Evolving Truths

 

My youth wasn’t filled with rich, unbridled tales of shooting short films on an 8mm camera. I was born and raised in a vibrant Italian household in San Jose, California, and the inspiration to tell stories came from my grandfather. Often, during our weekend visits, I would wake early to find him sitting by the fireplace with a glass of wine and a pack of unfiltered cigarettes. Sometimes I would sit next to him in silence. Other times he would spin thrilling yarns of pirates and their daring escapades.

As I grew older, his stories inspired me to dive headfirst into the world of underwater archaeology, captivated by the exploits of legendary treasure hunters like Mel Fisher and Robert F. Marx. However, fate had other plans when I found myself attending college in Eugene, Oregon. My dream of unearthing hidden treasures beneath the waves vanished as I realized I couldn’t afford scuba diving lessons, and the chilly waters of the Northwest coast posed a formidable challenge. And so, at the ripe age of 23, I redirected my focus toward the art of filmmaking. If I couldn't excavate stories of the past, I would weave narratives for the future.

As a writer, producer, and director, I have worked on multiple projects, including the short film "I Am Lloyd Hamlin" (official selection at Comic-Con two years running), "Storage" (official selection at VisionFest and Terror Film Festival), and the web series "Lady Wasteland" (second-largest web series in 2008). I have optioned several screenplays, including "Night of Maelstrom" and "The Vastness" (optioned by Industry Works LLC). I was also the producer of the feature film "City Baby," which screened at the Chicago, Nashville, and Austin Film Festivals, and I produced The Toadies' music video "Summer of the Strange." My short film "Tonight," written by Darrell Williams, played in dozens of film festivals across the country from 2020 to 2023, and "The Singing Armadillo and The Rat Child Were Nowhere to Be Found," completed in 2023, is currently on the festival circuit. More recently, my crew and I wrapped shooting a dystopian sci-fi short film, "Wrecker," in July 2024 and are prepping it for post-production with a 2025 release. I am also co-writing a TV series called "Fornever" and am in development of the feature film "Life Twice Lost."