Brunswick Born Actor Finds His Film on Local Store Shelves

Samuel Dunning stood in the Bull Moose on Maine Street and watched his feature film appear where he first fell in love with movies. Dunning, who was born in Brunswick, saw Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox on store shelves on December 17, 2025, and described the moment as a full circle return to a formative local habit. One of the biggest reasons I got into movies and filmmaking was because of Bull Moose, he said, recalling that in high school and even younger he would go to their dollar DVD bucket and just grab a couple random things and see what he got.

Written and directed by Stimson Snead, the feature expands on a 2022 short and premiered at the Cinequest Film and Creativity Festival in March 2024. The comedy science fiction story follows Tim Travers, a scientist who tries to solve a time travel paradox by traveling back in one minute intervals and repeatedly killing his younger self, producing many versions of Travers with distinct personalities. The short version included veteran actors Danny Trejo, Joel McHale, Keith David and Felicia Day, and the full length film, which hit streaming services over the summer, takes more time to explore the protagonist as a complex and at times unlikeable character who is forced to confront self loathing and learn to accept himself. We came up with the idea of, Oh, what if Travers is filled with self loathing, and it becomes a whole thing about learning to love yourself, Dunning said.

For Dunning the acting challenge was technical and creative. Playing dozens of iterations of the same person required consistent physical and vocal traits while making each iteration distinct enough for audiences to follow. I basically get the challenge of having to make chemistry with myself, he said, noting that director and editorial choices helped clarify differences among the many Tims.

The film’s presence on a local retailer shelf matters to Sagadahoc County for several reasons. Physical availability in Brunswick offers a tangible cultural connection for residents who remember browsing DVDs at local stores, and it creates a direct-sales opportunity that complements streaming distribution. For local emerging filmmakers and arts organizations, Dunning’s hometown visibility demonstrates a pipeline from regional roots to national festival circuits and streaming platforms, which can attract attention and economic activity to the local creative sector. As independent producers increasingly juggle festival runs, streaming windows, and niche retail placements, the Brunswick showing of Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox represents both a personal milestone and a small but meaningful example of how local markets can sustain creative careers.