Rex Sikes' Movie BeatApr 20, 2011
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Rex Sikes Movie Beat talks with writer/producer Fred Fox JrFred Fox Jr, writer/producer wrote spec script for All In The Family with friend Gary Shandling. New Year’s Eve 1975 Fred got a call from Cindy Williams saying she was going to be on a new show, Laverne and Shirley. She asked if he wanted to be her gopher and an apprentice writer. Fred met Garry Marshall and was offered the job that started his lucky run in the sitcom world. He spent a year on Laverne and Shirley, seven on Happy Days as a writer/producer and co-show runner with Brian Levant the last two seasons. Fred wrote the infamous Hollywood III episode that ended up starting the “Jump The Shark” phenomenon. The term got into the Oxford Dictionary of English and is still used today. He was on Happy Days when Robin Williams made his sitcom debut in 1978 on the Mork From Ork episode where at the run through blew everyone away. Guest actors aren’t supposed to adlib but Robin did and lef everyone incredulous. That appearance and one other led to the hit series Mork and Mindy and his incredible career. After Happy Days, Fred wrote and produced for Webster, It’s Your Move, He’s The Mayor and The New Leave It To Beaver. It 1988 he co-created My Secret Identity with Brian Levant, a half hour comedy/action, starring Jerry O’Connell and Derek McGrath, which won an International Emmy for Outstanding Program For Children and Young Adults. In 1990 he joined the hit show Family Matters as a writer/co-executive producer for eight seasons. Fred has acted and written songs for television He has also scripted films, doing a rewrite on The Flintstones, directed by Brian Levant and has cowrote with Dave Duclon, Gary Menteer and Steve Langford Too Good To Be True for Ned Tanen. Ned produced The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and as President of Universal greenlit American Grafitti. He stays busy with speaking engagements and working on television and film projects.May 26, 202001:59:59Rex Sikes Movie Beat talks with writer/producer Fred FoxFred Fox Jr, writer/producer wrote spec script for All In The Family with friend Gary Shandling. New Year’s Eve 1975 Fred got a call from Cindy Williams saying she was going to be on a new show, Laverne and Shirley. She asked if he wanted to be her gopher and an apprentice writer. Fred met Garry Marshall and was offered the job that started his lucky run in the sitcom world. He spent a year on Laverne and Shirley, seven on Happy Days as a writer/producer and co-show runner with Brian Levant the last two seasons. Fred wrote the infamous Hollywood III episode that ended up starting the “Jump The Shark” phenomenon. The term got into the Oxford Dictionary of English and is still used today. He was on Happy Days when Robin Williams made his sitcom debut in 1978 on the Mork From Ork episode where at the run through blew everyone away. Guest actors aren’t supposed to adlib but Robin did and lef everyone incredulous. That appearance and one other led to the hit series Mork and Mindy and his incredible career. After Happy Days, Fred wrote and produced for Webster, It’s Your Move, He’s The Mayor and The New Leave It To Beaver. It 1988 he co-created My Secret Identity with Brian Levant, a half hour comedy/action, starring Jerry O’Connell and Derek McGrath, which won an International Emmy for Outstanding Program For Children and Young Adults. In 1990 he joined the hit show Family Matters as a writer/co-executive producer for eight seasons. Fred has acted and written songs for television He has also scripted films, doing a rewrite on The Flintstones, directed by Brian Levant and has cowrote with Dave Duclon, Gary Menteer and Steve Langford Too Good To Be True for Ned Tanen. Ned produced The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles and as President of Universal greenlit American Grafitti. He stays busy with speaking engagements and working on television and film projects.May 26, 202019:15Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Chats With Christopher Lockhart On Writer's CraftChristopher Lockhart is a Hollywood executive, teacher and producer with over 30 years of industry experience. Chris worked as Story Editor at ICM, the William Morris Agency and WME. Chris worked with legendary talent agent Ed Limato helping to find projects for actors such as Denzel Washington, Mel Gibson, Steve Martin, Richard Gere, Michelle Pfeiffer, Liam Neeson, Claire Danes, Robert Downey Jr.and many others. He's consulted on hundreds of screenplays with studio executives, producers and writers from around the world. He's consulted on THE BIRTH OF A NATION and DREAMLAND starring Gary Oldman. He estimates he's read over 60,000 screenplays. As a producer, Chris set up the noir thriller CROOKED CREEK, and A RHINESTONE ALIBI at Paramount. He produced THE COLLECTOR, and sequel THE COLLECTION which opened in the top 10 U.S. box-office. Chris wrote and produce the award winning documentary MOST VALUABLE PLAYERS which Oprah Winfrey Network acquired. Chris has taught screenwriting at UCLA, LA Valley College, and is an adjunct professor at National University's Screenwriting Program. He lectures at conferences around the world. His article “I Wrote a 120 Page Script but Can’t Write a Logline: The Construction of a Logline” has become the de facto reference on the subject and is used in film schools across the globe. His writing workshop “The Inside Pitch” was televised in Los Angeles and earned him an Emmy nomination. Chris is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, The Writers Guild and The Producers Guild. