Thank you Twister Alley!

I had a wonderful time at Twister Alley Film Festival this past weekend. It was my second visit to Oklahoma (the first being FLY Film Fest last August) and I hope I'm able to go back there again! It really is a beautiful part of the country. And, thank goodness, despite the festival's name, I didn't see any twisters!

The beautiful Woodward Theatre.

I did see some wonderful films, though, and make a bunch of talented new friends. At this point I've seen a fair number of the films that have been on the festival circuit lately, so it was a nice chance to revisit some favorites as well. The whole festival was a wonderful experience; Josh and everyone in charge were so welcoming and friendly. By the end of a couple days I felt like I'd known everyone for ages. It was hard to leave! Particularly because this will likely be my last festival trip for a while.

I did get a nice surprise on the last night - a Director's Choice Award for Girl Meets Roach! A wonderful way to start wrapping up our festival run.

Director's Choice! Thank you Twister Alley!

Chilly fun in Fargo!

Just back from a wonderful weekend at Fargo Film Festival, which is - as you may have guessed - in Fargo, North Dakota. (You betcha!) Everyone involved with this festival is absolutely lovely, and I had a great time. It certainly didn't hurt that Fargo Theatre is gorgeous! A beautifully restored historic venue, and one of the prettiest we've had the pleasure to screen in.

Perfect venue.

And then of course there was the fact that it SNOWED! As someone who grew up on the East Coast, the lack of snow in LA is always a bit of a disappointment. So I took advantage :)

New besties.

Overall a lovely weekend! Thank you Fargo Film Fest for having me! It was an honor to share Girl Meets Roach with you.

Imbroglio Meets Girl Meets Roach

This was a very exciting weekend for King Fish Productions, because BOTH of our short films screened at the same festival! Imbroglio and Girl Meets Roach were both Official Selections of the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, right here in good old Los Angeles at the Regal Cinemas LA Live. And Imbroglio was even awarded Best Action Short Film!

Since the festival was local, we were lucky enough to have a bunch of our cast and crew in attendance. Here's the Girl Meets Roach gang:

Editor, composer, actress, director, writer/producer/actress, and actor. Oh my!

Both films have screened at a number of festivals by now, but this is the first time we've been able to appear at the same one, so it really felt like something special. Many thanks to HRIFF for making this happen!

Awards update!

Fun news from Copa Shorts Film Fest! While I unfortunately wasn't able to attend this festival in person, I heard today that Girl Meets Roach was awarded Best Comedy by the jury, and was also screened in the Best Of Fest screening block on the final night of the festival.

As you can see we're pretty happy about it!

We wish we could have been there! Thank you Copa Shorts! We are honored, and so glad you enjoyed our film.

A Dam Good Time (sorry)

I had a blast at the Dam Short Film Festival in Boulder City, NV, this past weekend. What a great fest! The organizers were so lovely and thoughtful, and really took care of the visiting filmmakers. Fun parties, friendly and talented people, and a ton of quality films. I even had the chance to meet a filmmaker whose film I first saw, and loved, last September at Sydney Indie - and wouldn't you know, he lives in LA. One of the best parts about attending festivals close(ish) to Los Angeles is that a lot of the other filmmakers are LA-based, too, which makes future collaborations very possible.

Thank you DSFF for an awesome time!

...I  also took a small La La Land-related detour. When in Boulder City, right?

Just casually waiting for Ryan Gosling.

NewFilmmakers NY / Happy Holidays

Girl Meets Roach had a great screening at NewFilmmakers NY this week, part of a holiday-themed evening of short films. It was a real honor to screen at Anthology Film Archive in Manhattan. The building is so beautiful, and has so much history. And for me it was especially fun because screening in New York meant that a bunch of my family members were able to attend. It was the perfect way to close out 2017. More festivals coming up early in the new year!

Happy Holidays to everyone, and best wishes for a healthy and productive 2018.

Happy Halloween!

One of my favorite times of the year - when I pick a character (usually a young female character) from a movie or TV show and recreate the costume - in detail - to the best of my ability. I usually go for more obscure choices (or at least something from more than ten years ago) but this year I gave into the current Stranger Things obsession and went full-on Eleven. Not bad, eh?

