On April 24, 2021, Blind River Studios’ president Aaron Vnuk was honored in Los Angeles by Hollywood producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis for his inspirational story and dedication to film. Our screenwriter Michael O’Connor and Aaron’s wife and star of Beach Sightings, Lauren Wiggins accompanied him. The experience was unforgettable. Not only did Aaron, Mike, and Lauren get to walk the red carpet, but they connected with so many amazing people like TV icon Sally Struthers and fellow filmmakers.
Mike O'Connor, Actor Michael Pare (Eddie & the Cruisers) and Aaron Vnuk.
All In The Family actress Sally Struthers hugging Aaron Vnuk.
Watch our Short Film “A Mean Man’s War” on YouTube!
Did You Know…
Blind River Studios was named after the movie, “A River Runs Through It,” starring Brad Pitt and Craig Sheffer. It was the last movie Aaron saw before losing his eyesight and it happened to be one of his favorite movies of all time. Aaron says that to this day, he can still see Brad Pitt fly fishing on the Big Blackfoot River in Missoula, Montana.
Aaron lost his eyesight to Retinitis Pigmentosa when he was in his early 30’s. He remembers the day his eye specialists said there wasn’t anything more they could do for him. The degenerative disease had finally won. It robbed him of his eyesight, but Aaron refused to let it rob him from living life.
Aaron had a cameo as the bodyguard, Curtis Daniels, in “Super Duper Heist Squad”. Aaron and actress, Christina Sciongay, had a method of finger tapping to help guide Aaron during the filming of the scenes. We don’t think it was picked up on camera.
“Super Duper Heist Squad” is the first feature film produced by Blind River Studios. It premiered at the Holiday Cinemas in Wallingford, CT. Aaron introduced the movie to a sold-out theatre and later signed his best “blind autographs” with the cast and crew.
Living The Blind Life is the first web series produced by Blind River Studios. The majority of the episodes were filmed on location at North Haven Crossfit in North Haven, CT. Director, Mark Foley, provided verbal cues to make sure Aaron was looking at the camera.
On the film set, Aaron enjoys monitoring the sound recording. It helps him stay on the crew’s frontline and keeps him tethered by the headphone wire so he doesn’t wander off and knock over expensive equipment.