Producer, AD/UPM

What was your first job on a set...?

I met a Producer in my senior year at USC and he wanted to mentor me into producing, so he hired me as a PA on the Movie of the Week, Goldie and the Boxer for Columbia Television.  One of the first things I learned was that my film education did not cover everything.  With the right attitude as a newcomer, I was able to get everyone on the crew to offer their two cents in explaining what they were doing and how it related to the film. I heard some great personal stories that I would later discover for myself were true for many of us. 

As a PA I did the usual get this and more of that and throw this someplace asked of me, but most importantly, I watched and learned and asked questions when I could.  Just having the opportunity to experience the workings of a real set, paid off later in my senior year, when I produced my senior film with a Panavision camera and HMI lights.  This job was my first introduction to a very important fact that would stay with me forever, I learned how important it is to respect and treat the crew well.  They are the foundation and backbone of every production. It was a tremendous experience supported by the fact that I was open to learning more which I still am to this day. 

What other jobs have you done on film...?

Knowing that I wanted to eventually produce film and Television, I needed to learn as much as possible about all of the different aspects involved in a production.  I initially worked as a PA for Columbia Television and Warner Bros. who at the time were at The Burbank Studios. I was able to continue learning something new on each production, while at the same time, purposely worked closely with the 1^st and 2^nd Assistant Directors to learn their important responsibilities in production.  After working on many series, careful now I am about to date myself, Hart to Hart, T. J. Hooker, Fantasy Island, The Waltons, and many Movies of the Weeks, it was suggested I apply for the assistant directors training program. 

Prior to joining the Directors Guild of America Training Program, I was given the opportunity to assist as a 24 frame Video/Computer Coordinator for the playback of images.  I liked the technical part of this work, but soon discovered how I could work in the creative part by moving up to a Coordinator and designing the material for playback that was not simply a person talking on a monitor.  This work fascinated me both technically and creatively with how much I could do in support of the set design and the story. I had enough experience in doing this work, that I started my own company and did the work on shows like, Stephen J. Cannell's Riptide, The A-team, and Stingray.  I had the pleasure to work on Sam Peckinpah's last film, Osterman Weekend, as well as all of the Enterprises monitors on Star Trek II, The Wrath of Kahn. 

I worked mainly for the studios and major independents on film and television, and as we know today the use of playback has improved greatly and gone beyond what could be done earlier.  Those were the only two positions I worked in before becoming a Trainee and eventually an assistant director and Unit Production Manager. I am grateful to the fact that I became an assistant director and had the chance to work on mainly studio features like, Die Hard 2, Two Jakes, Lethal Weapon, In the Line of Fire, to name a few, and television like, Sabrina The Teenage Witch, Louis & Clark, Gabriel's Fire, LA Law, Hooperman, and I Dream of Jeannie, the movie.  It was an invaluable experience that to this day I will always be thankful that I followed my mentor's guidance.

Who was your mentor...?  How did you find your mentor?

I met my mentor at Columbia Television while still a senior at USC. I was visiting the office of the Arizona Film Commission when I noticed the director was handling Arizona Highway Calendars and sending them to people in the film business.  I happen to catch that one of the envelopes was addressed to a producer at Columbia Television, so I asked the director if I could deliver it to him.  He would check and called the Producers office to be given permission for me to deliver it.  I went to the studio being very nervous for the fact that it was my first time on a studio lot as well as meeting a producer.  I delivered the calendar, but had called ahead to ask if I could also meet with the producer and he agreed.  I met him and soon discovered that he went to SC as well, but more importantly, he liked what I had done and wanted to help. I followed the lead and advice of my mentor, Hugh Benson, of the Columbia Television studio, to learn all the aspects of production and utilize them to make myself a knowledgeable producer of making a film or Television show.  Hugh's guidance was for me to become an assistant director which is a valuable position in production and a way to utilize the workings of a production, such as scheduling, budgeting, cast, call sheets etc.  The rest is history.

What's your most recent project ...?

I am currently preparing to go into production this year on a thriller, Dead Easy, and I am at the stage where I have just found the right director and will be packaging the film with recognizable actors he has already worked with.  I have the main crew members already interested as well.  The most important aspect, financing is coming into place through an equity contact in another country.  I plan on making this film as an independent, but I am not foolish enough to not try and get the interest of a distributor as we cast and go into production.  I am hoping to stay in LA, if I can get the incentives attached.  If not, the film takes place mainly in a marina, a mansion and a sheriff's station, so I am already in contact with 6 other states that have the locations and a better incentive program.

