SUMMER 2020

2020, what can you say? On second thought...

Well, despite the madness going on around me, it has been an incredibly busy year -- maybe too busy. I have a lot of work and so little idea of how I am going to get it done.

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However, there is BIG NEWS. I have signed a deal with U.K. publisher Routledge Press and will be authoring the book Screenwriting For Micro-Budget Films, which should be released in late 2021. I cannot say that I was dreaming of writing a book but micro-budget films are a passion of mine, I see so many of them that fail to reach their full potential and I have long wished I could reach out with advice. Now I can share my thoughts, things I have picked up on through over thirty years of being involved with independent film -- first as a fan, then as a film student, then as a crew member, then as a film reviewer, then as a screenwriter and, finally, as a screenwriting professor. I am so excited about this project.

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And, of course, as usual, I am juggling way too many screenwriting projects.

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Despite swearing that I would never produce, I have signed on to co-produce Mime! a wonderful horror-comedy but, instead of a January 2021 shoot, we have decided to put it on hold until it is safer to gather a cast and crew on set.

 

In January, I finished Metronome, based on the true story of a young man from an affluent suburb who finds himself deeply immersed in the Philadelphia jazz scene of the 1990s.

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Continuing with a wildly unexpected trend of writing stories based on real life, I recently finished Full Armor, based on the true story of a college football player diagnosed with cancer during the season.

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I am currently writing Why Are You Single?, a romantic comedy drama based on the experiences of a single mother in South Florida.

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There have been informal discussion about writing a story based on the life of candy magnate Milton Hershey. 

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I might adapt Mainlining Philly, based on the adventures of a young woman growing up in one of Philadelphia's most notoriously drug infested neighborhoods. 

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Destined For Love is in active development in L.A.

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It looks like I am now involved with writing and directing two documentaries. More on those projects later!

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FALL 2019

It's been a busy year! 

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Used To Love Her has been optioned by an L.A. production company! Let's make it happen!

 

I just completed the first thirty pages of a new screenplay written for hire, Metronome, set in the Philly jazz world. Those pages will be read aloud at a staged reading on 10/21. 

 

I dipped my toes into producing when I organized, then oversaw the production and post-production of a teaser trailer for the series An Appetite For Destruction. I have always shied away from producing but this gig went well. 

 

On 10/30, I am live and onstage, presenting a seminar on the classic Invasion of the Body Snatchers at the esteemed Bryn Mawr Film Institute. 

 

I am in the early stages of negotiations to adapt the memoir "Full Armor," the story of a college football player battling cancer and eventually going pro. 

In between all of these activities, I am keeping busy in the classroom and, as always, helping friends out with their screenplays. 

 

At the end of September, we staged a reading of The 16 Minute Man that was really well-received. Producers are working on looking for financing.

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SPRING 2019

I have been hired to adapt The 16 Minute Man, a memoir by one time boxing prodigy turned Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman. I describe my vision for the project as "Raging Bull" meets "Wolf of Wall St."

In June, I will travel Panama for two weeks and work on an adaptation of another memoir, Boomer War, about a Southern California golden boy, a surfer right out of a Beach Boys song, who has his eyes opened when he serves in Vietnam.

Don't look now but it sounds like I have just agreed to write a screenplay for the Hallmark Channel. Good times!

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BREAKING NEWS:

October 2018. My producing partner and I have received a Letter of Intent from actress Tara Reid. Pending financing, Reid will produce and star in my psychological thriller "Used To Love Her."

 

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Fall 2018 UPDATE:  

In late October, I  will attend the Austin Screenwriting Conference, earning an all-access Producer's Badge by reading and reviewing nearly 60 screenplays. I received a grant to cover travel and lodging from University of the Arts President's Fund For Excellence.

 

A tech/film start up specializing in VR and AR has asked me to join their team as Chief Content Officer. I will be in charge of sourcing and developing feature film and new media projects. 

 

"Closure," a short film co-written by me was produced in September and recently submitted to the Slamdance Shorts Program. 

 

Since appearing in the third installment of indie filmmaker Nigel Bach's cult hit "Bad Ben" series last year, I have continued to serve as a consultant to him on the next two films. 

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November 2017 UPDATE: Stomping Ground continues to perform well on Amazon Prime, streaming consistently in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.  One Five Star review said:

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 I was totally riveted during the entire hour+ of the movie, and it's amazing how it could all be done on a shoestring budget. The setting never changes, but wow, things really escalate and change radically from the beginning to the end. Very intense and captivating, with the same sort of feel as "Locke" with Tom Hardy, but with a much different theme. In this case, four boyhood friends are thrust into a predicament that will lead them on a personal journey that will test their bonds of friendship and change them forever. Could very well become a cult classic!

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Writing projects continue to flood in. The nightmarish personal journey through a war zone, "Surfing In Afghanistan", my long in the works collaboration with writer-director RT Herwig ("St. Christopher") is finally up and out there, currently in the hands of a lead actor from the CW hit "Riverdale" and a producer of the indie hit "Ingrid Goes West."

 

I collaborated with noted mystery author Jon McGoran ("Spliced") on a thriller screenplay, "Grim Reality," that is making the rounds in L.A. and NYC. 

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The wonderful Greater Philadelphia Film Office recommended me to not one, but two, producers looking for a screenwriter. I collaborated with actor Dave Shaver (CNN's upcoming "The Pope") on a pilot and second episode of his show "Ready For Departure," which I describe as "The Love Boat" meets "Twilight Zone" on a plane. Another Philly producer hired me to re-write three of his screenplays. 

