In March I wrote a post entitled “Follow the white rabbit – find your voice”, and looking back on 2011 it marked a turning point for me where I really just… let go.
You know the scene in Eat, Pray, Love where Julia Roberts character sits with her lawyer across the table from the poor man who committed his entire life to her, now faced with a divorce he doesn’t want, for no actual rational reason apart from her unhappiness?
That man was me. We married young, had a child young, and then my wife decided to finally discover herself, to realize what she wanted out of her life… and what she didn’t want any longer.
So that was the end of 4 years of a marriage and a life that I thought would last a lifetime.
As you can imagine, I didn’t have much to hold on to. It was a sink or swim moment.
What I held on to was the only thing I knew I wanted more than anything else, the only thing that makes me feel fulfilled and happy… making movies.
I let go and followed instinct, gut feel. I began to creak open any door left ajar and push forward step by step towards my own goals, my own dream.
Now I’m at the closing end of this rollercoaster year and looking back, it’s been a insane ride. It’s also been the most productive year yet in my growing career in this business. I’ve produced two short films so far, a psychological thriller ‘INSIDE’, and a period murder mystery ‘Murder at the Manor’, which is also a five part web series.
Murder at the Manor opened the door that has led me to Dubai to work with my friend Jac Mulder and his company Muddville. Before the year is out I’ll have produced a third short film, one of Jac’s films which is shooting Nov 28th.
So what’s next?
For a start, it seems I’ll be in Dubai working with Jac for the next few years, he’s got plenty of films up his sleeve that we intend to get financed and produced. I’ve got my major short film ‘The Investigator’ still actively in pre-production, scheduled to shoot Sept/Oct 2012, and a full length feature ‘Flame’ that will move into full swing pre-production in early 2012.
I also want to get my other screenplays written and/or finished… ‘Plague’ (action/sci-fi), ‘The Libertarian’ (action/sci-fi), ‘The Right Stuff’ (historical drama), ‘Orange Sunshine’ (surf, sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll… my longest running project), ‘The Beach House’ (a thriller I am very excited about), and ‘Bonneville’ (a period hot rod film… lots of fun). There are a couple others hiding in the shadows too.
So that’s where I’m headed, one day at a time, one film at a time.
I want to thank you all for joining me on this ride!
