"You know you can do this for a job?" My mother said to me after watching my latest stop motion claymation on the one inch viewfinder of my mini dv camcorder. It was 1999, and I was 15 years old. I'm not sure if she really believed in my talent or if she was just desperate for me to focus on my future. Either way, her suggestion was eye opening.
I was now given permission to make films! To tell stories. To contribute to this magical industry where heroes make our dreams come true.
The weight of my newfound career set in almost immediately. How do I go from making claymations in my bedroom in Buffalo NY, to creating films that would impact the world long beyond my time here on Earth? I realized immediately that my path was going to be of the non conventional variety. Was there really even such thing as a conventional path to an Oscar?
Naturally my initial step was to write my acceptance speech. I needed to know what to say when the world finally recognized my filmmaking prowess. First, I had to pick out which film school I would be thanking as I hoisted my golden statue. I applied to the four top film schools in the country; USC, UCLA, NYU and SUNY Fredonia. Luckily, my decision was made for me! The one school I got accepted to was the cheapest and closest to home. And that was exactly what my mom...and I were hoping for. What a relief! So I packed my bags and started my forty minute journey down the New York State Thruway to my new home in Fredonia New York.
The most valuable lesson that I learned in my five years at Fredonia is that life is a collection of experiences. Fredonia allowed me to recognize the moments that would define my story. I began to ask myself; "What am I going to remember in 5, 10, 20 years?" For better or worse my decisions were largely made with that question in mind. It was that perspective that got my friends and I suspended from school for the entire 2004 year for throwing the most epic parties on campus. I was now on the five year plan. I was a super senior! And I didn't regret it for a second. It was this experience that inspired my first feature film script, "Educated".
Years later, I was able to raise twenty thousand dollars to film the first twelve minutes of this script in the very same house in which we threw our parties. Check it out here: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/43959735
We ultimately got representation and made the rounds in Hollywood pitching our college comedy to the masses. Educated never gained enough momentum to get beyond pre-production but it gave me a taste of what was possible and a belief that if I could write what I know, eventually it would resonate with the right people.
Over the next decade or so I continued to write and produce short films as I gained professional experience as an editor and VFX supervisor. My professional work includes clients like Men's Wearhouse and Nissan.
My proudest accomplishments however have been in my personal life. I have been fortunate enough to establish an incredible group of friends and a beautiful family. I have two beautiful children who have taught me more than I could have learned in any classroom or editing bay. Theses experiences have contributed to my first complete short film, "After Light".
After Light is an extremely personal story to me. It emphasizes the idea that you will be faced with incredibly difficult decisions in life. And that ultimately you are responsible to find happiness and peace in your decisions. I am very proud of this film and am hopeful that my story will gain the exposure necessary to make an impact.
As a forty year old family man, it has taken longer than I would have hoped to direct my first short film. The experience of making this film has shifted my perspective. My mother gave me permission as a young man to make films as a job. After Light has allowed me to see filmmaking not as a job, but as an opportunity or even a responsibility to tell my story.