Kyle Prater: From Football To Filmmaking
CHICAGO (CBS) -- When Kyle Prater arrived at Northwestern in 2012, he had superstar potential. However, his promising football career didn't exactly have a Hollywood ending. Now Prater is flipping the script as a filmmaker.
"The camera was something that gave me another piece of serenity like football did," Prater said.
Prater has moved on from football to film production. The former Proviso West wide receiver who played at USC, transferred to Northwestern and was with the New Orleans Saints briefly has created a two-part documentary about his journey, called "Shifting Gears."
"I have a niche for telling stories," said Prater. "You see me still trying to chase the NFL, to get back, but you see my creativity because I put the film together."
The 26-year-old struggled with living up to being named the number one wide receiver in the country coming out of high school. Injuries plagued his football career, and he battled substance addiction.
"Someone somewhere in this world is dealing with something in that particular situation, but they don't know how to get out of it. So they see it and it's like 'I'm going through that. He got through it, and so can I.' That's the type of feel I want," said Prater.
Prater has founded Chasing Greatness Productions. He wants to showcase greatness not just through athletics, but all platforms. He's currently working with former Bears running back Matt Forte on some videos and has big aspirations for his company.
"My ultimate goal is to keep inspiring people and hopefully that gets recognized and we watch commercials with our CGP logo on the screen. That's what I envision and I see it happening."
Prater is hosting a public screening of his movie "Shifting Gears II" on Thursday night at the Arc Light Cinemas in Lincoln Park.