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more!May 07, 202001:57:57Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats with Director Michael Feifer CALL INMichael Feifer grew up in a show biz family. His father was Head of Television Research for 20th Century Fox in the late 60's and 70's. After graduating college Mike decided to take advantage of the fact that his father was producing independent films. After working on only three projects, at twenty-four Mike produced his first feature. Eventually, Mike began producing films for others and has now produced more than seventy-five feature films. When a director dropped out of a film he was producing, he finally got his shot to direct. The film was called Lethal Eviction and it starred Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter, The Exorcism of Emily Rose) and Judd Nelson (Breakfast Club). His ability to move his crew quickly and make concise decisions on set allow Mike to get an incredible amount of set-ups shot per day. Mike is considered an actor's director because of his innate ability to collaborate with his talent yet lead them. But, he's also considered a producer's director due to his ability to bring in films on budget, on-time, and with amazing production quality. Mike has directed stars such as Val Kilmer, Brittany Murphy, Tom Arnold, Tom Skerritt, Peter Bogdanovich, and many more. He has worked in a producing and assistant-directing capacity with stars such as Al Pacino, Lorraine Bracco, and Danny Glover. Since directing that first feature, Mike has gone on to direct many more films in a wide variety of genres from horror to thriller to drama to comedy. His films are seen regularly on channels such as Lifetime, Hallmark, ION, Uplift TV, and more. His films are sold in every territory throughout the world.May 06, 202001:59:15Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats with Director David WinningDirector David Winning enjoys 38 features, 29 series, and over 150 TV credits. Known for Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda, MGM’s Stargate: Atlantis, ABC’s Dinotopia and HBO's Exception to The Rule, starring Kim Cattrall, Sean Young and Eric McCormack. He's a proven and prolific film and TV director in virtually all genres. He began making movies at the age of ten. He made his first short Sequence at 18, which he became 1st feature film STORM in 1983. At 27, he directed on Friday the 13th: The Series for Paramount; for this TV debut he received 3 Canadian Emmy Award nominations. His 2nd feature Killer Image followed in 1992 starring Michael Ironside and M. Emmet Walsh. The next 3 decades he directed more movies and TV, over twenty-five series from kid’s shows to westerns to sci-fi. M. Night Shyamalan cited Winning’s episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark: The Tale of the Dream Girl, as inspiration for The Sixth Sense. His episodic work's received international awards including 24 1st places at the Houston Film Festival, a Gold Hugo and 2 Silver Hugos in Chicago, 4 national Gemini Screen Award nominations for Best Director/Dramatic Series. He's received over 80 international awards. In 2002 he received a National award from the DGA for outstanding achievement in TV drama. 90’s saw him arriving in LA, to directe the hit sequel TURBO: A POWER RANGERS MOVIE the 4th highest selling DVD that summer. He’s directed many stars including: Ryan Gosling, Patrick Duffy, Peter Strauss, William Devane, Markie Post, Lance Henriksen, Frederic Forrest, Jason Connery, Carl Weathers, Margot Kidder, Michael Sarrazin, Bruce Boxleitner, Martin Mull, Kevin Sorbo, Robert Englund and Bruce Dern. He helmed six episodes SYFY's NETFLIX hit vampire series VAN HELSING, including the 3rd Season Finale and opening the 4th season 2020.Apr 30, 202001:54:01Rex Sikes Movie Beat Chats with Director Todd Robinson 'The Last Full Measure'Writer/Director Todd Robinson — Before working with a cadre of major talent alongside the likes of Ridley Scott, Sydney Pollack, Shakar Kapur, Jan DeBont, Michael Bay and others, Robinson was trained as an actor which has informed his considerable work in film and television. Robinson’s films often explore the boundaries of the human condition set against the action of large-scale theatrical backdrops as is evidenced by his cold war submarine thriller “Phantom” starring Ed Harris, David Duchovny and William Fichtner, and the Ridley Scott sea faring epic, “White