“Hell or High Seas” Premiere - October 3rd Screening

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Transitioning from military to civilian life is a hard reality for many service men and women. The experience of military service is something not easily managed after leaving the military. Even in the best of cases, it takes a great deal of support from friends, family and organizations to help heal those life changing wounds. U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Grieger is one of those brave individuals that suffers from PTSD. After leaving the Navy, Taylor decided one evening that he wanted to end his pain and suffering. He took his gun out, pointed it to his head and pulled the trigger. Fortunately for Taylor, his gun didn’t go off. He didn’t understand why, but he knew that there was a bigger purpose for him to fulfill. A journey to take. A life to redeem. Not only his life, but the life of others. He decided that he wanted help veterans struggling with PTSD. His desire was to show people that communities across the country care about and want to support transitioning veterans. The emphasis is that suicide is never the answer. It is a terrible fact that many people lose hope and decide to take their own lives. Every day In America over 20 veterans die of suicide. It’s a dark, ironic fact that the transition for military personnel into civilian life can be more deadly than combat itself.

About The Documentary HELL OR HIGH SEAS

We sat down with Stephen O’Shea, Taylor’s friend and first mate to talk about the premier of a new and life changing documentary about PTSD called HELL OR HIGH SEAS.

Click here to purchase tickets to see Hell or High Seas on October 3

HELL OR HIGH SEAS follows U.S. Navy veteran Taylor Grieger and writer Stephen O’Shea as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime — sailing around Cape Horn, the world’s most treacherous ocean waters. The documentary is a moving portrait of a veteran using his own painful journey with PTSD to find healing for himself, and pave a smoother path for veterans returning to civilian life. From director Glenn Holsten, producer Chayne Gregg, and executive producer Robert Irvine, HELL OR HIGH SEAS is an adventure film with a deep, universal message about perseverance and hope.

View the trailer of Hell or High Seas below:



About The Voyage

Stephen O’Shea is an amazing creative writer and was Taylor’s first mate. He made it his mission to interview and chronicle the lives of veterans from around the country. Not only was he the only person to make the entire trip with Taylor, but he also helped chronicle the voyage for the documentary. Two other men, John Rose and Kellen Warner also took part in the voyage at different points in the journey. Sailing around Cape Horn was not an easy task nor was it a trip for the faint of heart. When they first embarked on their voyage from Pensacola Florida in 2017, Stephen mentioned that they were initially anticipating returning to Pensacola in 9 months. Due to delays with mechanical problems and issues beyond their control, it ended up taking them 1.5 years to get to Cape Horn. They traveled around 10,000 nautical miles and competed their goal of rounding Cape Horn. They intended to sail back home after Cape Horn, but due to issues with their vessel, they ended up selling their boat in Puerto Williams and went ahead and flew back home. They journeyed into some pretty tough areas and had to endure some life threatening situations. Stephen told us that they experienced mechanical problems, that forced them to continue the journey with just sails. They were 1,000 miles from the coast at the time. They had to ration their food at one point and had to deal with the reality of starvation. It was a journey that they had never been on before, but one that they were destined to take.

About The Screening

The screening of the show in Conroe will be a one time event. It will be held at Xscape Theater on 1488 in Conroe at 7pm. Tickets range from $8.50 to $11.50 and can be purchased online at the following link:

https://www.xscapetheatres.com/movie/321986/hell-or-high-seas

Please attend this special screening and help us get the word out by sharing this article on your social media accounts. Stephen mentioned that he and Taylor will be attending this screening and will be conducting a 30 minute Q & A session at the conclusion of the movie. This will be a great opportunity to learn more about their efforts in combating PTSD and how you can help people in our local area.

We would also like you to visit the Hell or High Seas website to get ore information about the film, the people that produced this documentary and how you can help veterans cope with PTSD.

https://www.hellorhighseas.com


About the HELL OR HIGH SEAS Sailing Team and Film Crew

TAYLOR GRIEGER
Navy Rescue Swimmer veteran and Captain

Taylor Grieger is the captain of Skeleton Crew Sailing and a former Naval Rescue Swimmer. Taylor was born and raised all over Texas before spending 6 years in the U.S. Navy. After leaving the military, he struggled with the transition to civilian life and was diagnosed with PTSD. Taylor was eventually inspired by his own journey to launch the Skeleton Crew mission: to sail around Cape Horn in order to raise awareness about veteran suicide. He is currently living in Texas with his wife and daughter, where he owns Cape Horn Tequila (“Sailed the deadliest waters on the planet and returned with the smoothest tequila ever created”).

STEPHEN J. O’SHEA
Writer and First Mate

Stephen O’Shea received his Creative Writing PhD in Glasgow, Scotland. His first novel, From the Land of Genesis (Unsolicited Press, 2020), was the result of six years of research and dozens of interviews with veterans. After completing the manuscript, he joined good friend and Navy veteran Taylor Grieger on a dangerous adventure: sailing around Cape Horn to raise awareness about veteran suicide. He now lives in Texas and tells stories through writing and documentary filmmaking.

JOHN ROSE
Navy Rescue Swimmer veteran and Sailor

John Rose is a Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer veteran. Shortly after leaving the military, he joined the Skeleton Crew Sailing team as navigator and helmsman. He is currently living in San Diego, where he is a full-time student and works as a captain for Sail San Diego.

KELLEN WARNER
Navy Aviation Rescue Swimmer and Sailor

Kell Warner is an Aviation Rescue Swimmer in the United States Navy. He joined the Skeleton Crew for a particularly dangerous stretch of the trip to Cape Horn—sailing across the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season.


GLENN HOLSTEN
Director

Glenn Holsten is a documentary storyteller who creates human-driven films. His movies cover topics ranging from the arts and sciences to mental health awareness and recovery. Glenn’s latest documentary, WYETH, tells the story of one of America’s most popular, but least understood artists, Andrew Wyeth. The film premiered on the prestigious PBS series American Masters. Glenn’s mental health projects have included the films HOLLYWOOD BEAUTY SALON, about a salon where staff and clients alike are in the process of recovery, and OC87: THE OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE, MAJOR DEPRESSION, BIPOLAR, ASPERGER’S MOVIE, about a man who strives to become a filmmaker despite multiple challenges. These and other films have screened theatrically, on Netflix, on national televisions stations PBS and Ovation, and at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Glenn is a recipient of a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, an Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts, a Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Fellowship, and sixteen Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards. He has been given silver and gold awards from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for innovative television production. A collection of his work was exhibited in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s 20th Century Video Gallery.

Glenn is no stranger to travel and adventure. He has directed films in Argentina, China, Portugal, Kenya, Rwanda, Northern Ireland, Poland, Bosnia and the Republic of Georgia. In 2000, he traveled to Mongolia, where he conducted a workshop for television professionals that explored creative methods for storytelling on television.

You can view additional biographies at the following link:

https://www.hellorhighseas.com/about