THE "WITTY, QUIRKY PERSONALITY" BIO
I've been compared to both George Castanza and George Clooney (only one of those is true, the other is aspirational... or just plain delusional, but a man can dream, damn it!).
When I was 18, I thought I was going to be the next Leonardo DiCaprio (Leo was 15 years old at the time, but his work on "The New Lassie" was sensational -- I would argue some of his best work).
That dream didn't quite materialize and, around my mid-20s, I put acting on the back burner to focus on writing screenplays and stage plays.
In 2004, I landed a steady "pay the bills" gig as an In-Flight Crewmember for an airline based out of JFK, and the flexibility of that day job afforded me the opportunity to focus on my very first original television concept: an hour long "dramedy" about the modern airline industry (because of all the "colorful characters" I've met at 35,000 feet).
Though I wrote my very first screenplay in 1996 (and have been steadily writing stage plays and screenplays since) -- between 2004 to the current moment, I've been churning out screenplays; wrote, produced and acted in an original stage play at an historically Black college in New Orleans; and have written spec scripts of established television shows, as well as original concepts and pilots intended for prestige cable channels and streaming platforms.
I am currently seeking management representation for writing and content creation, and production avenues for my screenplays and original TV show ideas.
I also really, really enjoy satire, "dark" humor, political and social commentary.
THE "JUST THE FACTS" BIO:
An actor, playwright, screenwriter, graduate of the Idyllwild Arts Academy, trained in sketch comedy acting and writing at The Second City (Chicago), Chicago City Limits (NYC), A.C.T (SF), and New Movement Theater (NOLA).
In San Francisco: trained at A.C.T.’s Studio Program as an actor and playwright; performed in a variety of theatrical productions and in shorts and low budget independent films.
In Los Angeles: honed skills as a screen and television writer at Writers Boot Camp and as an actor and playwright training with members of Tim Robbins’ Actors’ Gang Theater.
In New Orleans: wrote, produced and acted in an original three-act stage play titled “The Zeitgeist Chronicles” about the 2008 election of the first African American president; re-written as “Red, White & Blues” currently being shopped to theaters in Los Angeles.
Creative Partnerships: along with actor/writer Nick Gomez (“The Walking Dead”; “The Red Road”), (writer/director/stand-up) Jason Slawson, and (model/actor/writer/producer) Christine Bailey -- currently developing original projects for television and film.
Awards & Industry Recognition: an earlier draft of a feature film titled “Jay Walking In Vegas” (written as a starring vehicle for Marc Maron) was a semi-finalist in the ScreenCraft Comedy Screenplay competition; the pilot for a television series (co-created with Nick Gomez) titled “Exile City” was a semi-finalist in the ScreenCraft Television Pilot competition; a feature film titled “Hunting Diana” was a semi-finalist in the Big Apple Film Festival; a “GLOW” spec script was a finalist in the Scriptapalooza Television Writing competition.
Formerly repped by The Wayne Agency literary department; currently shopping: screenplays, stage plays and television projects as a solo writer, and producer along with creative partnerships and co-written projects.
Currently repped as an actor for hire (theatrical/commercial) with Sovereign Talent Group, Agent: Leigh Keene.
Additional "bio" information, and more, can be found on my personal website: https://montagneforhire.com/about