Squall”. Known as an actor’s director, Robinson’s next film is “The Last Full Measure” about Medal of Honor recipient AFC William Hart Pitsenbarger. This film stars Sebastain Stan, Allison Sudol, Jeremy Irvine, Christopher Plummer, Samuel L. Jackson, William Hurt, Ed Harris, Peter Fonda, John Savage, Amy Madigan, Diane Ladd, Bradly Whitford, Linus Roache, Ser Darius Blain, James Jagger, Cody Walker, Zack Roerig and LisaGay Hamilton. It opened nationwide on Jan. 17th, 2020. Robinson wrote and directed the noir thriller “Lonely Hearts” starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Salma Hayek, Jared Leto and Laura Dern. Robinson wrote and produced “White Squall”, working closely with director Ridley Scott. The film stars Jeff Bridges, Ryan Phillippe, Jeremy Sisto, and Scott Wolf. He wrote “The Four Diamonds” for Disney, directed by Peter Werner, “Mermaid” helmed by Peter Masterson and was a contributing writer on Bad Boys II directed by Michael Bay. Robinson wrote and directed “The Legend of Billy the Kid” for the Disney Channel, winning a Primetime EMMY. He has numerous television series credits.Apr 17, 202001:59:54Rex Sikes Movie Beat Talks Post Production Process With Jeff OlmProducer, Director, and Finisher Jeff Olm started in the business as a cameraman and editor for Green Bay, WI television stations. He moved to Hollywood to work as Flame/VFX artist on movies like Fifth Element, Titanic, Die Hard, Zodiac, Spider-Man, and Armageddon. He was working as a colorist for Dreamworks where he graded Madagascar 3, Puss in the Boots, How to Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda. Jeff is always willing to experiment and master new technologies. He was one of the first people to grade stereoscopic 3D or 360 VR. He' s also one of the first to take the process of dailies to the next level while working on movies like Revenant. He developed Virtual Machines and Cloud workflows with Eclipse Tech for Universities, Studios, and streaming services. Currently Jeff is utilizing these tools on 3 Wisconsin based projects. He has 5 Wisconsin based projects in development. One,"Farm State" which currently is in production has farmers telling their family farm stories in the Midwest, It includes interviews and footage from FarmAid 2019 shot in East Troy, Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. His company Perfect Pictures, LLC has a Premier/Resolve post suite in Spring Green, WI.Mar 23, 202001:58:37Rex Sikes Movie Beat: Talks With Actor Producer Author Peter SheraykoProducer, Actor, Author Peter Sherayko makes himself available to colleges and universities to share his 40 years in the business with those who wish a career in entertainment. Peter acts and produces for both film and television, appearing in over 81 films and 200 television and stage shows. Peter was a producer on the film Bone Tomahawk with his longtime friend, Kurt Russell. His last two productions are Soldier’s Heart to be released in June, 2020 and Shooting Star currently in post-production. Spring of 2020, Peter is consulting producer for the INSP series, Wild West Chronicles. John Milius told him once, “Before you write, you have to have something to say.” Peter waited until he had over 30 years experince to do that. He's authored fTombstone: The Guns and Gear, describes in detail all the firearms and props his company Caravan West supplied for the iconic film Tombston. His second book, The Fringe of Hollywood, is a fact filled instructional guide to assist writers, directors and actors in making Western films. It explains the period correct firearms, saddles and costumes, as well as working with animals and other nuances specific to creating a Western. Peter provides a wide range of services geared specifically to the Western genre: acting, stunt coordinating, producing, writing, advising and supplying for all these venues. He spends 365 days a year busy and fulfilling his dreams. His website is www.CaravanWest.com. Mar 19, 202001:59:42Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w William Lu DirectorWIlliam Lu, director, served as a development assistant for David Madden and Robert Cort at the Cort/Madden Company at Paramount.Hereceived his MFA in film and TV production from FSU wherehe produced the 35mm thesis film “Two-Bit,” which was a 2003 Student Academy Award finalist. He wasHired at the SyFy Channeland then spent three years at Herzog & Company where he workedin TV, web and marketing producing content for Disney, Paramount, Dreamworks and Sony Pictures.In 2005, as a recipient ofthe LA Asian Pacific Armed with a Camera Fellowship;Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w David Murphy Casting DirectorDavid Murphy, casting director and acting coach, is co-founder of the Chicago acting school, The Green Room. There are multiple areas of expertise to his teaching. He's worked for 20 years in the field of acting. Since 2001 he has worked as a Commercial Casting Director at O'Connor Casting. He splits time between casting and teaching. Around the casting office, there are two "David's" (David O'Connor is the owner), and this David, known as "Murphy". He has conducted well over 50,000 individual actor's auditions. For 16 years Murphy taught for the Players' Workshop of the Second City. He's directed over a hundred shows ranging from improv reviews to children's shows. He has created several touring groups performing for such clients as GE and Novis. He has worked as an artistic director for Bedlam Productions, has worked in casting for Toast productions and has been a consultant to several fledgling theatre companies. Beyond his acting and voice over credit, he has been a casting director, theatre director and instructor. What is not as widely known is Murphy is also a Reiki Master. Reiki is a healing modality using energy. Unfocused energy can be at the root of an uncreative and uninteresting performance. Murphy helps actors through self-reflection, energy work and discovery of higher creative self, to gain better control of their instrument so they can be present during the audition and bring their best self to the room. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com Feb 25, 201601:25:57Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats with Craig Knitt And The Wildwood Film FestivalCraig A. Knitt, award winning artist, filmmaker, teacher, performer, writer and creator is a founder of the Wildwood Film Festival, a festival dedicated to Wisconsin film talent. The past three years Craig has also been a volunteer for the Sundance Institute and the Sundance Film Festival. When Craig is not busy teaching visual art, he is busy creating film projects or performing Improvisational Comedy with ComedyCity - DePere and DinnerTime Comedy. Craig was the male lead in last year's "Secrets of the Dead" which was premiered at the Gerold Theater in Weyauwega. The Wildwood Film Festival's purpose is to promote Wisconsin film talent (actors, directors, writers, composers, editors, etc.). It strives to educate high school students and adults in film basics - script writing, story boarding, filming, lighting, sound, editing and marketing. The Wildwood Film Festival has been consistently dedicated to Wisconsin film talent. Now in it fifteenth year it will have showcased over 500 films that all have connections to the state. Events have been held at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) and the Big Picture Theatre. The Wildwood Film Festival continues to grow each year and the commitment to Wisconsin filmmakers and film talent is just as strong. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com Feb 17, 201601:04:04Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats with James Breckenridge, Script ConsultantJames Breckenridge, script consultant, has worked in the entertainment industry for over 25 years. In 1995, he founded of The PlayCrafters Group. As its Director, he specializes in helping writers from all over the country develop producible scripts for motion pictures, television and theatre. Through creative counseling and objective feedback, he encourages writers to focus on the essential elements of their stories. His script development service has been rated in the Top Ten and recommended as the Best Of The Best Buys in Creative Screenwriting Magazine’s review of leading script consultants from all around the country In addition to private coachings and consultations, James has created a number of Courses and Workshops for the beginning as well as the advanced screenwriter. Some of the most popular include Screenwriting Essentials, First Steps: Dramatic Steps to a Dynamic Screenplay and Pitching: Five Minutes to Fame. He has taught for The Bryn Mawr Film Institute, the Bucks County Writer’s Room, The Writers Corner USA and the Lehigh Valley Writer’s Academy. As a director and creative writing consultant, he has helped in the staging and conceptualizing of well over 200 dramatic scripts. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Dec 10, 201501:28:48Rex Sikes'Movie Beat chats with Ian Teal Weyauwega Film FestJoin Ian Teal co-director of The Weyauwega International Film Festival will be returning November 11-14 to the Gerold Opera House in Weyauwega, WI for it’s fifth year of films from around the globe. This year the festival presented by Wega Arts will be screening forty-three films representing seventeen different countries. Many of the films were either made in Wisconsin or have Wisconsin connections. This year Friday at the festival happens to fall on the 13th of the month which of course invites an opportunity to screen horror films. The Weyauwega International Film Festival (WIFF) has seized this opportunity to satisfy the horror hounds in Central Wisconsin and will be screening horror films and thrillers all day on Friday the 13th in what they are calling a “Friday the 13th Fright Fest”. Of course WIFF is not all about horror films. Some great feature films and documentaries as well as a wide variety of short films will be screened this year. Saturday starts with a filmmaker seminar with local filmmakers Dan Davies, Craig Knitt and Rex Sikes at 10am. An encore screening of the previously mentioned EMBERS screens at 2:15pm. The very entertaining romantic comedy DIRTY BEAUTIFUL screens at 4pm. Tickets are $12 for a day pass which are good for any one film or a whole day of films. Festival passes are $30 and are good for the whole festival and also include a free large popcorn! The full schedule can be found at wegaarts.org. Festival passes can also be found online The box office: 920-867-4888. See you at the Gerold! Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Nov 03, 201501:13:23Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats with Director Bill RebaneBill Rebane, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Author started his assent from the mail room, at age 17, to Floor Manager, Asst. producer and assistant to the Executive producer, providing him the opportunity to partake in countless daily live television productions. His first independent production effort was “Twist Craze,” a ten minute musical theatrical short subject purchased by AIP became an international success theatrically and financially. “Dance Craze” surpassed the success of the earlier one and ultimately was purchased by Crown International Pictures for international release. At age 23, Rebane took the position as Executive in Charge of U.S. co-productions for Studio Bendestorf, Germany. Ultimately the films which found a partial or full home at his Bendestorf Studio facility “Dollar” (Goldie Hawn/ Scott Brady,) “How I Won the War” (John Lennon) and “The Odessa File” (John Voight. Bill moved to Wisconsin where he established and built the one and only full time feature film studio in the Midwest, that flourished for over a quarter of a century, producing hundreds of commercials / industrial / corporate image films plus a string of theatrical features all of which enjoyed international theatrical theatrical distribution and exposure. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, and more at www.rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about our industry.Oct 15, 201501:19:57Rex Sikes ' Movie Beat Chats with author/producer/director Rocky Lang EP 2Rocky Lang, Producer, director author, PT 2. Rocky's new book "Growing Up Hollywood" is available at Amazon! He has been involved in the motion picture and television business all his life. He Executive Produced, “Racing For Time” for Lifetime Television starring Charles Dutton, which received a Best Picture nomination for The Image Awards. He has had 8 books published. Growing up as the son of veteran producer and Universal Studios executive, Jennings Lang ("Earthquake" "Play Misty For Me" and others), Rocky knew early on that he wanted to write/produce and direct. Lang set himself on a track that has seen him produce and direct documentary films including the award-winning "The Making of Tootsie", and directing the long-running hit show "Remington Steele" and three features, “Nervous Ticks”, “Race For Glory”, “All’s Fair”. His produced "White Squall” starring Jeff Bridges and directed by Ridley Scott. He also produced the Emmy-Award winning “Titanic", a 4-hour mini-series for CBS. Besides his directing career, Lang has had deals as a producer and director with Warner Bros., Universal, New World, CBS, NBC, ABC, Twentieth Century Fox, Cinecom, MGM and United Artists. He is an award winning screenwriter having received a dramatic writing award from the Houston Film Festival for his original screenplay, "The Low Post". "Crossing Memphis", was optioned by Quincy Jones and Columbia Pictures. "The Babe That Struck out Ruth" sold to ‘bel Films. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Dec 11, 201401:05:54Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats director Peter D Marshall Ep 30Peter Marshall, PT30, The Director's Series - The nuts & bolts of directing film and television with Peter Marshall. Peter has had a 35-year career and has worked as a PA, dolly grip, electrician, assistant cameraman, commercial production manager, first assistant director, TV series creative consultant, television producer and director. He has worked on industrial films, documentaries;Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w Kathy Fehl & Ian Teal of WIFFKathy Fehl lived in NY, writing plays, directing, and producing theater. She created a five hundred seat theater at 79th and Riverside, the heart of the Upper West Side; the first show she directed there was Waiting for Godot, starring David Morse. She studied with several brilliant teachers, including Lee Strasberg, Geraldine Page, Christine Lavren, and John Guare. In addition to the fourteen plays of Fehl's that were produced in NY, she has had shows produced on Martha's Vineyard and in Wisconsin. She co-wrote 'Mint Julep', a feature film, with Ian Teal. Currently, she enjoys developing programs in various types of theater and film at Wega Arts, in Weyauwega, WI. Ian Teal is the Executive Director of Wega Arts and is glad to be back on the stage acting as well as directing. He studied improvisational theater in New York and was a founding member of the comedy group Afterwards, which wrote skits and presented comedy in clubs in NYC and on Martha’s Vineyard. He worked with theater companies in Manhattan, and was part of the group that created the People’s Playhouse, on East Fourth Street, NYC, where he wrote, directed and produced. He co-wrote, directed, and produced ‘Mint Julep’. Originally, Ian is from Oconomowoc, WI, Since 2007 he has led the renovations of the Gerold Opera House, and has worked to bring Wega Arts programs to the area. