In 1984, I was a Senior Airman in the USAF stationed at Homestead AFB in Miami, Florida. As a Pharmacy Technician about to end my enlistment and start Pharmacy school at The Ohio State University. I was having second thoughts about my decision to be a pharmacist when a retired Lt. Colonel who was working in the pharmacy as a volunteer told me, “You only have a few chances to completely change directions in your life and follow your dreams.”. He asked me what I liked to do in my spare time, I told him I liked to watch TV and movies. MTV was in its infancy at that time and Miami Vice as a big hit. It was a very exciting time for someone like me that grew up watching the tube.
The retired Lt. Colonel told me he had a book he wanted me to have titled Making Movies with Super 8 mm. It hit me like a ton of bricks and changed my life completely. I picked up my Ohio State curriculum book, flipped a few more pages past the School of Pharmacy section to the School of Photography and Cinema, and I haven't looked back since.
It’s now 2021, over 35 years later. I have had the good fortune of working with many talented industry people across the country, and owned production companies that have been successful on many different levels.
I have worked on feature films, documentaries, commercials, reality TV shows and every type of corporate communication program you can think of. Traveled to every state in the US and numerous countries overseas.
Even though the world of filmmaking has changed since I first read that book over 35 years ago, my fascination and passion for the process never will.