Featured in recent KILLER SHORTS profile...
I was one of the writers featured in a recent profile by the folks at KILLER SHORTS, "Pride Month: 17 LGBTQIA+ Screenwriters To Watch in 2024." You can read their writeup here.
I don't know if I'd consider myself as one of their "success stories", but I'm honored to be a part of the group nonetheless. My full Q&A is below, which is a little more candid and telling.
Where are you originally from?
I grew up in Connecticut and New Jersey, but have lived in the Los Angeles area since graduating college.
What led you to submit to the Killer Shorts contest?
I had written a short horror script called “Improper Dosage”, which was a lot of fun to do, and I was rather proud of. The first draft was done in about three days, and finished just in time to submit to the 13Horror.com Screenplay Competition, where it became a finalist. Since then, I reworked and expanded the story, and it’s placed in or received honors from about 20 different festivals; I was especially proud that it received an honorable mention from Killer Shorts. And last year, I adapted it into an audio drama, and it was produced as a podcast by the folks at The Morbid Forest.
What have you been working on since placing in the Killer Shorts Contest?
For years I’ve been working on a documentary about the late illustrator Richard Amsel, who most famously created posters for films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Flash Gordon, and The Sting. What I thought was going to be a simple, little film has spiraled into this mammoth project, involving over 60 interviews filmed around the country. Just last week I was filming an interview in downtown Manhattan with Brooke Shields!
I’m also looking to do an illustrated young adult novel of my script, “In The Footsteps of Thaddeus Thackeray”, which remains my favorite thing I’ve written. It’s an animated comic adventure story set in the 1940’s, and I think it has a lot of nostalgia and heart. It’s won numerous awards over the years, but, alas, no one has ever optioned it.
What films or TV have inspired you as a writer?
For “Improper Dosage”, I was very inspired by horror films with a comic edge, such as An American Werewolf in London and Shaun of the Dead, or offbeat folk horror films like The Wicker Man, which has its own brand of dark comedy. The two genres go surprisingly well together. Just think of it: how many times do you break out in laughter, after experiencing a really good scare?
Beyond that, I’ve always been a huge fan of the late Richard Matheson, whose I Am Legend is one of the greatest, most efficiently written horror stories of all time. Matheson is also not afraid of sentimentality and emotion, unlike so many more cynical writers. His Bid Time Return – famously made into the film Somewhere in Time – is so heartfelt and deeply moving. I think the same could be said for screenwriters such as Frank Darabont, who doesn’t shy away from the deep feelings of his characters, even in the face of horror or fantastical storylines.
Is there anything else that inspires you to create the stories you wish to tell?
In terms of finding your voice, reading helps, but in terms of finding your story, just go out and get busy living – travel, meet people, make friends, and explore things beyond your comfort zone. If you broaden your knowledge, you’ll broaden your imagination. It’s not enough to simply go to film school, or binge watch stuff on Netflix. The more personal experience you have, the easier it will be to weave that into your writing, however fantastic the genre.
What do you hope comes next for you in your career as a writer?
I’m frustrated and apprehensive, to be honest, about the state of the industry and its emphasis on the young. I’m middle-aged now, and still fighting for a lot of the dreams I had twenty, thirty years ago. It’s hard enough to break into the industry as a writer, but there comes a certain point where people no longer see your experience as an asset. I’d love to find a mentor, even if he or she is half my age, or get my feet wet working in a writers room somewhere. I’ve become quite comfortable in my own skin now, and it’s much easier for me to check my ego at the door and listen, rather than talk, when in good company.
As someone who identifies as LGBTQIA+, how does that influence or inspire the stories you tell?
It’s a very different climate now than, say, 20 or 30 years ago. I remember a time when every other “gay” film or story had perpetually suffering characters, and it all seemed so doom and gloom. But now we have people who live openly, and the discussion has become commonplace. I like that a straight person can casually enjoy a series like Heartstopper, just as I can enjoy watching The Wild Bunch on TV without having to explain myself. That was one of the things I loved about writing “Improper Dosage”. It features two gay characters approaching marriage and middle age, who find themselves in a scenario out of Hammer House of Horror or The Twilight Zone. And no matter how scary or outlandish the situation, they still find quality time to wisecrack and bitch at each other as couples do.
Anything in your bio (projects, awards, accolades that may not be in your Coverfly profile) that you would like readers to know about.
I’ve won about 50 awards for filmmaking, writing, and illustration…but have yet to sell a single script. There’s no way I can make a boast, without feeding on ample amounts of humble pie.
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