Please tell us about the projects you worked on before writing ‘48 Hours in Atoka’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
I was a writer by trade, contributing to various publications on everything from sports and politics to punk music. I entered the film industry as someone who thought they wanted to be in front of the camera, but I learned over the years, to stay busy you need to do other things within filmmaking. I started working as a location manager/scout and worked several projects before stepping into a role as a producer. I was the location manager for “stills and promos” for the television show Reservation Dogs on FX and Hulu and I am currently a producer on a feature film being shot this fall. If you want to know how to make film and you truly have a love for cinema, find a job within the industry and learn from people who are experienced and can teach you things you will not learn in film school.
Tell us about ‘48 Hours in Atoka’. How do you describe it?
‘48 Hours in Atoka’ is based on an actual concert series which took place in the United States during the 1970s. In my version, while the superstars of country music are playing to a crowd of thousands, there is a killer on the loose. A young reporter from Dallas, Texas is dispatched to cover the event, but what unfolds sends him down a path he never saw coming.
It’s a classic horror/thriller with a sprinkle of comedy.
Please tell us about your favorite writers, in literature and cinema.
I have many favorites. Because I write in several genres, the list of names is vast, however I will attempt to limit myself.
From a literature standpoint I enjoy writers such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert A. Heinlein, and J.K. Rowling are heavyweights in my world. George R. R. Martin is my new favorite and has been for the last 10 years. The list just grows from there, but you get the idea. Feature film writers or screenplay writers include Dalton Trumbo, Quentin Tarantino, Vince Gilligan, John Landis, Dan Aykroyd, Taylor Sheridan, John Logan, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, and Jordan Peele. There are so many great writers of the past I could name, but I feel I’ve learned more from this list than any other.
The most exciting thing to me is there are great writers everywhere and when we discover a new one, it’s like discovering a new planet or star. What that new star holds for us as readers is yet to be discovered.
I respect anyone who follows through with the task of completing a script.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
There are many projects I would like to complete before my time on Earth comes to an end. ’48 Hours in Atoka’ is one of those projects. I am working on a new script about a boy who grows up on a military base in Okinawa, Japan. That may be more of a passion project since I spent time on Okinawa as a teenager, but I believe it’s a solid coming of age story with a nice twist. I think most people would like to have that huge blockbuster hit, but I just want to tell good stories that people enjoy. If success follows, then so be it.
What was the hardest part of writing ‘48 Hours in Atoka’?
This story came to me rather easily. I didn’t labor through it like some of my other scripts, but I did try and find those little details that make a script sing. With any script, just getting it down is the most important thing. A director will take your idea and turn into their own vision which is exciting to see. I believe most writers, if they were honest, would tell you just finishing it was the most difficult part, but I enjoyed writing this one and hopefully the readers enjoy it as well.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
I have two scripts currently in the works. One is called Zoo Heist and the other is The Last American Witch. I expect to have both of those done very soon. My plan is to jump into my Okinawa story next. This fall I am producing a feature film titled Delivery Fee by write Kyle Gresham, which I am very excited about and to wrap up 2024, I am producing a documentary feature called Brat Ambition, which details the lives of U.S. military brats who are doing great things in the world today.
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