About Eugene Rocco Utley
Eugene Rocco Utley (he goes by Eugene or Rocco) is filmmaker and digital marketing specialist from Murrells Inlet, South Carolina. He attended Clemson University for three years to study film and social media. There, he made his impact both academically, as he received the World Cinema award for being within the top of his major, and socially, as he ran numerous clubs during his career, one of which he founded. Though he is still young within his field, his passion for film and media management has been far from dormant. He graduated from Clemson in May of 2021 with Magnum Cum Laude.
Eugene, since graduating, has created numerous award-winning short films such as A.B. and A Gift for and from the Shallows.
Overall, Eugene loves to exercise his creativity in any way that he can and is ambitious to apply his creativity towards the film industry. He is actively pursuing his dream career to work with film production, either physically on-set or in the post-production room.
His College Career
In college, Eugene majored in World Cinema and minored in Media Studies. While studying with Clemson University. He exceeded the accomplishments he thought he'd achieve, as he graduated Magna Cum Laude and with the World Cinema Award for being the top of the class within his field of study.
While at Clemson, he founded Clemson Reel Dialogue Productions, a club that would watch and analyze films together along with creating their own short films. Eugene's first student short film with them was Memory Trails which he directed, wrote, edited, and composed. It went on to Campus Movie Fest where it won a Jury Award, Silver Tripod for Best Performance, and received a finalist nomination for Best Picture.
Professional Career
After graduating Clemson, Eugene worked as a Freelance Video Editor and Digital Marketing Specialist. Over the summer, he gained experience with all different forms of editing, from projects as small as wedding videos and as large as commercial campaigns for companies meant for digital and TV release. He made his mark in the Myrtle Beach marketing world with his work with local agencies and businesses. Between running social medias for companies, helping with on-set commercial productions, editing photos and videos professionally, and sharpening media strategies and outreach, he has grown immensely within his work. Currently, he works with CCNB, Coastal Carolina National Bank, as a Marketing Associate spearheading all of their commercials, photography, social media, and so on.
In addition to all of this, Eugene also kickstarted his first professional short film titled "A Gift for and from the Shallows". Despite it being his first professional short, he had the honor of writing, directing, producing, editing, and composing the film. It premiered at the 17th Annual Myrtle Beach International Film Festival where it walked away with an honorable mention. Additionally, it has won awards such as Best Original Screenplay at the Immagina Florence International Film Festival and Best Director and Best Actor in a short film at the Keiz Berlin Film Festival.
Eugene's second film "A.B." premiered at the Tryon International Film Festival in October 2023, where it won Best Picture. It has also been awarded at multiple films across the Carolinas, such as Reedy Reels, the South Carolina Underground Film Festival, and the Cat Fly Independent Film Festival.
Contact Eugene Rocco Utley!
Email: eugenerocco.utley@gmail.com