The Break

THE BREAK started with the terrific actor Janelle Tedesco asking me if I'd like to direct her in a film for the 48 Hour Film Project in NYC; a competition where crews literally have 2 days to write/shoot/edit a short film. I jumped at the chance to make another short while my co-producer, Dave Chan, and I were still prepping our first feature based on our prior award-winning short film, "Sure-Fire." And Janelle had tons of enthusiasm, and I was eager to work with her. She brought on one of the other amazing actors, Kevin Herbst, and Dave brought on actor Trevor Van Uden to round out the cast.

The three of us -- Janelle, Dave, and myself -- also wrote the script in one night. Having worked in an office myself and having access to an office for the shoot, I fleshed out an idea with Janelle and Dave about an accountant feeling trapped in her day job and dreaming of a career in the arts; something many artists can relate to -- as well as anyone stuck in a job or place in their life they want to move on from. Dave and I also gathered a top-notch crew, many of whom we had already worked with, including director of photography Alan J. Carmona (the award-winning "The Visit"), editor Luftar Von Rama (whom we worked with on "Sure-Fire"), and two-time Emmy-winning composer Michael Whalen.

Ultimately, THE BREAK exceeded everyone's expectations and garnered 3 awards at the 48 Hour Film Project NYC: the Audience Award, Best Comedy, and Best Acting Ensemble. We spent some time after the competition fine-tuning the edit and officially premiered two months later at the Iron Mule Comedy Film Festival where we also won the Audience Award. The whole cast and crew is super proud of this film -- and looking forward to a further festival run.