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A filmmaker from Marlborough will be part of the first-ever civilian mission to orbit the moon.

Brendan Hall, a documentary filmmaker, was selected out of over one million artists and creatives to be a crew member of the "dearMoon" mission, which will make a month-long journey to the moon and back using a SpaceX rocket later in 2023.

The idea for the project came from Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa, who purchased the seats aboard the rocket for eight other crew members.

Hall's films have focused on telling stories in remote parts of the world such as Siberia and the Amazon rainforest, making a trip to the moon a natural next step for him.

A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts who started making films when he was 12 years old, Hall has directed projects for National Geographic, Google, Adobe, and The Nature Conservancy. He has also worked on shows such as PBS’s Bill Nye: Science Guy and Apple TV’s Red Heaven.

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Hall said that he is excited to be selected as a crew member for the out-of-this-world trip.

"It’s an incredible honor to be a part of this team and help share an inside perspective of our mission," he said in an interview produced by the project.

He added, "I didn't think in a million years, that I'd actually be selected for this."

Other notable crew members joining the trip include music producer Steve Aoki and K-pop artist TOP.

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Watch an interview with Hall and the other crew members here.

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James Oliver from South Wales is a United Kingdom guitar phenomenon. Something of a stalwart on the club circuit in South Wales, it wasn’t until he ventured out on his own that it became apparent just how good he was at playing guitar.

He is scheduled to make his highly-anticipated United States debut in September with stops in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He is being brought to the United States by Glenn Holley.

Oliver’s Connecticut concert is set for 1 p.m. Sept. 4 at The Farm at Carter Hill in Marlborough.

“James Oliver is one of the United Kingdom’s most revered and incredible next generation guitar masters,” said Giles Robson, a multi-award-winning blues harmonica player from the United Kingdom.

These sentiments were echoed by John Leckie, producer for John Lennon, Pink Floyd and Sammy Hagar, who called Oliver the “Best guitarist in the United Kingdom.”

During the last 18 months, the 28-year-old Oliver has gathered rave reviews from six-string legends such as Albert Lee, Bill Kirchen and Greg Koch, and is now working with the Last Music Company, home to Jimmie Vaughan.

Known for his explosive picking technique, Oliver plays a high-energy mix of blues, rockabilly, rock-n-roll, and country with his own distinctive flair. The guitar player is doing his utmost to revive the rockabilly sound, he’s already being touted by his peers as ‘the next titan of the Telecaster’ and now counts Vaughan as a label mate.

Prior to having his debut recording, “Twang!” peaking at number one on the Amazon Blues Chart, he has played nearly 2,000 live shows both with his trio and in other ensembles.

The three New England performances are an opportunity for American media and music enthusiasts to get a close look at this emerging international artist. Having recorded three contemporary albums infused with his own brand of classic Americana, Oliver was named the 2020 Emerging Artist of the Year at the United Kingdom Blues Awards. Oliver has already rubbed shoulders with many of the greats of the guitar firmament. Now he is preparing to write a new chapter of not only his career, but also Welsh music history.

An interesting sequence of events led to Oliver’s trip to the United States. Event promoter Glenn Holley was intrigued with Oliver’s playing. He made contact with him and started corresponding with him. Holley discovered that Oliver had an affinity for Danny Gatton. Unknown to Oliver, Holley had a deep appreciation for Gatton that remains until today. When Holley found out Oliver had a copy of Gatton’s “the Humbler,” (a record Holley produced), the relation was cemented.

As a feature of Oliver’s U.S. debut, he will perform on a guitar, Danny Gatton’s iconic 1954 Gibson ES-295. Several years after Gatton’s untimely passing in 1994, Glenn Holley of Hebron, Connecticut had the opportunity to acquire ownership of Gatton’s vintage Gibson, which will be on loan to Oliver for his U.S. performances.

“As a musician who has immersed Americana guitar styles deeply into my playing, I am beyond ecstatic to be performing in the states for the first time,” Oliver said. “I am especially looking forward to playing Danny Gatton’s legendary Gibson on September 4, which is Danny’s birthday. He is one of my all-time favorite guitarists and a big influence on my playing. This is a pilgrimage for me.”

Holley said, “Oliver has honed his remarkable skills by playing over 2,000 concerts across all corners of Europe. To be able to introduce this highly entertaining guitar virtuoso to American audiences is an incredible honor for me. New England music fans will want to mark their calendars for a rare opportunity to see one of the world’s finest guitar players right in their backyard.”

