Crack open a can of tuna, get $25,000. Modesto filmmaker competes for top prize
A national commercial made by and starring Modesto talent? Sounds fishy, and it is. Specifically, it’s tuna-fishy.
For 26-year-old Modestan Logan Miller, it could be the opportunity to venture into a new career. Miller is an official finalist for the Bumble Bee Tuna Cans Film Festival. He is one of 15 finalists competing for a $25,000 prize and the opportunity for national recognition.
“This contest is sort of me testing the waters to see if I should commit more to filmmaking as a career,” said Miller. “If we win this, maybe I can put this money into educating myself at a film school.”
Miller already has some accolades in the cinema world. Earlier this year, his short film “Admittance” won best picture at the Modesto 48 Hour Film Competition. He and a handful of other award-winning filmmakers were invited to compete in the Modesto Film Invitational and won best picture in that competition with his film “Polyphemus.”
Both of the films have a darker theme, with “Admittance” about entering a home through a doggy door and “Polyphemus” about being watched by something unsettling. Miller, however, takes inspiration from funnier places.
“I’m really influenced by things like ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’; it has some of the funniest timing I’ve ever seen,” he said. Miller drew upon those cues for his commercial entry. The one-minute spot opens with a party that is less than enthusiastic until a giant tuna walks in, cracks a can of Bumble Bee and gets the good times going.
Though he has acted in some of his projects, he prefers being behind the camera and in the editing room.
“I’m inspired by really good editing, whether it be a horror movie or a comedy. When the timing is right, that’s like the most important thing. When I make these movies, I’m really seeking to make the editing the best it can be.”
Miller is a freelance graphic designer, working with various tech companies and their marketing and social media teams. His expertise in this area came from his early beginnings as a filmmaker, growing up in Oregon.
Miller describes making funny movies on his iPod starting at age 11. He would enlist family members as actors and as an audience. He put his movie-making dreams on pause while he went to school and got married. His wife, Sarah Miller, is a frequent star of his films, winning best actress for her performance in “Admittance” at the 48 Hour Film Competition. They moved to Modesto about four years ago, for a job opportunity and to be closer to family.
“One night, we went to the State Theatre to watch a movie, and we saw this little flyer for the Modesto 48 Hour Film Competition. And we thought, oh, we should do that,” he said. “And we did it, and we took it really seriously, and we won. It was very exciting.”
That win, and his second win at the film invitational, gave him the confidence and zeal to enter the Bumble Bee Tuna Contest. Miller said that winning the contest could be life-changing, not only for the prize money but for opening the doors to more opportunities in film.
“I don’t have any grand scale goals like making a feature film just yet, but what I do know is that I want to keep making short films in the local community, because that’s been really rewarding and gratifying, and I’ve been very supported in doing that,” he said.
He said the Modesto film scene is inspirational and there is a lot of talent in this region. He plans to continue making movies in the area, no matter what comes of the contest.
“If I ever went somewhere else for bigger and different opportunities, I would want to make sure that I would somehow pay it back to Modesto. Because right now, in this moment, I really feel like I’m being given a second start because of this place,” he said.
The entries can be viewed and voted on at www.tunacansfilmfest.com. The contest is open for voting until Oct. 24, and the winners will be announced a few days after the contest closes. Winners will receive $25,000, and $5,000 will be donated to a school film program of their choice. To watch Miller’s winning films, visit his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@2by2TV
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 1:44 PM.
