Back in 1992 when I returned home from Operation Desert Storm with my head full of dreams and nightmares, I moved forward with my plan to attend either NYU or the American Film Institute in Los Angeles for screenwriting. Both schools turned me down, but as I was pointed towards LA, I literally went "West, young man!".
After ten years of working as a background actor, commercial actor, auditioning up the yin-yang, I finally penned my first endeavor as a writer....a Reality TV pilot. LA is a cruel mistress, and my idea was stolen by a major distribution company, but I Marine'd on (nah, not soldiered on!). My next endeavor was the award winning "A Week with My Father" a reality TV pilot where I reunited with my father. Hoping to create more reunions, my partners and I pushed forward. Um...what was that I said about LA being a cruel mistress? We lost our contract with Red Arrow Entertainment, putting me back into the background world, until finally leaving LA after 20 solid years.
I'm now on my 3rd screenplay, and pitching several producers through Stage 32. Until my fingers fall off, or Kingdom Come, I'm a writer all over again. My first love.
Check me out here, my production company "Newberry Filmwerks", or my soon to be podcast "40-4 Fathers" on YouTube.
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Hi, Giacomo Knox. I hope you're doing great. Thank you for your service.
Sorry they stole your idea and you two lost the contract. It's inspiring that you overcame those setbacks and you're still pushing toward your goals!
My first love in art was drawing, and my first love in the film business was screenwriting.
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That is awesome! I think that most people wish they could draw, and I'm one of them. I've been using Ai to build my YouTube channel, but it's pretty obvious that the pictures have no soul.
Best of blessings!
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Hello Giacomo Knox! I was lucky enough to own a camcorder when I was a kid, so my first love was going out into the backyard and shooting little movies. My late mother used to say that she liked watching our movies but she loved watching us watch them even more.
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Nick, that is something that Francis Ford Coppolla said many years ago. That thanks to camcorders, even a little fat girl in the midwest can be a filmmaker. I was blessed to be directed by him in The Rainmaker...gah, I was awful! More on that later.
I literally started my production company with the idea of shooting exclusively on iPhone, and using my MacBook for post-production. That environment is SO production friendly; I don't see how we got along without it for 100+ years of Hollywood.
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Absolutely Giacomo Knox, loved his comment that you mentioned, it's the last scene of the amazing Hearts of Darkness doc! He's very prescient in that moment!
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Love the hustle!
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Nick, I totally forgot that was mentioned in the Doc! I've only seen it once, and my takeaway was how the Philippines military was too busy fighting rebels to keep Coppolla's helicopters on set long enough to finish scenes. And of course Martin Sheen having a heart attack! It's a good thing that the end product Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest films ever made!
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That's one hell of an IY post, Giacomo Knox. Fantastic to have you and your energy here. Thank you for your service.
And I'll second HEARTS OF DARKNESS. Watch it every few years.