A Message From The New Guy

Born in 1985, I missed meeting Robert Harrill by more than a decade. Born in Baltimore, I never heard of the hermit until a few weeks ago. Working at the Star-News, I haven't had a chance to learn about the man until now. I'm the new guy here at Common Sense Films (just signed on as an intern about two weeks ago), but I'm already being indoctrinated with the lessons of Harrill. As Rob (director Rob, not the ghost of hermit Rob) said on my first day, "I'm gonna make you a hermit head."

Within a few days of getting this position, I asked a family friend about the Fort Fisher hermit. I knew he'd been coming to the area for decades and thought there was a chance he'd taken a hike to the bunker to visit the man. "Well yeah," he said. "I gave him rides into town a bunch of times." It struck me that there must be hundreds, maybe thousands, of people who had personal experiences with Robert Harrill, and I thought maybe some of you would like to share those memories with us and everybody else. That's the direction I see this page going, and I'd love to share everybody's hermit story. If you have something long, feel free to e-mail it to me so I can post it, or you can just throw it in the comments section. It doesn't matter to me as long as the word gets out there. After all, that's why Rob and company made the movie.

Anyway, I'll be updating this blog pretty frequently with all things related to Robert Harrill and his unique experience. For one, I'll be visiting the Fort Fisher Hermit's School of Common Sense next week and should (hopefully) have something thoughtful to say about that. I'll take a hike out to his resting place at some point and have some pictures for everyone. Finally, I'll keep you posted on what's happening with Rob, the documentary, and everything else that is going on here at Common Sense Films. Check back often and don't forget to write.