That is not a wig. That is my hair.

Farewell GSFF!

We had a really nice time at the Garden State Film Festival this past weekend. Christopher and I were beyond thrilled to have so many members of our family there to support us - our parents, our brother, a bunch of aunts and uncles and cousins. Our screening was in a beautiful event space at the Resorts Casino Hotel, and watching Girl Meets Roach with an audience was even more fun this time, since I'd gotten over the first-screening nerves.

A bunch of different groups of people approached us after the screening, to tell us how much they loved the film and how it made them laugh - one girl said it actually made her cry! And over the course of the weekend, other audience members who recognized me (a perk of being the lead in your own movie, I suppose) kept introducing themselves and saying how much they enjoyed Girl Meets Roach. Between that and the dance parties each night, it was a really fun time.

The best part of the weekend, though, was getting to share it with my family. The hardest part about living out in LA is being so far away from most of them. It's always a good time when we get to spend time together!

The Siblings Zatta

After SLOIFF

We got back from San Luis Obispo a few days ago, but I'm still smiling about what a great time I had. San Luis Obispo International Film Festival was the World Premiere of Girl Meets Roach, and I'm pretty sure having this as our first festival experience has spoiled me a bit - it's certainly set the bar high! From the personal festival concierge, to the amazing swag bag filled with local goodies, to the filmmaker tent with social gatherings every night, Wendy and Nancy and the rest of the team at SLOIFF went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed. I was a little nervous to head up to the Festival by myself on Wednesday (the rest of the Girl Meets Roach group couldn't join me until the weekend), but from the moment my train pulled into the local station and my concierge Amy was waiting to meet me, I knew I was in good hands. The first people I met at festival headquarters quickly turned into awesome new friends, and from there, my days were filled with excellent films and excellent people. (And excellent wine!)

Obligatory selfie with my badge.

Our two screenings for Girl Meets Roach were so much fun - it's hard to describe the feeling of watching the film with an audience for the first time, but it was a mix of elation and terror. The audiences really seemed to enjoy the film, though! They laughed in all the right places and asked some great questions during the Q&A sessions. One audience member came up to me afterward and told me the film was "painfully relatable" - which is pretty much exactly what I was going for, so I'll call that a success!

In addition to attending our own screenings, I had the chance to see a bunch of other wonderful films over the course of the Festival, including a large selection of powerful and fascinating documentaries, all of which completely blew me away. Getting the chance to talk to the people who made these films only enhanced the experience. It was fantastic to meet so many talented, friendly filmmakers and film lovers. SLOIFF is certainly an experience I will cherish, and I can't wait to go back!

Thank you SLOIFF!

Headshot time again...

New year, new headshots! Last month I had a very fun shoot with Tandem Photo and Reel, and the results are in. Working with Allison was a great experience. The shoot was quick and enjoyable - and very reasonably priced. I highly recommend Tandem to anyone in the LA area who is looking to get new headshots.

Head on over to my headshot gallery to check out all the pics!

Coming soon!

Lots of things in the works at the moment, most of which aren't ready to write about, but here's a little taste of something that's on the way...

Summer break!

Our pick-up day for Imbroglio is done, and we're officially heading into post-production. Woohoo! But first, it's time for me to take a much-needed vacation - a trip to Texas for a wedding, and then to New Jersey for some fun in the sun.

I'll be back soon with more shenanigans to write about, but to tide you over, here are a few more photos from the set of Imbroglio...

In between takes. 

Kiralee & Robert, two of the sweetest actors ever...despite appearances here.

The (nearly) full cast and crew of Imbroglio!

And last but not least, here's one of me and our wonderful lead actress...

Just a normal afternoon.

Imbroglio: Tales from the Set

Hello from the other side! Our initial week of production on Imbroglio is complete. One rehearsal day and five shooting days later, we are very nearly done. And what a week it was!

Our location was a run-down old house, near Downtown LA, owned by a very friendly gentleman we met while working on a previous production. He's redoing the entire property later this summer, so we were allowed to use the whole house and the back lot however we needed to - graffiti, holes in the walls, blood splatter, you name it! It was ideal for our purposes.

