TRYHARD COMPANY: The Answer That Changed Everything
- Oklahoma Ward
- May 8
- 9 min read
"No matter the setback, we push forward. Every shot, every edit, every hour — we don't retreat. We reload. TRYHARD COMPANY doesn’t stall. We advance."
Behind-the-scenes updates, production news, and indie filmmaking insights from TRYHARD COMPANY.
🕹️ TRYHARD PROTOCOL
"This week marks a major leap forward — the TRYHARD COMMAND CENTER is almost fully operational.
Today, we’re building out the visual spine — the episode tree node structure — that will let fans track every chapter of TRYHARD COMPANY: what’s done, what’s in progress, and what’s still ahead. Every deliverable, every edit phase, every creative move — mapped out like a war grid.
It’s not public yet — but by the end of today, it will be ready to go live in the days ahead."
🎯 When you can see the battlefield — you know where to push.
"This isn’t just a tool. It’s a promise of transparency — for the fans, for the process, and for ourselves.The Command Center is coming. And when it drops, you’ll see the mission the way I see it." Oklahoma Ward
📑 TABLE OF CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Battle for Survival: TRYHARD COMPANY Update
Mission Briefing: Eyes Only - Sneak Peek
Code Red: Filmmaking - Director's Thoughts
Reconnaissance: Hidden Masterpieces - Cult Classics
Surveillance: Hidden Treasures - Underrated Series
Debriefing: The Mover and Shaker's Club - Meet the Game-Changers
Intelligence Gathering: The Vault - Past Highlights
Victory Report: Crawl or Die
🏆 CRAWL or DIE Spotlight
Before there was TRYHARD COMPANY — there was a single soldier, crawling through hell.
CRAWL or DIE wasn’t just the beginning of this universe... it was the spark that lit the fuse.
Nicole Alonso’s performance as TANK carved out a place in indie sci-fi horror that fans still talk about a decade later.
Gritty, claustrophobic, and brutal — this is where the legend began.
🔻 Tap below to experience the film that launched the TANK legacy.
⚔️ Battle for Survival: TRYHARD COMPANY Update
TRYHARD COMPANY Production Update
This week wasn’t just about editing — it was about declaring the war plan.
Scenes got cut.
Beats got locked.
But the real breakthrough?
We began turning the internal chaos of production into something visible. Tactical. Trackable. Public.
The episode tree node system being built today isn’t for show — it’s the real-time battle map. It lays bare every task we’ve fought through and every one still waiting to be taken down.
This is how indie sci-fi gets made.Not behind velvet ropes — but in trenches.
And soon, you’ll see every inch of it.
🧨 Every red box. Every green check. Every mission logged. If it's not done, it's still burning.
👊 This isn’t a progress bar. It’s a kill list.
🔥 "DROPPING NEXT WEEK! STAY TUNED!" 🔥
🔻 Tap below to enter the Command Center and witness the war as it unfolds.
Mission Briefing: Eyes Only
Every episode of TRYHARD COMPANY is more than a title — it’s a full-blown mission.
And this week, we started treating them that way.
We’re building out a visual intel system — a node-based structure where every episode breaks into chapters, and every chapter reveals exactly what’s happening: editing progress, sound, score, titles, VFX, promo assets — all of it.
It's the story behind the story.
🔥 You won’t just know what’s done.
💥 You’ll know what it took to get it done.
Soon, inside the TRYHARD COMMAND CENTER, fans will be able to explore these mission breakdowns themselves — episode by episode. See what’s locked. What’s dangerous. What’s still in the tunnel.
Today’s work is laying the wiring. Soon, we flip the switch.
🔻 Watch the trailer below — your first mission briefing begins there.
Code Red: Filmmaking - Directors's Thoughts
Step into the mind of the director as we explore the creative process behind TRYHARD COMPANY, with personal reflections, insights, and inspirations.
🎬 Let’s cut to the truth...
The most important lesson I’ve ever been given in this business came in the form of a question:
“What do you want?”
