Biography

Luke Hardeman is an American producer, actor, musician, photographer, and entrepreneur. He is the lead vocalist in the rock/rap band Group Hug. He also owns and co-founded an entertainment collective, '59th Street Productions [us]'.

From 2009 to 2012, under the pseudonym Markus Eliance, he shot photos of L.A. nightlife and posted them on his web page YourProofItHappened (YPIH), where he focused on candid shots and profiles of his subjects. Also from 2009 to 2010, he served as the official band photographer for L.A. based rock band Letters Burning, fronted by Rock N' Roll Fantasy Camp alum Gabe Kubanda.

Hardeman attended the afro-centric private school Marcus Garvey Elementary School in Los Angeles. A gifted student, he was tested at a 12th-grade comprehension level at age 5, and was subsequently skipped two years to 3rd grade, before being placed back in 2nd grade due to parental concerns about an age gap. He graduated from St. Bernard High School, in Playa Del Rey, California, in 2005. In 2016, he earned a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from California State University, Channel Islands.

He is multi-racial -- his father is African-American, and his mother is of mixed heritage, being both African-American and Mexican-American. His parents were divorced by the time he was two, and after his mother's remarriage grew up in an extended family. He has an older half-brother (maternal), a younger half-sister (paternal).
- IMDb mini biography by: Archer Drezelan

A quote that I live by [from my father] is, 'I can do what I want to do, I can say what I want to say, and I can go where I want to go, but I must always be responsible for my actions.'

My parents always told me from a young age, that if you shoot for the moon, and miss, you'll still have the stars to fall back on.

As a film maker, I could go without never winning an award in my life, ever. As long as they show my picture at the Oscars when I die. Honestly, It doesn't even matter if it was my best work or not. I would die the happiest if any of the films were reviewed favorably by Peter Travers from Rolling Stone. You're not a real film maker until you've got a positive review from Peter Travers.