The Farm at Carter Hill is located at 86 East Hampton Road. Go to www.thefarmatcarterhill.com/ for information, or call 860-906-7866.

Learn more about Oliver at www.jamesoliverband.co.uk/bio or https://www.facebook.com/Joband1234.

MARLBOROUGH, Conn. (WFSB) - Traveling to space, an experience you can only dream of, is becoming a reality for one Connecticut filmmaker.

“I grew up watching space films, being under the night sky. Taking photos and time lapses have been some of the most transformative and important moments in my life,” said Brendan Hall.

Marlborough native Brendan Hall was selected from over one million artists from around the globe to be one of 8 crew members for “Deer Moon,” the first ever civilian project to orbit the moon.

His mission is to encourage preservation and appreciation for our planet.

“My goal with the space film and my goal beyond that is how we can look at our planet with a new sense of wonder, a new sense of importance as well as empathy for each other. The more people I’ve met, the more I’ve traveled, the more similar we all feel and so I hope that having this new lens, in this completely different space, profiling the crew members as well as looking back on Earth can help us preserve it,” Brendan said.

As a filmmaker, Hall plans to show an inside perspective and showcase the process and journeys the crew takes before, during and after the mission and how they come back different.

“I started making films when I was 12 in my back yard and that initial passion turned into making films with my friends,” Brendan explained.

Now at 28, he travels the world for a living walking in other peoples shoes, learning from them, and translating it to us, through cinematography.

“My mission as a film maker is to inspire people to preserve our planet,” Brendan said.

Now he gets to walk in the “moon boots” so few have ever stepped foot in.

“When I first heard the news, it felt like time just froze,” said Brendan. “It was just me an Yusaku Maezawa, the entrepreneur who’s leading this mission, and he said ‘I’d like you to be a crew member of DearMoon.’ And it was a single sentence that changed the entire course of my life.”

The mission will happen as soon as 2023 on SpaceX’s “Starship,” the largest rocket ever built.

“I can’t even begin to understand how we’ll feel once we’re up there. I’m still processing it all. It’s going to be the honor of my life to capture it,” Brendan explained.

A lot of emotions are going into this journey, but not just for Brendan, also for his parents.

“It’s amazing. In the entire world, a million people. When he told us, half of me was oh that’s amazing, like the top half. And my stomach dropped. And I’m going to be honest, I was like oh my god, don’t die,” said Brendan.

It’s a nerve-wracking experience but also a major milestone.

“My grandkids might not think that this is as special at all because there will so many of these flights going. This is just the earliest part of an era that might be very similar to the era of flight and aviation. I’m just so honored to be part of one of these first milestones,” Brendan exclaimed.

We’ll be following along on Brendan’s trip to space. Stay with Channel 3 for the journey.

Copyright 2023 WFSB. All rights reserved.

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On a quiet summer evening in Marlborough, the food shack at Jessica’s Garden releases the scent of warm butter and the sounds of a grill cooking, the shack’s bright pink paint appearing in the reflection of the lily pond nearby. Someone just ordered one of its popular lobster rolls.

The fresh lobster meat is served in a grilled bun, both of which are doused in real butter. According to co-founder Jessica Carroll, the food item is one of the many qualities that separates Jessica’s Garden & Lobster Shack from other outdoor dining spaces in the state.

“There are people who come here religiously for lobster. You don't have to drive all the way to the shore,” she said. “There are certain people that come here just for their birthday. Families get together from all different states, and they all meet here."

Jessica’s Garden & Lobster Shack on East Hampton Road is an outdoor restaurant and garden center that also serves as a giant backyard for families. Since they started Jessica’s Garden in 2004 after their honeymoon, Jessica and Matt Carroll have combined their landscaping and food industry skills to maintain their local family-run business for 18 years.

Jessica said the garden serves as a sanctuary from the stressors of the outside world.

“It's just a break from your normal day, especially for people who are local,” she said.

Whether guests need comfort food or a quiet place to think, the garden has something for everyone. Behind the pink food shack and garden center, a rope swing hangs by a large oak tree, adults socialize at the picnic table or read in one of the rocking chairs and children compete in a serious game of capture the flag or play in the miniature house.