What's your next project...?

Next is hard word to attach to an independent production company, so I will answer by saying that I have planned, depending on when the thriller feature shoots and must be delivered, to do another feature, a drama, called Escaping The Game, which is already written, has a director attached, and is looking or financing.  There is a slight chance that this film may go before the thriller, depending on the availability of the cast of both films.  I am currently pitching 3 Reality shows to the network and cable that I developed with partners.  I continue to work on several other features that I found and wanted to improve, or should I say, "make them more commercial."  I work well with writers in re-developing a story to improve on it and the way the story is told. I am a development producer as well, so I pride myself on being capable of improving a good story to be better. 

I have developed a television Comedy called, Mixed Nutz that I am pitching as well. I will soon add a Variety show that I developed with two comedians to the list of what I am currently pitching.  I continue to work with the writers on two other features, Sparkle Serena, a drama, and Tarry McBride, a drama, that should be completed in the next few months. Even as I write this for ReelGrok, I have been attached to another feature, a romantic comedy, for a minor story development rewrite.  In closing for this question, I wanted to add that I never have too much work or too much on my plate, since all of these projects I am involved with were picked by me to be produced by my company.  I only attach myself and my company to projects that I am passionate about and want to place my name on proudly. I continue to have pride in saying that I am an independent filmmaker.

What was the worst thing that ever happened on a movie...?

There are two answers to this question only because one has to do with a producer being responsible for everything on the set, and the other is a personal note.  In the first, I learned mainly as an assistant director, that when a mistake happens or something goes wrong on a set, you want to focus solely on resolving the problem and keeping production moving ahead.  It does more harm then good to the friendly, "family" feeling of the crew and how the set works, to be pointing fingers and trying to figure out who is to blame.  Sure, once I know what the problem was and who or whom may have been responsible, I will still talk with them in a calm nice manner, simply to find out what happened, and know that it was not intentional and will not happen again. 

As a Producer, I am a strong believer in first taking the blame myself if it means production won't be slowed down that much or not at all.  I truly believe that one of the most important objectives I have as a Producer, is to show the crew that I sincerely appreciate their hard work and that I respect them all for what they are doing. One of the first and very important ways of showing this to the crew is to make sure they have a really good craft service table and an excellent caterer. There will never be an empty crafts service table or not enough of something and especially no crew member who can't find what they want at the table.  I will admit as part of the production section of this answer, I should include that the worst thing that ever happened to me on a movie was when we were at a location, with our base camp at the studio, and when the director called for one of the actors in the scene to be on the set, I was the one to blame for forgetting to bring him from the studio to the set. 

In the second, personal part of this answer, I was working on The Man With One Red Shoe, ad while riding on the camera car for a shot of Jim Belushi riding a bike, the generator that I was sitting on, suddenly blew up and threw me off the moving truck.  I suffered a very severe concussion and was out of commission for several years.  It is the only personal injury I have suffered, but I attribute my love and desire of this business for why I was able to return at all.

Any regrets that you became a filmmaker?

None, absolutely none.  As a high school senior, I was taking a still photography class and soon discovered that this teacher included as part of the class, the making of a super 8mm film, OK I dated myself again.  I tried it, really enjoyed it so much that it was the important factor that made me major in film at college.  That and the fact that my short film won the State Film Festival for best drama that year.  I continue to truly love what I do everyday and would not want to do anything else.  Sure, there are hard times for all of us as independents, but it is my love for my work that allows me to concentrate more on the positive factors of what I do. 

I have decorated my office to be like a second home, and I spend more time in it than I do in my home.  If I had to include a regret, since that seems to be the subject of this question, then I will add that maybe I could not have decided to be on my own, but instead decided to have gone to work for a larger, established company in film that would have opened the door for me to become part of the "studio system."   I can still partner up with a company like that, but it wasn't until I read this question, that this thought re-entered my mind.  I have not and do not dwell on this at all.  I made my choice and I am happy with it.  Everyday is a step forward, and you let the parts that you may not want to remember, fall behind you never to be seen again.