Evolving Truths

 

Growing up with an 8mm camera and shooting short films at the sprightly age of thirteen sounds like a glorious way to start a bio as a filmmaker. However, that wasn’t me. I was born and raised in an Italian household in San Jose, California. As a child, I would wake up early, sit by the fireplace with my grandfather, and listen as he would weave thrilling stories about pirates, sunken treasure and wild adventures (as he sipped wine and smoked filter-less cigarettes). His tall tales and influence eventually drove me to study underwater archaeology am I became obsessed with the exploits of treasure hunters Mel Fisher and Robert F. Marx.
 

It wasn't until I moved to Eugene, Oregon to attend college that my dream of discovering underwater treasure ended, for I didn't know how to scuba dive and the northwest coast is quite cold. After a bit of soul searching I decided to focus my studies, at the ripe age of 23, toward becoming a filmmaker. If I couldn't excavate stories of the past I would create stories for the future -- all-the-while hoping that both would eventually intersect.