HillJack

HillJack, born Russell Parks (May 30, 1969), also known as HillJack Russell, The Heavy Metal Conductor and The HillJack, is a director, actor and independent film maker. He first started as 'HillJack' on The Coolguy Show on XM Satellite Radio.
Personal life
Parks was born in Lexington, Kentucky where he spent the earliest years of his life before his parents moved to the small railroad village of Ravenna, Kentucky. It was also there where he attended Ravenna Elementary, the future site of where his first motion picture would be filmed. It was at this school where he and Kevin Richardson (of Backstreet Boys acclaim) would become childhood friends. He often acted in high school plays, performed regularly in talent shows and was heavily interested in television production courses. In 1987, he graduated from Estill County High and attended Eastern Kentucky University.
He left college and found work building fiber optic networks nationally. It was in Fairfax, Virginia / Washington DC area where he was first called 'Jack Russell' by a construction foreman, which later would become 'HillJack Russell'. During these years on the road, he actively pursued rock and roll gigs with many local bands to refine his skills as a bass guitarist. He also fronted incarnations of hard rock bands with his close friend, James Leon Covey, known as 'James Dingo'. The two work together with The Groovy Workshed and collaborate on music.
Parks introduced himself as 'The Heavy Metal Conductor' on XM Satellite Radio's Bone Yard on The Coolguy Show in 2005 as a call-in guest personality. His on-air banter with Coolguy gained him fan recognition through the various online social websites, and encouraged him to re-enter the entertainment world, by writing and directing Nightmare Fuel. Along the way, Parks has had featured acting scenes in Hell-ephone, appearing virtually as himself in Hell House and featured in Halloween Homecoming. He has also been cast in other films, currently in pre-production.
Parks was in various hard rock groups through the 1990s and honed artistic skills that can be noted in the scoring in his film making.
Parks is currently marketing the 'Nightmare Fuel' trailer at several independent film festivals, making guest appearances and working on the screen play and script for his second feature length film.
Nightmare Fuel
Parks is deeply involved with his directorial debut of 'Nightmare Fuel'. Strobe Lantern Productions, the film making extension of The Groovy Workshed, shot this very low budget film in only four days, at the abandoned Ravenna Elementary School turned Halloween seasonal haunted house. The film includes many well known central Kentucky actors, cameos from XM's Coolguy and Elfish (XM Ron and Fez Show), features the hard rock of nationally known Lovehammers, Swedish black metal band Netherbird, Los Angeles based K626, Philadelphia metal from Limb By Limb and Curse of Disobedience of Texas. The trailer has been seen at independent film festivals and been met with great reviews. The film is highly anticipated.
Celebrity interviews
Parks conducted his first interview with Marty Casey of Lovehammers, LA Guns and Rock Star: INXS fame in 2008. Also, The Heavy Metal Conductor hosted an exclusive stateside interview with international black metal band, Netherbird.
Interviews are available at The Groovy Workshed .
The actor

Featured scenes include his acting debut role as Detective Rodriguez in 2008 Kentucky Film Maker of the Year George Bonilla's Hell-ephone, self-portrayed role in Hell House and as Frank in Halloween Homecoming.

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See Also

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