Kevin Carpenter is a unique person, at least in West Virginia. He received his MA in filmmaking last fall after spending two years taking the new graduate courses at WVSU in Institute, becoming one of the first persons to do so, along with Terry Lively, current prez of the WV Filmmakers Guild.

He also co-founded the WV Filmmakers Film Fest in Sutton in 2000, finally giving WV’s own filmmakers a place where they can show their films each year. He also regularly films martial arts events around the state and region.

On Saturday, April 21, he was in Glenville, his alma mater, filming the 11th Annual Rumble on the Hill. It’s a martial arts event that is used to raise funds for the Glenville Pioneer football team. Leon Ramsey of the Dawghouse Gym was the promoter with Bill Shahan of Glenville fighting Steve Parker of Akron, Ohio. There were several other bouts with hundreds of spectators. You can see Kevin’s footage of the event at - http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=zbtHejDZ998

Kevin not only shoots footage of mixed martial arts, he is one himself, fighting and winning many matches. At one time he thought of dropping everything and becoming a professional. Luckily for WV filmmakers, he didn’t. Two years ago he made a very nice short documentary about mixed martial arts in West Virginia which traces the legal problems it has had becoming recognized. My friend Sandy Berman has written the Library of Congress to create a new subject heading for one of the world’s most popular sports.

Another activity that keeps Kevin and his family busy is restoring the famous Elk Hotel. Filmmakers stay at the hotel during the festival. He has also made a scary movie about the place since there are several ghost stories connected to it. Visit his website at - http://www.geocities.com/elkhotel/Elk.html.

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