Two Maryland filmmakers die in Delaware car crash
Two Maryland filmmakers died Thursday in a car crash after filming in Philadelphia.
Delaware State Police said Martin Whittier and Nate Brubaker were traveling southbound on I-95 near Newark, Delaware, around 10:20 p.m. when their BMW M2 stalled in the dark middle lane near Churchman Road, reports WTOP.
They were reportedly struck from behind by a Freightliner box truck that caught fire and pinned the men, who were pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver wasn’t injured.
“I’ve known these guys for like 10 years and it’s so sad they both died,” colleague Andrew Geraci told WTOP. “We actually started working together about nine years ago on some local projects in the DMV area. … It’s just really sad and very unfortunate that they both passed away. It’s really left a big hole in the industry.”
The Baltimore Sun reports Whittier 37, from Havre de Grace, was a Steadicam operator and director of photography who owned the camera rental companies Charm Cine, in Baltimore; Liberty Camera, in Philadelphia, and Capital Camera, in Alexandria, Virginia, before selling his company to Red Star Pictures to spend time with his family.
“We were working on ‘House of Cards’ Season 2, Martin was my A.C. (assistant camera),” Geraci said Whitter was his assistant camera on the second season of “House of Cards.” He remembered Whittier as “fantastic, really a wonderful guy, someone who was a go-getter and would get the job done. Had a really great eye for photography.”
Brubaker, 27, of Halethorpe, owned Rock Shore Studios in Baltimore and was a pioneer of virtual production filming; he’s been credited with creating the first large-scale LED wall in the Baltimore and D.C. area.
The Harvey Agency posted online: “Our hearts go out to the colleagues, friends, and families of Martin Whittier and Nate Brubaker — two incredible filmmakers and advocates for the craft in Baltimore and beyond. May their work, their legacies, and the many, many people they’ve supported along the way stand as tributes to their impact and character.”
More here.
IMAGE: The Harvey Agency