The back lot was perfect for filming - if a bit sunny.

Our cast, led by the wonderful Zoë Bell, was professional, kind, and amazingly talented. I could not be happier about the actors we chose, and they all worked so well with Christopher.

Director Christopher gives notes to our lead actress Zoë.

As producer,  my days were filled with paperwork, phone calls, emails, and coffee - lots and lots of coffee. I spent most of my time in our production office, which was at the front of the house, but I managed to sneak out to set now and then to catch the most action-packed scenes. Between our Stunt Coordinators, Weapons Master, FX team, and extremely capable group of actors, we were able to create some fantastic action sequences.

Our Stunt Coordinator Tim and part of our amazing cast!

Of course, as with any production, there were some bumps along the road - but that's all part of the experience! Nothing that couldn't be overcome with a positive attitude and some quick thinking - and did I mention the coffee? Our entire crew was great, but I'd like to particularly mention the awesomeness that was our female-driven production team. I am both so proud of and so inspired by those amazing ladies.

Amy and Zhandra, our beyond-amazing PA and 2nd AD.

We have one final day of shooting scheduled for later this month - there's just a little more to film, and then Imbroglio will be complete! To be continued...

That's a wrap!

Well, we did it! That is, we officially completed production on Girl Meets Roach. We wrapped on Sunday night after a second long, but super-fun, weekend of shooting. I can't wait to see how it all comes together! Next stop for the footage is our editor, my supremely talented friend Kylie. There's still plenty to do, but for now, we celebrate!

The final slate! Me and Christopher (director/brother extraordinaire).

A glimpse behind the scenes!

Here are some fun behind-the-scenes shots from the filming of Girl Meets Roach. Most were taken by our wonderful PA, Caitlin, wielding my prized camera. Enjoy!

A dirty-haired moment between takes.

Dennis (playing Matt) takes a selfie in his new favorite costume.

Getting some notes from the director!

DP Ryan snacks during the bath scene. Totally normal behavior.

The Sham Film Fest poster is here!

Here's a fun thing to look at on this way-too-hot (in Los Angeles, at least) Friday! The official poster for the 2nd Annual Sham Film Festival is up, and guess who is featured on it? If you guessed "the fabulous ladies of Amnesia Bachelor", you'd be right! (If you guessed "some neat-looking puppets" or "a few people covered in blood", you'd also be right, just slightly off-topic.) Thank you, Shammers, for including us! We are tickled pink. Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Look, Ma, we're on a poster!

Short Film Friday - LAST DANCE

Had a really fun day at Remmet Studios on the set of a short film called Last Dance, in which I play a nurse engaging in some questionable workplace behavior. It's a funny scene in a very action-packed and well-written story, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out! The crew seemed to enjoy it - our writer/director Josh told us afterward that people were biting their arms to keep from laughing during the takes. And to make things even better, the costume designer, Lauren, is a fellow Georgetown theater lady. Hoya Saxa!

Here's a photo from set of me and my delightful scene partner Steve (aka Dr Francis).

Just your average hard-working medical professionals.

New headshots are up!

As promised, the new headshots from my recent shoot have arrived. Head over to my headshot gallery to check them out. Here's a sneak peek:

Thanks again to Emily for an amazing shoot!

New headshots coming soon!

Hey guys! I recently had a fantastic headshot session with the brilliant Emily of Emily Lambert Photography. She's based in Brooklyn but was in LA for a week and I was lucky enough to snag an appointment. So check back in soon for some new pics!

Behind The Scenes: Secret Bachelor Spoof

Exciting things afoot! Recently I wrote, produced, and acted in a parody teaser promo for...well, I don't want to give away the title just yet, but let's just say it's a spin-off of The Bachelor that takes the premise of the show to the next level.

Intrigued??

A great group of people volunteered to help out with the video - including the fabulous directing team of Kylie and Eric at K+E Productions, and a bunch of hilarious and talented actors (some of whom you may recognize from At The Maple Grove!).

The video is still in post-production, but I'll be sure to post it here as soon as it's done. To wet your whistle, here are a couple of photos from the shoot:

The oh-so-necessary "group date".

One of our directors in a very serious moment.