After five years of research, which included filming a documentary on the subject, native Houstonian Denton Florian said there’s still more to learn about his hometown’s namesake.
“You just can’t get to the bottom of Sam Houston. There’s so much there that the more you dig, the more you want to learn,” Florian said, adding there are lessons that presently apply to the whole nation in this story of a man who played such a pivotal role in Texas joining the U.S.
“There’s a tremendous amount we can learn about the way we run our businesses, our civic associations, our nonprofits and even our personal lives,” he said, explaining that Houston’s integrity makes him an ideal role model, even today. “Throughout his life, from a very young age, he made decisions that cost him plenty – power, relationships and money. And even though it caused him to be ridiculed he consistently did the right thing, even when it would have served his best interests to do something else.”
Florian’s documentary “Sam Houston,” which premiered in 2013, won five Emmy Awards, and was recognized for excellence by the governor of Texas and concurrent resolutions of the Texas House and Senate.
The public will be able to view excerpts from the film during Rising Stars & Legends of Texas, a celebration of arts and culture, slated for April 21 and April 22 in downtown Conroe. The inaugural event will showcase art and artists from Conroe and around the state for a fete of visual, performing, literary and cultural arts.
Florian will be on hand to introduce the film – selections of which will be shown just after sunset on Saturday, April 22, at Heritage Place Park in downtown Conroe. He will stay to answer questions and will have copies of the DVD available for sale.
Now a resident of Spring, Florian explained a biography he read about Sam Houston sparked his journey into producing the documentary. “You can’t make this stuff up; he was such an interesting guy,” he said. “After reading the book, I searched for a documentary, but there weren’t any out there.”
One thing led to another, and he assembled a team to embark on the filmmaking adventure. Since the project took five years to complete, the creators of the documentary were able to truly dive into their research.
“We took the responsibility of making this film very seriously,” Florian said. “We knew we had to get it right.”
Florian stays busy giving presentations about this historic figure.
“Sam Houston had an entire career and a lifetime worth of adventure before he even came to Texas,” Florian said. “He had a gigantic mind.”