The atmosphere is almost as calm as the lily pond, which is encircled by a walking trail and fairy garden. On the trail, people can find small fairy houses, miniature statues and a wide array of vegetation like Clethra, a shrub with white flowers and a strong scent. The only sounds are crickets, birds and sometimes the toads that live in the pond.

Growing up in East Hampton, Jessica knew of the sanctuary long before it became her garden center and restaurant, she said.

“I fell in love with the pond. I lived in this area. So I’ve always liked this little spot, and then it came up for sale,” she said.

She bought the property as a place to keep her landscaping equipment and keep an inventory of her trees and plants, but it turned into a garden center when people expressed interest in buying the greenery she grew. They deliver mulch to customers in 15 different towns across the state and are open from March to the end of October.

The decision to add an ice cream shack and other food items didn't come until a few years later after the Carrolls noticed a decline in plant sales during the summer.

“We thought, ‘How can we balance this business and make it more sustainable? And allow people to enjoy the property?’” Matt said.

The pink shacks that now sell ice cream and food were originally painted green to blend in with the rest of the garden, Jessica said, but then a friend visiting from Florida who had trouble finding them gave her an idea.

“He’s like, ‘You really need it to be a color that's going to stand out.’ And Florida has pink houses,” she said. “I definitely like things to blend into nature. I don't like to be a sore thumb. But if you want business, you've got to be a sore thumb, right?”

The menu includes Gifford’s ice cream (they even sell ice cream for dogs), grilled cheese sandwiches, pulled pork, smoothies, kids meals served on frisbees and hot dogs, which they feed to the bass in the pond. They are currently building a new kitchen and indoor dining space, which is expected to open in the spring of 2023. With the new kitchen, they plan to add French fries, onion rings and more seafood options, Matt said. They have also partnered with Burger Heaven & Sweet Açai in Portland, and plan to bring its açai bowls to Jessica’s Garden.

Matt said adding quality food has helped sustain their business and has even drawn in loyal customers from across the country.

“We have regulars who come in from California every year and we're their first stop. People travel from far away,” he said.

Besides the menu, the garden is constantly changing due to the weather. Jessica is at the garden almost every day weeding, pruning and watering the plants. Three employees help out on the weekends.

Heavy rain can bury the fairy houses and sometimes slow business, an issue they hope the new interior dining space will fix. The heat wave also affects the quality of the plants and requires higher maintenance. Jessica said while the heat makes the plants harder to maintain and requires her to work all the time in the summer, she will always keep the garden.

Taste of Connecticut

“That’s my passion. That’s what keeps me going,” she said.

Matt said seeing how much families enjoy the place makes the long hours worth it. The restaurant’s motto even reflects its focus on family: "Family Time Matters."

Their own kids also grew up playing in the garden, and some of the high school and college students who scoop ice cream for them have been visiting since they were infants.

“We've been in town a long time. We've seen a lot of places come and go, and we just stick to our formula and what we know works,” he said. “It’s good having all the regular customers return every year and the kids, who we see grow, come back and they talk about how much they've always loved the place. And seeing our employees over the years now are doctors. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Updated: April 20, 2023 11:25 a.m.

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Brendan Hall was looking at the sky over the Grand Canyon when a sunset turned into a meteor shower and the trajectory of his life changed forever.

It was a summer trip in 2014. The then-NYU film student observed an amphitheater of stars surrounding the Milky Way as lightning bolts struck the horizon. He became protective over the view. He wanted his camera to not just capture, but encourage viewers to preserve what he was seeing.

"That trip and that moment was when I thought, 'I want to make documentaries,'" he said.

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Now, the 28-year-old filmmaker from Marlborough will embark on another life-changing excursion — to outer space. Hall was selected as a crew member for the "dearMoon" project, which is set to be the first civilian trip to the moon.

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa, who is paying for the trip, announced in December the eight artists and creatives who would accompany him on SpaceX’s Starship. The crew also includes Grammy-nominated producer Steve Aoki, South Korean rapper T.O.P and YouTuber Tim Dodd.

“Being under the night sky were some of the most inspiring moments of my whole life,” Hall said. “But I never even dreamed that I would go up there, especially on a mission like this.”

