Gary Hines
Writing and Film Enthusiast
About Gary Hines
Writer. Documentary Filmmaker. Storyteller.
I'm interested in stories—the ones we inherit, the ones we live, and the ones we sometimes spend a lifetime trying to understand.
My creative interests are rooted in personal experience, family history, music, culture, identity, and the people whose lives offer a different way of seeing the world. Through writing and documentary film, I want to explore those stories, preserve important memories, and bring attention to experiences that deserve to be heard.
I've been thinking about writing and storytelling for a long time. Some of the stories I want to tell are personal: my family history, the people who influenced me, the places I've called home, and the experiences that have shaped my understanding of myself and the world. Others reach beyond my own life, exploring the histories, perspectives, and experiences of interesting people and communities.
My time in Northern California during the late 1970s and early 1980s remains an important part of the story I want to tell. So do my experiences growing up, my relationship with family, and the journey of understanding identity, belonging, and what it means to find your own voice.
A Life Influenced by Music and Culture
Music has always been an important part of my life. Growing up with the influence of family members who loved music, I developed an appreciation for everything from early rap, punk, and new wave to dance music and deep house.
That interest eventually found an outlet in radio. I hosted The Catacombs on G-Town Radio, where I combined music, conversation, and interviews with people from Philadelphia's LGBTQ+ community. It was an opportunity to share music I loved while creating space for conversations and perspectives that I thought deserved more attention.
That experience continues to influence how I think about storytelling: everyone has a story, and sometimes all it takes is the right questions and someone willing to listen.
The Stories I Want to Tell
My interests extend across personal memoir, family history, documentary film, photography, architecture, Black culture, and the people who influence the communities around them.
I'm particularly interested in the connections between individual lives and larger cultural experiences. How do our families shape us? How do the places we live influence who we become? What do we remember, what do we leave behind, and what can we learn by listening to someone else's story?
I want to explore these questions through two complementary creative pursuits:
Writing: Personal memoir, family history, reflection, and stories drawn from lived experience.
Documentary Film: Personal stories, profiles, interviews, and portraits of people whose experiences offer insight, inspiration, or a fresh perspective.
I'm also interested in the unexpected—in the overlooked details, unconventional perspectives, and ordinary experiences that often reveal something extraordinary about being human.
An Ongoing Creative Journey
I'm not approaching this work with the idea that I have all the answers. I'm approaching it with curiosity, a willingness to learn, and a desire to finally give these creative interests the time and attention they've always deserved.
This website is a place to bring those interests together. It will evolve as I write, film, interview, explore, and discover new stories worth sharing.
Ultimately, I believe our stories matter. They help us understand where we've been, make sense of where we are, and leave something meaningful for those who come after us.
Welcome. I'm glad you're here.
— Gary
My passion for music and art stems from an upbringing with a very diverse and talented group of friends and family members. As a youngster, we listened to everyone from Janis Joplin to Miles Davis to the Funkadelic. Music has been ingrained in me with from my father who thought he was Fats Waller or Billy Eckstein and my brother who thought he was John Coltrane. I dabbled with the piano and the trombone, but was not disciplined enough to stick with it. As I grew up, I came of age in the 70’s and 80’s which I think had the best music of any era. So dance music, deep house, early rap, punk and new wave all appealed to me. It still does.
In writing, I’m exploring my family history in words as well as my personal growth as an out Black man. I lived for a few years in California and it was most definitely a life-changing experience. I want to write about all of that as well as what is happening in my world today.
Visually, I have always been an admirer of offbeat, indie film and TV- think David Lynch and Melvin Van Peeples. I am obsessed with photography and architecture and hope to share the unusual and the unique from things I like. Black Culture and BIPOC interests are always appealing. I like to talk with cultural innovators and explore new ideas and concepts. Maybe you will like them too!
Background
My background in video is mostly on the business side where I created “how to” videos for job seekers. I do career coaching and created various clips on the steps for career preparation and management. My goal in this area is to explore film and video as a creative outlet and also do review and commentary on film, video and TV.
Music has been a major part of my life and I have such a diverse library and musical interest, that i want to share this with others. I was a DJ/Programmer for a few years on an Internet-based radio station known as G-Town Radio in Philadelphia. I had a broadcast show called The Catacombs and played dance/club/house music and interviewed prominent folks in the LGBTQ+ communities.
I’m looking to explore my writing chops with a memoir about my brother and sisters as well as my time in Northern California in the last 70’s early 80’s. My coming out as Gay is also a focus among other things. Most of the writing i plan to do will be non-fiction and personal reflection, Black Culture and interests of BIPOC communities (Black, Indigenous, People of Color).
Recent Work
Writing
Writing memoir is new for me and will be an on-going space for my work as well as the work of other writers/bloggers with a diverse points of view. I will encourage feedback, critique and out-of-the-box thinking. I’ll also post my earlier short stories that I created in the 90’s for Colours Magazine and Men of All Colors Together.
Guest Post
I will be inviting folks to submit stories and ideas as well as commentary and music clips to share. Posts will be monitored for content and is subject to review before posting.
