To celebrate its centennial, the city of Lewisville hired Micah Autry ('15) to produce a film about the history of the city and the land where it stands today.

Sacred Ground: The Legacy Beneath Lewisville tells the community's history through personal interviews from two Black families with long legacies of contributions to the foundation of the city.

This Juneteenth, the documentary officially premiered with a sold out screening requiring the addition of a second night at the Lewisville Grand Theater and more dates across historic venues around Denton County.

"Watching the families enjoy it was by far the most rewarding part of the whole experience," Autry says. "Once you document it, it lasts forever and they can enjoy it forever."

The film was shot and edited by his full-service multimedia company Aume Media.

Autry, who moved to Denton from Houston in 2012 for the radio, television and film program (now media arts), has been exploring cameras since his teenage years and even produced music videos with his older brother.

Since graduating from UNT and co-founding Aume Media in 2015, Autry has been building businesses from the ground up, creating his own definition of success and striving to live a stress-free life.

"I think life should be tranquil," Autry says. "It's never life or death. I make videos for a living."

Videos and Voices

Despite being far from home, Autry quickly found his place at UNT. One of his favorite memories was seeing J. Cole perform at The Super Pit in 2014.

"I'm a huge fan. I was super stoked and waited with my friends outside the Coliseum for hours," Autry says.

As a student, Autry became involved in community events like the Denton Black Film Festival, which held its inaugural events during Autry's time at UNT and now is the largest Black film festival in the state of Texas and southwestern U.S. It was created by Harry ('79 M.B.A.) and Linda Eaddy ('72, '82 M.B.A.) in 2013 to "address underrepresentation in media by giving Black stories an audience and Black creatives a platform."

In 2021, Aume directed and produced Black Men in White Coats, a feature-length documentary surrounding the racial inequalities in the world of health care within the United States.

The film played at over 150 medical schools, and Autry spoke at several schools in order to bring the still prevalent issue to the surface.

"We would love to make more documentaries," Autry says. "It takes a lot of time, but I love it."

Stress Less

Aume Media is a media company offering many services, including creating content like commercials, with a client list spanning from Chick-Fil-A to Porsche. But Autry finds the most rewarding work is using his business to document important stories.

When he's not with his team of content creators -- which is composed of several UNT alumni – Autry is likely giving a motivational speech, striving to be an example for others who want to achieve success with peace in mind.

"I don't consider myself as someone who experiences stress," Autry says. "If I have no control over it, there's nothing for me to stress about."

Today, Autry is a role model to many, including UNT students he mentors in the federal TRIO program and also to his own alumni team members -- like his lead editor Hector Robinson ('22).

"It's all about interpersonal communication skills and attitude," Autry says. He cites a quote from entrepreneur Alex Hormozi, "Are you able to be in a good mood when there's nothing to be in a good mood about?"

As easy-going as he is, Autry still strives to live up to the Japanese principal kaizen -- which is a business philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency.

His favorite quote is "Be happy, but dissatisfied" by actor Terry Crews because it reminds Autry to strive to be better. "The continual aspiration of growth and betterment is what keeps us human."