Veteran WME Mailroom Employee Gets Spotlight in Heartwarming Short

One of the fixtures in the WME trenches has a unique story to tell.

Curt Harper has worked in the agency’s mailroom for 17 years (he was at William Morris before the merger). When he’s not on the job, the 49-year-old can usually be found in the Pacific Ocean, practicing his lifelong passion: surfing.

But Harper is no ordinary weekend warrior. He was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2, but he enjoys a fulfilling life in Southern California with his parents and, crucially, his friends. For decades he has been a beloved figure to countless families in the Southern California surf community, chauffeuring and surfing with generations of “groms” — slang for young X-sports enthusiasts. Now his story is being shared in the short film Curt, which played at the Newport Beach, Nashville and San Luis Obispo film festivals and was released on Vimeo today as a Staff Pick.

The 17-minute short is the documentary debut of Brendan Hearne, a commercials director who grew up in Los Angeles and dabbled in professional surfing before turning to film. Curt was executive produced by Jordan Tappis and House of Cards’ Beau Willimon via their Westward Productions banner.