CT natives Brendan Hall (bottom right) and Anthony Blake visited the Grand Canyon on a road trip. Photo credit: Contributed photos/Anthony Blake

The six-day mission is scheduled for 2023, but a launch date has yet to be announced. To carry out the mission, the Starship still needs to complete an orbital flight test. SpaceX owner Elon Musk announced in January the rocket could be ready by February. The test has experienced several delays and it's unclear if the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the attempt. SpaceX and dearMoon did not respond to requests for comment.

One million people from all over the world applied for the mission when applications opened in 2021, according to the dearMoon website. Hall submitted his on a whim, thinking the concept was “too incredible to believe.” That changed when he had his first Zoom interview. Former astronaut Naoko Yamazaki was one of the attendees.

Hall isn’t sure why he was selected as one of the few. The process spanned almost a year, he said.

Many of the interview questions focused on character: his work, reasons for applying and what artwork he would create during the mission, he said.

“I also told him about how much I wanted to tell this human story, and the story of the crew members transforming through this mission,” Hall said. “This is about people as much as [it is] about the moon or about space.”

Hall said his nature documentaries center around people and how they’re impacted by the natural world. He accompanied TV host and "science guy" Bill Nye to Greenland to film a documentary about the scientist's fight against climate change. Hall first received a camcorder for his twelfth birthday and began creating short films with his friends in his backyard. Ever since, he's been working on the craft of telling stories through a camera lens.

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Paul Bancroft, a career and technical education teacher, said by the time Hall walked through the doors of Regional Hebron, Andover and Marlborough (RHAM) High School, he had years of experience and advice from older students. It was his drive, maturity and discipline that set him apart from his peers, Bancroft said, recalling all the questions Hall asked about cinematographers and what type of camera he should buy with his birthday money.

“He really had a good eye for the camera,” he said. “He was always looking for new ways to tell the story.”

When Hall was assigned to get some footage of ice fishing, he attached a GoPro to a pole and stuck it through the ice to get underwater shots of the fish, Bancroft recalled.

Bancroft said because of Hall's extra efforts, he wasn’t surprised when Hall was accepted to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, one of the top-five film schools in 2012, the year he graduated from high school.

“That is what he had set his mind to,” Bancroft said. “And Brendan, you know what, when he set his mind to a goal, he went for it. And he certainly had the talent.”

Before his junior year at NYU, Hall and his childhood friend, Anthony Blake, took a road trip to 10 national parks and developed the idea for "Out There: A National Parks Story” a project they would film over the next five years. The film is set to be released in May.

Blake said he could tell Hall’s perspective changed on that 2014 trip. Hall had “a lightbulb moment” at the Grand Canyon and decided his camera’s purpose would be inspiring others to preserve natural beauty, Blake said. While traveling in the following years, Hall would get up in the middle of the night to time lapse videos of stars.

“It’s great to see someone in love with what they do,” Blake said.

Hall continued filming nature with the National Geographic Channel, first as an intern and then a freelance filmmaker.

He is still brainstorming concepts for his "dearMoon" film, but ensures it will have the same aim as his past documentaries. By filming Earth, he hopes viewers will appreciate it more. Astronauts like Ron Garan and Russell “Rusty” Schweickart have returned from space with a different perspective on our planet and mankind’s role, a cognitive shift called the overview effect.

Hall is unsure when his civilian space training, a process that could take months, will begin or what it will entail. But he doesn’t have any doubts about the ability to pull off the mission, he said. Part of his job involves speaking with camera manufacturers and SpaceX officials about the best technologies to bring based on the payload of the rocket and limitations like radiation getting on the camera sensor.

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“Cameras draw power, they draw electricity. Your laptop does and your hard drives do. And we're a big floating ship in space. So electricity, and power is going to be very limited,” Hall said. “Those are all things we'll be developing, which will be really exciting. It'll for sure be a process that is totally new to me.”

Bancroft said documenting the mission is an important role. In the early days of the space program, astronauts brought tiny handheld cameras on missions. Hall, he said, will be following the many would-be filmmakers who have traveled to space.

“Mankind has always documented our adventures,” he said.

Bancroft was asked if he had any advice for his former student.

“I don't think I am anywhere qualified to give Brendan Hall advice anymore,” he said. “I guess I would say ‘Have a great time, Brendan, enjoy every moment.’”

Abby Weiss is a Connecticut native and a features reporter at Hearst Connecticut Media. She graduated with a B.S. in journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University in 2022. She has written for InsideClimate News, The New York Post and Callaway Climate Insights.