I’ve done a lot of interviews — especially when Crawl or Die first came out — and I still get messages from filmmakers trying to start their first project. The question I get the most is: What’s your best piece of advice?
And for a long time, my answer was always that same question: What do you want?
I used to hesitate saying it, because I didn’t think people took it seriously. But I’m telling you now — not just as a director, but as someone who’s been through it — that question can define everything.
After The Isolation of Subject #136 — a project that was rough and raw but had something I loved — I felt lost. I didn’t know what to do next. So I searched for someone who could help. That search led me to Peter Broderick. He’s serious about this industry — so serious he wouldn’t even speak to me until I submitted my work. When he finally agreed to meet, Nicole and I showed up early.
He told us to come back exactly at the meeting time.
He was all business. And I respected that.
When we sat down, I did what any director would do — I started talking, lol. About the movie. About what we wanted. About everything. Five minutes in, he raised his hand and said:“Before we go there... I have one question: What do you want?”
And I froze.
I had no answer. Not a true one. Not one that lived in my gut.
So he said, “Go get lunch. Come back when you know.”
Nicole and I sat in silence for most of that meal. My brain was on fire.
Do I want Hollywood? Do I want money? Do I just want people to see the work? Am I chasing a dream that isn’t even mine?
Every possible answer ran through me.
And I realized — there are no wrong answers.
But there is one that’s mine.
When we came back, I told him:“I want independent people who love independent films to see my movie.”
He said, “If that’s true, then you don’t need platforms. You don’t need millions. You don’t need anything but them.”
I said, “Well… I also want to make a living doing this.”
He nodded. We refined it from there.
And what I landed on was this:
I want to make films that are mine — win or lose — and reach the people who care about that kind of work. I want to buy groceries. Pay rent. Maybe take a day off if I’m lucky. But mostly? I want to keep making stories I believe in, with people who believe in me.
And I’ve never wavered from that.
🎯 You don’t have to want what everyone else wants. You just have to know what YOU want — and be honest about it.
That’s why TRYHARD COMPANY matters to me.
It’s not just a title — it’s a philosophy.
If you can be brave enough to ask yourself what you really want — not what sounds cool, not what looks good on paper — but what burns in your chest — then everything else gets clearer.
You’ll know what to chase. You’ll know what to say no to. And when the walls close in, you’ll have something to push back with.
That’s my advice. And yeah — I’ve said it before.
But maybe this time, someone’s really listening.
🎥 Reconnaissance: Hidden Masterpieces – Cult Films
🎞️ Featured Film: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
❤️ WHY I LOVE: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
There are movies that entertain you… and there are movies that dare you to keep watching.
Henry is the latter.
I don’t love this film because it’s enjoyable — I love it because it refuses to be.
It doesn’t flinch.
It doesn’t wink at the camera.
It doesn’t give you a break.
And that’s why it matters.
Michael Rooker’s performance is cold and controlled — and that scares me more than any mask or monster. He’s not snarling. He’s not yelling. He’s just there — and that’s what makes it real.
I think what really gets me is how the film challenges you.There’s no soundtrack to guide your feelings. No clever edits to soften the blow. It just sits with you.
And somehow, that made a permanent mark on me as a filmmaker. The idea that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do… is not look away.
📜 Summary: Directed by John McNaughton, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer isn’t horror for entertainment — it’s horror as confrontation. Loosely inspired by the real-life confessions of Henry Lee Lucas, this film pulls you into the cold, dispassionate perspective of a killer and dares you to keep watching.
It’s quiet. Detached. Almost documentary-like. And that’s what makes it terrifying.
This is not a slasher.
It’s not a ride.
It’s a mirror.
🧩 Two Things That Make This a Cult Cornerstone:
The film was completed in 1986 but didn’t see release until 1990 due to ratings fights — the MPAA refused to give it an R, not for specific scenes, but for its tone.
Michael Rooker (in his first film role) was so intense in the title role, it launched his career — and haunted everyone who saw it.
