A deep sense of the individual rights and responsibilities of citizens to participate as active members of their society is what led Tom Walker to create The American Village, a unique civic education laboratory, the only such facility of its kind in the nation, created and existing for the sole purpose of teaching citizenship founded in Constitutional law.
“Today’s young people will all someday end up on Main Street America. They will arrive either as contributing, participating members of society, as apathetic bystanders, or worse. It is our job to make sure they are prepared for their roles as good citizens”.
Tom Walker
Andrew and Jonathan Erwin are the grandsons of Medal of Honor recipient Henry “Red” Erwin, who received the Medal of Honor on board a B-29 in the Second World War.
The brothers began their careers in the entertainment industry over a decade ago, working as freelance sports camera operators. Although they were very young, they excelled in the industry, working for networks such as ESPN, ABC, NBC and FOX.
It was out of this environment that Andy and Jon decided to form their own production group in 1998 in their hometown of Birmingham, AL. The company was simply named Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures and produced promotional and industrial videos across the state of Alabama.
As time went by the company began to flourish and Andy and Jon began to realize their dream: telling great stories though the medium of television.
Today, the company consists of seven people and a full studio in Birmingham. The directing team focuses on music videos, commercials, and documentaries in commitment to their passion of communicating compelling stories.
William Stewart, who is a native of Birmingham Alabama, started his theatre career at the age of ten in the Summerfest production of Showboat. He has performed in numerous productions in community and professional theatre as well as commercial and voice over work. Stewart attended high school at John Carroll and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theatre from Birmingham Southern College. He began his career at the American Village in 1999 as a historical interpreter, portraying characters such as Paul Revere, King George III, and Chief Massasoit. It was however his interpretation of Patrick Henry, the fiery Virginian that has become Stewart’s best known portrayal. He also holds the title of Director of Historical Interpretation at the American Village.
Christopher Long is a research historian with the American Village. He holds a bachelor’s degree majors in both theatre and history and was nominated to membership in the Who’s Who in American College and Universities.. He spent the past decade researching and interpreting American military History for a wide range of audiences. Prior to coming to the American Village, he was Living History Coordinator at Fort Morgan State Historic site. His experience with historical interpretation includes the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Seminole War, and the War with Mexico, the Civil War, the Spanish American War, and both World Wars. He has also published works of the Mobile Tercentennial celebration, the politics of Colbert County, and the Sixty Second Alabama Infantry.
In addition to his efforts with the American Village, Mr. Long volunteers at local historical sites, including those maintained by the National Park Service. He is a member of the Brigade of the American Revolution, the Council of Americas Military Past, and Phi Alpha Theta, the national history honor society.
