I am extremely excited to announce that I was nominated for Best Actor at the Cannes Film Awards for my performance in "The Chat". With the film being such a personal piece I am beyond grateful for the recognition. Shouts to the Jury, Emmy, Jeff, Timmy, and of course Kristen
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I am really excited about this one! The short film “The Chat” that I wrote and directed has been selected to premiere at the prestigious DANCES WITH FILMS FESTIVAL! It will be screening at the Regal Union Square! The film is the most personal piece of art that I have made and I am extremely proud of the final product. I can't wait for everyone to see it (also a little nervous)
The secret project we have been working on for years finally finished its edit and was sent off to festivals. I was floored to find out the audience voted it Best Feature at the LA Comedy Film Festival. Along with Anthony Giordano I wrote and directed the film and we each play three characters...
Here is the story behind the film- Working in comedy, theater, and film in NYC comes with a constant struggle to stay afloat. As actors, the struggle of life in the greatest city in the world and the constant rejection of your work is offset by a booked job, the electric feeling of performance, and the spark in your soul that reminds you of what you were placed on this earth to do. “A parody of the entertainment business that we all work in and love…and sometimes hate” is how we pitched our cast. We have produced live comedy shows and plays in NYC for years. We have written and directed comedy sketches and short films. We are writers, producers, directors, and actors. This is a parody of our journey and the people we have met as seen through the lens of a Broadway show. We wanted to show you the life of the artist in a heightened comedic manner rather than that of the beaten-down trope of the sad clown. We wanted the audience to peek behind the curtain and catch a glimpse of the reality of the absurd world we dwell in. Before a live show in the flatiron district, we sat in the green room and talked about our auditions and recent work with the other cast members. Two of the characters in the film were performed live on stage that night. This is when we decided to embark on the journey of creating a movie that shows the struggles it takes to put on a show and survive as an actor. Katie Hutch, who plays Lincoln, was envisioned as our lead from the inception. We wanted her to be the wide-eyed actor who loves her art and is thrown into the machine that is show business. Her optimism in life and talent on stage was the perfect blend for our lead With an outline and some scenes, we began filming in 2019. We had no budget and a small cast of actors that we knew from the underground comedy scene. The core characters would improvise lines off of the script and we re-wrote on the fly. As the film got bigger we brought on a cast of talented theater actors, some of whom had never been in front of a camera before. The characters, dialogue, and songs were written specifically for the actors after they had been cast. Through connections, we met at film festivals and live shows, we were able to obtain locations and we filmed a few days a month with breaks to write while we continued to perform live… …And then Covid hit. Although it kept us sane by giving us the opportunity to go over all of the material with a fine-toothed comb, edit, and add scenes we weren’t sure we would be able to finish the film or if our industry would ever come back. What started out as a love letter to the crazy business we worked in turned into something different. Some of the actors were forced to relocate, and some were immunocompromised and weren’t sure when or if they would ever be able to perform again. The locations we shot at closed forever. The rehearsal spaces we used for auditions and run-throughs in the film were the same ones we used in real life. They were gone and would never be back. The renowned comedy theater we had that first conversation in was closed forever. What began as a parody of our chosen life became a fight to make sure a love letter to the city and performing arts rose from the ashes of the pandemic. Pretty heavy stuff for a comedy film right? That spark in our soul became a raging fire and with help from new connections we made that had the same mindset, we were able to film several new scenes including the climax at a theater that survived. For everyone involved, this film became much more than a work of comedic art. It became a sign that the entertainment biz would be back to normal even if we had to bring it back ourselves. We are so grateful for the talented crew, actors, comedians, and theater folk who helped us along the way and we are proud of the film we have all made together as a community of artists. The short film I wrote and directed for The Daftas in jolly ol' London picked up a few awards. I was given the film "Elvis" to write and shoot a parody in 2 days. With Anthony Giordano cast as Elvis, Erin Richardson cast as Priscilla, and myself as Colonel Tom Hanks it was an ambitious shoot. With the help of some AI tools, green screen, and one location in Brooklyn we pulled it off. Kristen did an amazing job on the costumes and props and she won Best Costume design! Thank you to the jury and audience across the pond
The Super Crazy Funtime Show closed out 2022 at it's new home, Caveat. Finishing up with the 40th Show Special, The Halloween Show, and The Holiday Spectacular the show will be on hiatus until March. The packed out audiences were amazing and the venue is the perfect space for the show mixing it's Rat Pack/Speakeasy vibe with a great stage and atmosphere for the audience. Thanks to everyone who came out and all the talented performers who joined us this year.
