T-R PHOTO BY VANESSAS ROUDABUSH — Scott Siepker, an Iowa writer, producer, filmmaker, and stage actor at Iowa State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, visited The Wieting Theatre to showcase his first full-length feature documentary “Kinnick,” about the iconic Heisman trophy winning University of Iowa football player.

TOLEDO — On Sunday, Oct. 9, “Kinnick” documentary filmmaker Scott Siepker visited the Wieting Theatre in Toledo for a Q&A session after the film’s viewing. Siepker is an actor, writer, producer, and filmmaker who started as a stage actor.

“Some of my favorite things have been theatrical productions. When I got to play Colonel Hugh Pickering in My Fair Lady at Stephens Auditorium in front of 3,000 people, that was spectacular,” he said. “And then, being able to play Macbeth in Macbeth, I will always remember holding that broadsword. I was mostly trained as a theatrical performer, and doing plays on stage was a true passion of mine, but it turns out to be very difficult to make money.”

Siepker is best known for being the Iowa Nice Guy on YouTube. The Iowa Nice project was created by Siepker in response to the national media coverage of the 2012 Iowa Caucus and the country’s perceptions about Iowa as a whole.

“I don’t know if I’m nice. I try to be nice. That’s a very midwestern thing to say. What’s funny about the Iowa Nice Guy character is that he’s a real jerk,” he said. “He insults everybody and [is] always swearing. So, it’s funny that character’s label [is what] I get put [under]. I try to live up to the actually nice part, not the jerk part.”

Siepker recounted the spark that started him on the path to founding a film company and the help he received along his strenuous journey.

“I actually didn’t know how to do anything on film. I could be on the camera, but I didn’t know how to turn one on. So, I ended up pairing up with a guy named Paul Benedict, a genius behind the camera [and] one of the directors of the Kinnick documentary,” he said. “Slowly but surely, I learned how to produce a film. Suddenly, I have a company that makes films and helps businesses tell stories. Here I am now, standing in Toledo, about to show my first feature-length documentary.”

Siepker’s film “Kinnick” is a documentary about the Iowa Hawkeye star athlete Nile Kinnick and his untold story. The man behind the 16-foot bronze statue was a passion Siepker wanted to pursue.

“Kinnick is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. There’s [this] gold story [and] as a storyteller, I got to tell this story. So I felt that Nile’s amazing untold story [was] a recipe for success, and that’s why we [went] after Nile Kinnick’s story,” he said.

The process of bringing Nile Kinnick’s life to the silver screen wasn’t an easy one for Siepker and his team.

“It was a very long process, roughly 10 years. We never had the funding we needed, [which] was sometimes frustrating. I often thought, ‘ I don’t know if we’re ever going to get this done.’ There are many challenges when you know you’re working with a creative team, and all four of us on the core team have differences of opinion on how this story should be told,” he said. “Luckily, I’m surrounded by three other extraordinary filmmakers who’re smarter and brighter than I am, and we were able to get this film onto the screen. Still, it was one challenge after another, and I guess it makes it all the more sweeter that we’re here.”

But the film wasn’t all struggles for Siepker and his team. There were unforgettable moments as well.

“Being on the aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington, that Nile served on, getting the access that we got to that place and being able to be on the deck with nobody else as the sun was [setting] was enchanting,” he said. “I was in the same space Nile was in. I was on the deck where his feet would have last touched. So that felt nostalgic and sentimental, sad certainly but also beautiful.”

Siepker hopes that viewers of the film take away more than just the knowledge of Nile Kinnick being a legendary athlete.

“I hope that viewers of the film walk away feeling like they know Nile as a man, not as a 16-foot bronze statue. He was a man of great athletic talent, certainly. Still, we should be inspired by his humility, hard work, being a great family member, a great teammate, curious and patriotic,” Siepker said. “These are all things that we can strive for without having great athletic prowess. I hope [viewers of the film] feel more impressed with this flawed, quirky human being than they were before when he was this unassailable bronze statue.”

The film’s success is taking Siepker to Japan for their first international premiere of “Kinnick” on Oct. 26 at the Nile Kinnick High School located on the US Fleet Activities base in Yokosuka.

Humbly, Siepker admitted that he wouldn’t be standing here as a filmmaker and producer of the successful Kinnick film if it wasn’t for others’ help.

“A real guidance for me is to surround yourself with talented people and ask for help. Get the people that will tell you you suck at something when no one else will. That’s really important, especially if they’re smarter than you,” he said. “And I’m so fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of people. Although, of course, it doesn’t take too much to be smarter than me. Nevertheless, I’ve been fortunate to meet tremendous artists and people.”