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Oct 30, 201401:24:34Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats w producer writer Jeff GendlemanJeff Gendelman, writer and producer, wrote and produced The Surface, an 18-year journey of perseverance from idea to production. The film stars Sean Astin, Chris Mulkey and Mimi Rogers and was directed by Gil Cates Jr. Jeff also produced and directed the award-winning short film, In Passing. He produced the Los Angeles world premiere of the play, The Letter Writer, and then developed it to be made into a film. He produced and directed two science documentaries, and a pilot for a syndicated TV series. As an actor, Jeff co-starred with Christopher Lambert in the feature film, Splitsville. He had a supporting role opposite Robert Forster and Donnie Wahlberg in the feature film, Diamond Men. His TV work includes guest-starring roles on NBC’s Law and Order and he was featured on Beverly Hills 90210. Jeff was also a series regular on the television dramas One Life to Live, Guiding Light and Loving (nominated for Outstanding Actor in a daytime TV series). He studied in film classes at the American Film Institute (Los Angeles), New YorkUniversity, USC, and at the BBC (London). Jeff has also been involved with the theater since age 10. After graduating from the University of Minnesota he went to train in the American Conservatory Theater Advanced Actor Program in San Francisco. He has acted and directed at theaters throughout the United States and Japan, including Old Globe Shakespeare Company (San Diego), Milwaukee Repertory, Mark Taper Forum (Los Angeles), and Riverside Shakespeare Company (New York City). Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Oct 22, 201453:39Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats w FlyWay Film Festival Director Rick VaiciusRick Vaicius is director and founder of Flyway Film Festival, Wisconsin's bluff premier destination for independent film as noted by Emmy award-winning blogger Scott W. Smith “ … a festival that should be on your radar”. Founded in 2008 Vaicius has created a standout, intimate and high-quality annual festival. Over the past four years, Flyway has brought over 80 filmmakers into the local community. In addition to screening remarkable films, it has become a unique venue for filmmakers to network and discuss projects and the "state of the industry" in the film world. Vaicius has already persuaded some top film industry talent to appear. The 7th Annual Flyway Film Festival begins Thursday October 23-26, 2014 in Pepin and Stockholm, Wisconsin. This year promises to be its most exciting to-date. For festival line up and panels go to flywayfilmfestival.org and check it out! Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com and Visit RexSikesMovieBeat.me the blogOct 21, 201457:20Rex Sikes' Movie Beat chats director Peter D Marshall Ep 29Peter Marshall, Pt 29, The Director's Series - The nuts & bolts of directing film and television with Peter Marshall. Peter has had a 35-year career and has worked as a PA, dolly grip, electrician, assistant cameraman, commercial production manager, first assistant director, TV series creative consultant, television producer and director. He has worked on industrial films, documentaries;Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w producer/director Gil Cates Jr.GIL CATES, JR. (Producer Director) has produced and directed many films and documentaries, including the 2013 feature film Jobs, which he co-produced, starring Ashton Kutcher, Josh Gad, Dermot Mulroney, and Matthew Modine, and the 2011 feature film Lucky, which he directed, starring Colin Hanks, Ari Graynor, Ann-Margret and Jeffrey Tambor. In addition, Gil produced and directed the critically acclaimed Life After Tomorrow, featuring Sarah Jessica Parker, which won best documentary at the Phoenix Film Festival and later had it’s premiere Christmas Eve on Showtime. His other films include Deal, starring Burt Reynolds, Bret Harrison, and Charles Durning, The Mesmerist, starring Neil Patrick Harris, and the critically acclaimed independent film Order of Chaos, which was released in the summer of 2010. Gil also made his TV directorial debut with an episode of the NBC comedy, Joey, starring Emmy winner Matt LeBlanc, and most recently completed the feature film The Surface, starring Sean Astin and Chris Mulkey, which is due out later this year. