Kevin Fox

With over 20 years in working the visual arts, Oakdale Photographer turned Filmmaker, Kevin Fox recently discovered the power of motion pictures as a communication tool. For the last five years Fox has been working with the Oakdale Cowboy Museum as a communications consultant. It is a job that grew out of creating graphics for event posters and now the scope of work covers photography, graphic design, social media, among other duties. Fox even designed and built a multi media display for the Cowboy Museum on a HP Touch Smart computer that contains all the elements of communication; photographs, audio, video, and the written word. The Touch Tour, as they call it is used to educate Museum visitors about cowboy culture. The California Association of Museums said it was very innovative and one of the “Cool new things in 2010” at their Reflect on Tech convention in San Jose last March. “My job is to share information with people. I try to use all my skills as an artist to do that. I try to capture people’s attention then offer them something they didn’t know. Hopefully, it sticks with them. I think that’s what art should do?” Fox said.
Last year, Cowboy Museum Executive Director Christie Camarillo, asked Fox to videotape interviews with a few local ranchers. The project took on a life of its own and the first in a of a series of documentary films produced by the Cowboy Museum and directed by Fox where underway. “We were extremely impressed by the film Kevin made,” said Camarillo. Our mission statement here is to inform, entertain and educate. Kevin has a way of bringing that all together in his films.”
The third installment to the series is a behind the scenes look at a “nutty” festival that has become world famous for its cowboy cuisine. Now known as the Oakdale Testicle Festival, this thirty year old event continues to receive press from coast to coast and all over the world. Fox News affiliates in San Diego as well as NBC’s Saturday Night Live in New York shared some jokes and late night comedians, Jay Leno and David Letterman even “had a ball” with it. In 2009, Associated Press picked up the release and news of this event that specialized in the tasty treat went global, making several European newspapers and the Times of India. It’s no surprise that in 2010, American Cowboy Magazine featured The Oakdale Testicle Festival, held on the last Monday in March, as one of the top 101 events to attend in the West. It was featured right along with the famous Bishop Mule Days and the Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival. Fox said, “I wanted to make a film that would cut through all the jokes and let people know that the event is more about celebrating a ranching lifestyle.” When Fox learned that the Modesto Reel Food Film Festival was accepting entries he “took the bull by the horns” so to speak, and jumped at the chance to share is passion for history, agriculture, and the western lifestyle, and overall life California’s Central Valley. The five and a half minute film was selected to be screened at the international film festival on October 3rd at the Historic State Theatre in Modesto. Festival Organizer Bob Barzan, Director of the Modesto Art Museum said, “We are excited to screen a locally produced movie.” Other entries selected include films from the U.S., France, Sweden and the U.K.