Daytrip Massacre continues it's amazing run in the festival circuit! I was nominated for Best Actor at the Killer Valley Horror Film Festival, the film won Best Horror Comedy at The prestigious Hollywood Comedy Shorts Film Festival, and we won best Dark/Horror comedy at Atlanta's All The Laughs Comedy Awards
I booked the role of a New Yorker by way of Ireland, Gerry, in the feature film "The Claddagh" directed by Brendan Lee. The film is a beautiful story about family, love, and the borough of Queens. I had an amazing time on set and a decent time sitting in makeup for 1 1/2 hours every morning to add 30 years to my age. This one was a blast. Cannot wait for folks to see it!
I was awarded best actor at The Daftas in London for the short parody film "Behind The House Of Gucci" that I also wrote and directed. I was totally blown away. In the film I play Jared Leto playing Paolo Gucci ( just a dude playing a dude disguised as another dude) and I also played Ridley Scott. The film took home best poster design as well. Much love to the Daftas and to everyone who helped bring this idea to life.
I booked a role playing a DA Investigator on episode 16 (Guilt) of Blue Bloods. Had a great time with an amazing cast and crew
Extremely excited to get word that "Daytrip Massacre" took home the award for best cast of the festival and the audience voted it Best film along with "Work It Class!" - Dir. by Pol Diggler (Spain).
The short horror comedy "Daytrip Massacre" opened to a sellout crowd at The Coney Island Film Festival. The crowd was amazing and the lineup of films was phenomenal. It was great to meet and chop it up with fellow filmmakers and artists in the craziest setting for a fest.
Anthony Giordano, Jason Messina, and I won "Best Comedic Horror Short" of 2021 at the Tabloid Witch Awards for the film!! #Nomadlife is a short parody of the Academy Award Winning film "Nomadland". It shows the reality of American life on the road clashing with the false version that permeates social media.
I was accepted in to The Daftas, a parody film competition from across the pond. All the directors logged into Zoom and they spun a wheel of chance, I received Nomadland as the film to parody. Yikes. Write and shoot in two days. Double Yikes. With an amazing cast of friends and my brother Timmy on cinematography we completed the task and pushed through all the obstacles thrown at us. The film was shortlisted and played at a screening in London. It is currently making the rounds in the Battle Of The Sketches after being accepted. #Nomadlife was also an official selection of The Indie Shorts Magazine Short Film Festival an won The Silver award for Short Comedy at The Virgin Spring Cinefest IMDB- #NOMADLIFE So excited to hear #TheTelethonShow TV pilot from Cool Kid Comedy is headed to Series Fest. I had a blast playing Sandy, a washed up old Jerry Lewis type tv host, and I only needed around 20 takes to get the singing correct! A huge Thank you for bringing me on board and trusting me with this role to creators Cian Smith, Bennet, Chris, and Greg Mills
The first official Off Broadway show to open after this wretched year. Kick back, relax, turn your brain off & join us 4 a few laughs! I am beyond excited to return to the stage with the Super Crazy Fam. NY1 said you should come and usher in the re-opening of NYC!
Matt Levy wrote a great profile about Super Crazy Funtime, our process, and how we came about. Check it out here: Super Crazy Funtime
I booked the off broadway show "With a Little Help...It's John Belushi"!!!! I am absolutely freakin' thrilled to join this cast. The show tells the story of John's rise and it includes so many of the people who I grew up watching with my family and friends. The cast of Second City, National Lampoon, and SNL. I get to play the role of Steve Beshekas (John's best friend) in Act I and Brian Doyle Murray (The guy who wrote Caddyshack and is in a million movies that I love) in Act II. The show is accompanied by a live blues band that brings a great vibe and amazing music to the show. Jack Zullo embodies Belushi on stage and the amazing ensemble cast fills out the world I get to be a part of.
TIX: https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/1014040 Use the code FOTS25 to get half priced tickets. Playing December 5th-22nd at the historic Theatre 80 on St. Mark's in the village. The film "Karen" won best Horror at The Long Island International Film Expo. I play the role of Rob the A-Hole from high school who is still an A-Hole. You know that guy. Joy Shatz plays the titular role of Karen a bullied woman at her wits end. Thanks to Rebel Lens Films for casting me and putting together a great team and an excellent film.
Funny Or Die, Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's massive comedy site, featured our parody of "A Star is Born" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" on their front page! What did they say? "IT. IS. GLORIOUS"
So happy and proud that more people will get to see this and beyond excited that FOD called it "The greatest music biopic in a generation" Click here to see the post and vid. "Snuffalafaghost: Hip Hop's First Stylist" my short comedic mockumentary film that was born from my love of hip hop is playing at the world famous Alamo Drafthouse in Austin Texas at Battle Of The Sketches Show Time: November 28th 7:30PM to 10PM Location: Alamo Drafthouse Muller 1911 Aldrich St #120, Austin, TX 78723 Theater #1 #battleofthesketches #BOTS Ticket Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/battle-of-the-sketches-tickets-49182855244?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=escb&utm-source=cp&utm-term=listing |
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