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Tigre Hill's "American Zealot" bio-pic of controversial 1960s Civil Rights activist Cecil B. Moore, one of the best screenplays I've read in years, continues to brew as financing starts to come together with me in some kind of producing role.

 

The biggest news might be the return to my first love, acting. I had a co-starring role in up-and-coming horror-comedy icon Nigel Bach's "Badder Ben," the final chapter in his wildly successful "Bad Ben"trilogy. It was a blast to work on and, if I listen carefully, it sounds like there might be a role in one of his next projects. 

 

If 2018 is going to be even better than 2017, I say Bring It On. 

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November 2016 UPDATE: Stomping Ground is finished and available on Amazon now! The film played some festivals but it seems like the theatrical release/distribution model is becoming more and more outdated so going straight to Amazon and reaching a much bigger audience feels like a good move. It has been quite a ride and while the Stomping Ground era is in the final chapters, there is lot more going on in the story of this filmmaker. Here is the link to Stomping Ground on Amazon. If you like and have something nice to say, I'd appreciate a positive review. On to the next project or two -- a couple of films and my "Luncheonette" TV project.

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January 2016:

Stomping Ground is cut, picture is locked. It's a lean, mean movie -- just how I like them. Ten years after writing it, two years after shooting it and many screenings of the work-in-progress later, the film still grabs me, moves me and keeps me on the edge of my seat ---- and it's not like I don't know what's going to happen!

 

Color-correction, sound, songs and score are now in the hands of some talented professionals who will work their magic and take the film to a whole new level by the end of the month, at last! A well-known distributor has taken a keen interest in the film and a deal for domestic streaming, European and Asian TV seems like it is brewing.

 

My TV project "Not Your Mother's Luncheonette," a comedy-drama set in Philly is progressing well. I am currently working on a new draft of the pilot and the plan is to have it ready by spring and show it to connections at Amazon, Netflix and elsewhere in L.A.

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Angus, a screenplay I was commissioned to write in 2009, has had its ups and downs but, after completing a new draft earlier this month, it is being shown around to industry insiders for feedback ahead of a financing campaign. The director and producers have partnered with the Greater Philadelphia Film Office as one of the few projects they take on as financial sponsors.

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Finally, despite years of resisting any kind of producing role on a film, I have enthusiatically joined the team of acclaimed documentary filmmaker Tigre Hill's narrative feature debut, "American Zealot" as a consulting producer simply because it is the best screenplay I have read in years and I am honored to help bring this bold vision to the screen.

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October 2014:

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While I am closely monitoring the post-production of Stomping Ground, I am keeping busy with several new and continuing screenplay projects, some of which have been getting some attention in L.A. -- more news as it develops. Next up, however, of all things, seems to be a pitch for TV talk show on a major network. Other TV projects are brewing. 

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Of course, I am teaching several screenwriting courses, something that gives me genuine fulfilment -- nuturing and inspiring the filmmakers of tomorrow.

 

This year, I was honored to serve as a judge on the Project 21 film competetion, named one of the best filmmaking competitions in the country by MovieMaker Magazine.

 

Once again, The Greater Philadelphia Film Office asked me to serve as a panelist and judge at their annual PitchPhilly event where aspiring filmmakers pitch their best idea for a movie. From a field of almost 40 pitchers, 10 were selected to be mentored by myself and two other panelists. After two weeks of hardcore guidance, the selected finalists  present their refinded pitches to another panel made up of Hollywood producers, writers and directors.

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What else? In late 2013, I was selected to judge an exciting new short film competition, Short Wars (shortwars.org) where screenwriters from around the world submitted screenplays with the hope of getting it produced. I picked a screenplay by a college student in Florida and, in August, I directed the film, "140 Characters Or Less", which will premeire at a festival in late October.

 

Is that it? Don't quote me on this one but it seems increasingly likely that I will soon be doing a major re-write on a screenplay that's been in development at a major studio for years. 

 

September 2013:

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Stomping Ground is in the can! The long from-Philly-to-Hollywood-and-back journey to shoot my screenplay once called Aftermath ended on Labor Day weekend. From the initial production meeting with Truly Brave Films on July 1 to the final shot of a two-day shoot on September 1, the experience was intense, exhilarating and deeply satisfying.

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A cast of six brilliant actors rehearsed intensively for the month of August before hitting our location with an amazing 25 person crew and shooting the entire feature length film in a total of about 24 hours. Post-production will continue into Fall and then we anticipate a high profile festival run before settling on distribution.

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Summer 2013 News:

Things have been busy!

Recent projects:

-Re-writing and directing the narration on a documentary, Journey Into The Holocaust

-Writing the feature film The Prison, which will shoot later this year

-Starting work on a short narrative film based on the amazing true story of a Holocaust survivor's experience in a camp

-Acting the film Sadie, Baby

-Serving as a consultant on the set of a new web-series, Dr. Shroud, Vampire Hunter

-Signing on to write a baseball screenplay with a science-fiction twist in the fall

 

-Introducing my movie review website, False Climax, which will also link to my blog of the same name

 

BUT, the big story is that, at long last, I am embarking on the production of my long brewing feature film, Stomping Ground (formerly Aftermath), planning shoot the film over the course of Labor Day weekend. A Kickstarter campaign should be up and running at this point.