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Visit and subscribe to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat Blog at www.RexSikesMovieBeat.me for articles and more about the industry we love and work in.Sep 25, 201401:26:35Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats with director Debra GranickDebra Granik, director, nominated for Academy Award, and co-writer of Winter’s Bone, which was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. Granik’s first feature film, Down to the Bone, was awarded the Best Director prize at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. She is known for her amazing work with actors, essentially launching the careers of both Vera Farmiga and Jennifer Lawrence. Her work is known for an instinctive, collaborative style that Granik describes as “late-breaking global neorealism.” Granik’s most recent offering, the documentary Stray Dog, began with a chance encounter while scouting and casting Winter’s Bone. Granik met Ron “Stray Dog” Hall in the Biker Church of Branson and cast him as the film’s estranged father, Thump Milton. Of her work she says, “The question I’ve had for most of my life is, ‘How are you coping?’ Some people have these small, positive schemes for survival, a kind of strength that I am attracted to, maybe because I’m prone to the blues.” In Hall she found a worthy subject—one whose humor and lack of self-consciousness had the potential to make the plight of Vietnam vets accessible to a broader audience. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events,festivals premiers and more. www.rexsikes.com , RexSikesMovieBT.me Sep 24, 201401:12:43Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w actor Peter Sherayko PT 2Peter Sherayko, (PT 2) Actor, and owner of Caravan West a supplier of horses, tack, artillery, costumes, props, Prod. Designer, Art Director, Prop Master, Wranglers, and Sets for movies, played 'Farley' in 'Yellow Rock'. Peter created his company to bring quality to the Hollywood Western and provide today’s demanding film audience with the most authentic product possible. In the process, Sherayko has become recognized as historian and author, appearing in numerous Wild West Tech episodes for the History Channel and as technical consultant and supplier to both the History and Discovery Channels. His first book, Tombstone: The Guns and Gear is lauded in Flayderman’sGuide to Antique Weapons as one of the 100 books every collector should have on their bookshelf, the book grew out of his work on the Western film classic, Tombstone. Peter researched the weaponry of every character as he designed the firearms he provided. His company Caravan West Productions coordinated the saddles and the Buckaroos, and Peter portrayed the character Texas Jack Vermillion, one of his better known roles.The Fringe of Hollywood is his second adult nonfiction book. The taped version of his one-man show, Cody…An Evening with Buffalo Bill was performed in a chataugua and was among the top finalists in the Santa Clarita International Film Festival when produced. He also released a CD At Your Service and hosted Varmint Media’s The Guns of Billy the Kid. The State of Nebraska awarded him the Buffalo Bill Award for Achievements in Family Entertainment. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Sep 18, 201401:29:11Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w screenwriter producer Brian HerskowitzBrian Herskowitz, Screenwriter, has completed over a dozen feature films. His first produced feature was a low budget slasher titled DARKROOM. He wrote and directed the award winning short film ODESSA OR BUST starring Jason Alexander, Red Buttons, Jason Schwartzman. Brian wrote, directed, and produced the documentary 1736: SOMEWHERE TO TURN and the short film JOANNE. His TV writing credits include staff writing on NBC's BLOSSOM, episodes of HERCULES: THE LEGENDARY JOURNEYS, and ACAPULCO HEAT, HBO's DREAM ON, CBS’s RENEGADE, THE EXILE, MURDER, SHE WROTE, the TV movie MURDER OF MY AUNT, FOX Network’s YOUNG HERCULES, and CBS’s TOUR OF DUTY. He co-wrote the FOX pilot MANTIC with Jason Alexander. He worked as a punch-up writer on BOB PATTERSON, and LISTEN UP. Brian line produced the web series THE BROADROOM, Brian produced UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT (co-writer), and BUCKY AND THE SQUIRRELS from director-writer Allan Katz (M*A*S*H*, BIG MAN ON CAMPUS), MUSICAL CHAIRS, TIO PAPI which he co-wrote. He has numerous upcoming producing directing feature projects. For twenty years Brian has taught screenwriting, first with WRITER’S BOOT CAMP, then with UCLA EXTENSIONS, and for the last five years he has held the post of Lead Faculty for the prestigious BOSTON UNIVERSITY in LOS ANGELES WRITER IN HOLLYWOOD graduate degree program. His script writing textbook, PROCESS TO PRODUCT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO SCREENWRITING, is available on Amazon.com and in bookstores. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Aug 28, 201401:27:25Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w Daniel Veluzat PT 3Daniel Veluzat, PT 3 producer, movie set ranch owner, is an entrepreneur like no other. He started off in the entertainment business over 30 years ago. As a young boy Daniel grew up on movie/TV sets such as 1941 starring John Belushi, Baba Black Sheep starring Robert Conrad, McMillian and Wife starring Rock Hudson, and Maverick - The Lazy Ace starring James Garner. Daniel pportunities visiting "Fantasy Island", "Gilligan's Island", and cruising the streets of Hazzard County in his family owned General Lee's from "Duke's of Hazzard". His family built many vehicles for TV and movies. He rode in General Lee's, Army tanks, Kit from "Knight Rider" and even the "A-Team" van. Today, he owns and helps run The Veluzat Motion Picture Ranch and Melody Ranch Studios located in the Santa Clarita Valley area. Both ranches have been the backdrop where countless movies, TV shows, commercials and music videos have been filmed. Daniel has worked on the ranches as a location liaison on many television shows. Daniel fronted his own Heavy Metal band "Untaymd" and he has been able to continue being around music and work on music videos for many artists. Daniel has worked on some of Hollywood's biggest films. He has been a part of over 150 film and television productions and has also had the privilege to work alongside many of Hollywood's most famous people. He has worked as a Executive and Co Executive producer, Director, Actor, location liaison, studio manager, Stage Manager, stunt man, production designer, art director, set dresser and more! Daniel has also provided equipment to the industry such as motion picture vehicles, water trucks, production trailers, props and set dressing. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Aug 21, 201401:28:45Rex Sikes Movie Beat chats w author John Trigonis on crowdfundingJohn T. Trigonis Crowdfuning, author, filmmaker - A behind-the-scenes consulting machine, John T. Trigonis has mentored hundreds of filmmakers worldwide and helped them to create compelling crowdfunding experiences that not only reach, but also exceed their goals. A writer and indie filmmaker himself, Trigonis literally wrote the book on Crowdfunding for Filmmakers after running his own Indiegogo campaign for his short film Cerise and surpassing his goal, setting the bar at an all-new high with regards to how online fundraising for independent films should be done. Cerise has since screened at over a dozen film festivals across the country, was nominated for four awards, won an “Award of Merit,” and participated in the Court Métrage at the 2011 Cannes International Film Festival. Trigons now puts his prowess to the ultimate task as Indiegogo’s specialist for film campaigns, and in the year and a half he's been with Indiegogo, he has coached over 1,000 film campaigns to success, including:Trigonis is currently working with campaigns like Don Cheadle's Miles Ahead while continuing to churn out his own creative projects –– a pair of mystery novels written entirely on his iPhone during his morning and evening commutes, a comic book called Siren's Calling, and juggling a few new film ideas in his spare time.Jul 31, 201401:07:26Rex Sikes Movie beat chats w director Nick Vallelonga PT 2Nick Vallelonga, director,(PT 2) producer, writer, actor, developed 1st appeared in the wedding scenes of The Godfather at 12. He had roles in Family Business, Prizzi’s Honor, Goodfellas, and The Pope of Greenwich Village. Nick and writer/director Christopher Coppola teamed up on Deadfall starring Nicolas Cage, Michael Biehn, James Coburn, Charlie Sheen, Peter Fonda, Talia Shire. Nick wrote and directed A Brilliant Disguise starring Tony Denison, Lysette Anthony, and Corbin Bernsen, and Corporate Ladder starring Kathleen Kinmont, Tony Denison, Ben Cross, Jon Polito and Jennifer O'Neil. Nick wrote, produced, directed, acted in In the Kingdom of the Blind. staring William Petersen, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield, Leo Rossi, Kristian Alfonso and Nick's dad, Tony Lip (The Sopranos). In 2005 Nick tested the limits of low-budget HD cinema with Disturbance" (aka Choker) starring himself, Paul Sloan, Colleen Porch, Hayley DuMond and Tony Denison. He produced and directed, All In, starring Dominique Swain, Michael Madsen, Louis Gossett Jr., and James Russo. He produced Machine, with writer director Michael Lazar. It starred Michael Madsen, Neal McDonough, Paul Sloan, James Russo, Michael Lazar and Nick. Then he produced A Modern Twain Story: The Prince and the Pauper, starring Disney’s Cole and Dylan Sprouse, Vincent Spano, DeDee Pfeiffer, Sally Kellerman, Ed Lauter, and Nick. He produced and directed Stiletto, starring Tom Berenger, Michael Biehn, Stana Katic, Paul Sloan, William Forsythe, James Russo, Tom Sizemore, Diane Venora, Kelly Hu, Amanda Brooks, Tony Lip, Dominique Swain and D.B. Sweeney. In 2011, he directed Yellow Rock, starring Michael Biehn, James Russo, Lenore Andriel, Michael Spears and Eddie Spears. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes' Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at www.rexsikes.com Jun 26, 201407:31