🎭 Actor Spotlight: Michael Rooker as Henry is terrifying because he’s not over-the-top. He’s quiet. Flat. Methodical. It’s a performance that refuses to entertain — and that’s why it sticks.
🎬 Iconic Scene: The camcorder sequence. There’s no gore on screen — just playback. It turns the audience into voyeurs, and it’s one of the most morally suffocating scenes ever put to film.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“Stark. Chilling. Unshakable.” — Roger Ebert “A horror film that refuses to play by horror rules.” — Slant “The most disturbing thing isn’t what Henry does — it’s how normal he seems.” — Dread Central
🔻 [Watch the Trailer]
📺 Surveillance: Hidden Treasures - Underrated Series
📣 Target this week: Wiseguy (1987–90)
☕ Pick up your coffee cups...
❤️ WHY I LOVE: Wiseguy
Wiseguy hit me like a freight train.
It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t smooth. But man… it was honest.
Vinnie Terranova wasn’t a superhero.
He wasn’t even sure who he was half the time.He was torn between his job, his loyalty, and his heart — and you felt it.
And that’s why it landed so deep for me.
This wasn’t a cop show.
This was a character show. And the arcs? Sonny Steelgrave, Mel Profitt — these weren’t just villains. They were relationships.
And when they ended, it hurt.
That kind of storytelling stuck with me.
It was messy. Raw. No clean wrap-ups. No easy answers. Just people trying to hold on to some piece of who they are while the job tries to take it away.
If you ever wondered where TRYHARD COMPANY gets its emotional backbone…Wiseguy was part of that blueprint.
👁️ SURVEILLANCE: Hidden Treasures – Underrated Series
📺 Featured Series: Wiseguy (1987–1990)
📜 Summary:Long before prestige TV became a buzzword, Wiseguy was doing it for real. This wasn’t a case-of-the-week show — it was serialized, emotional storytelling with longform arcs and morally complex characters.
Vinnie Terranova (Ken Wahl) is an undercover agent for a covert government division. But this isn’t spy gear and gadgets — it’s bare-knuckle infiltration. Vinnie embeds himself into the lives of criminals, builds relationships, and then watches it all collapse when the truth comes out.
The show took risks. Big ones.And when it hit — it hit hard.
🧩 Two Reasons It Was Ahead of Its Time:
Each season was structured in multi-episode arcs — long before The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, or The Wire made that the norm.
It tackled addiction, betrayal, trauma, and loyalty with brutal emotional honesty — not something typical of 1980s network TV.
🎭 Actor Spotlight:Ken Wahl plays Vinnie with quiet fire — cool, broken, and always on the edge. But it’s Jonathan Banks (yes, Breaking Bad’s Mike) as the handler McPike who adds the perfect anchor of rage and restraint.
🎬 Iconic Moment:The end of the Sonny Steelgrave arc. If you know, you know.If you don’t — it’s one of the most tragic, unforgettable turns in crime TV history.
🗞️ What the Critics Say:
“The show that gave crime drama its conscience.” — Rolling Stone“A blueprint for everything that came after.” — The AV Club“It dared to be emotional in a genre that wasn’t.” — RetroTV Vault
Intelligence Gathering: The Vault
Take a trip down memory lane with us as we explore the archives of our past content, with forgotten gems and timeless insights.
Classified Files Pending...
TRYHARD Recruitment: Sign Up Now
🧠 JOIN THE TRYHARD COMPANY TEAM
We’re building this series from the ground up — no studio safety net, no big budget machine. Just passion, scars, and a relentless drive to make something real.
If you've made it this far — you're already part of it.
💥 Want to go deeper?
🔗 Visit TRYHARDseries.com
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🎥 The mission's underway. The team is growing. Let’s make this impossible thing happen — together.
Mission Accomplished... for now.
The briefing may be over, but the mission continues. Join the TRYHARD COMPANY team and stay tuned for more updates, insights, and behind-the-scenes information. Share your thoughts and join/follow us on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, twitter/x etc. - and we'll catch you every Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday...
Create fearlessly,
Oklahoma Ward
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