn’t the first time Jim and Roxy saw their small team beat corporate giants. A Nike commercial by Tytan beat Allstate’s “Mayhem” ads and DirecTV’s blockbuster campaigns at the 2012 National Addy Awards.
“When they announced us as winning, the looks on those big-agency faces were priceless,” Stone said.
But this time, the win wasn’t just about bragging rights. It was about Eatonton and local people who made a great short film, Stone stressed.
“When a small-town film stands up against Disney and Delta, it puts us on the map,” he said. “That Emmy doesn’t belong to just me or Roxy or Tytan Pictures — it belongs to everyone in the community.”