Chase Crawford: Chasing (and Catching) Dreams

By Mary Casey-Sturk

“Find something you like making and don’t stop making it”, shares Chase Crawford of Fort Thomas. Crawford is the founder of Four by Three, an independent film production company located in Cincinnati. Since its inception, it has produced over a dozen feature films, and several documentaries and has pivoted to producing stand-up comedy specials with comedians including Adam Conover, Hasan Minhaj, Nate Bargatze, and Sinbad. Four By Three has produced nearly 100 comedy specials and works with streaming platforms including Tubi, Amazon, and YouTube.

On setting up shop in Cincinnati, “We have an office next door to Union Terminal in a warehouse. It’s a production space shared with other creative people. There are sets there, a skate ramp” adds Crawford, “it’s a fun place to work.”

He’s received accolades over the years, the most recent being named one of Cincinnati’s 30 Under 30 in 2024 by Forbes, it’s important to note that Crawford founded Four by Three when he was just 20 years old. 

Origin Story

Growing up in Monroe, it wasn’t exactly like Hollywood, but during Crawford’s high school years, he also attended the D. Russel Lee Career-Technology Center (part of Butler Tech). It was there he studied media production and his passion for all things filmmaking grew. With the guidance of a supportive instructor and the use of loaned equipment, Crawford learned the craft and developed life-long friends and collaborators.

“I went to vocational school for media production in my last two years of high school. I didn’t have money for a camera or computer, the fun part of the early days was mostly collaboration, including collaborating with people who had a camera! I was so enthralled with the behind-the-scenes of it, I loved to hold the camera for other people’s stuff.” Crawford continues, “My instructor was great and encouraging. It was a great support system. Then everything started to unfold after I went to Butler Tech.”

Adding spice to his life, he began creating his own faux Taco Bell commercials between his junior and senior years of high school. These parodies were YouTube sensations and got the attention of Taco Bell, this led to being asked to write, direct, and act in an advertising campaign to unveil the Fiery Doritos Locos Tacos. This took place before his senior year began. These can be found on YouTube.

Continuing to act and produce, he appeared in the 2016 Sundance Film Festival selection Goat alongside James Franco and Nick Jonas, and he appeared in the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival selection In the Radiant City.

Crawford produced his first feature film in 2017, Alan and the Fullness of Time, alongside childhood friend Markus Cook. Crawford went on to produce his second feature film Moondance in 2018 and acted in a handful of films including Boy Band, Palace, and Worst Christmas Ever. (source: IMDB)

More projects followed and in 2022, Crawford launched Four by Three Comedy. It has produced dozens of stand-up comedy specials including The New York Times’ Best YouTube Special of 2023 (Chase O’Donnell: People Pleaser), NPR’s Comedy Album of the Year (Chase O’Donnell: People Pleaser), and Paste Magazine’s Comedy Album of the Year (Papp Johnson: Timeless).

In September, his most recent project Calladita (The Quiet Maid) was the number 1 Spanish language film on Netflix. He was also named to the Ohio 500 list in October by Ohio Business Magazine, which recognizes the top 500 leaders in the state. 

On connecting with comedians, “It’s a lot of word of mouth, at this point, 9 out of 10 people we work with are referrals. One comic sharing the name of another.”

Currently, Crawford is working with comic Rajiv Satyal, known to have been the funniest Proctor and Gamble marketer ever. After leaving the company, he moved to Los Angeles, “we’re working on a special with him this September (2024).  We shot it at Go Bananas in Cincinnati and the Bourbon Room in Los Angeles. We cut between the two shows to create the program.”

“We’re trying to put the right resources and effort to support (lesser known) comedians.”

Family Life in Fort Thomas

For the last few years, Crawford, his wife, and three daughters have called Fort Thomas home.

“I’ve been married for 10 years in February, we have three daughters, it’s a lot of fun. We have a 9-, 5-, and 3-year-old and they keep us moving.” 

Crawford continues, “We moved to Fort Thomas because the schools are great, I have three girls I want to put in a better position than I was. As a parent, you want to do what you can for your kids. My daughter speaks Spanish, is into Harry Potter, plays piano, and is 9. She’s very smart, there’s no other way to say it, very smart, and a lot of that is because of the environment she’s in.”

Advice for Future Filmmakers

“Find something you like making and don’t stop making it. That’s the core of it. It can evolve and shift, I’ve gone from filming concerts to filming comedy specials, to filming race cars.”  Continuing, “When I was in high school, I was shooting for (the musical dual) Twenty One Pilots. I just loved hanging out with them and filming them. It was life-changing.” 

“Cut out the nonsense and find the people you like making stuff with. Who have the same goals as you.”

“Think about connecting your talents to something that makes you happy.” Crawford adds, “As long as you’re smiling, you’re in the right place.”

To learn more about Chase Crawford and the work of Four by Three Productions, visit http://www.fourbythreeproductions.com

Chase Crawford producing Between Mercy and Me in Cincinnati 2022. Provided