Recently my mother found a paper I wrote in the 5th grade where I said my goal was to one day become a television director. I used to perform in skits as early as 2nd grade, and attempted to write my first script in the 6th grade. In the 9th grade I started writing again when a classmate and I started doing skits to fulfill our English class journal requirements. Our popular weekly journal, “Omelette” was a spoof on Hamlet, with Omelette’s father returning as a ghost, but is unrecognizable to Omelette as his father is now black. Needless to say our “journal” was both popular and, with a 1000 Boy George impersonators for an ending, controversial. I would love to say this is where my love of movies took over. I’d also would like to say that I have magical powers and moonlight as a superhero but unfortunately neither are true. Although I did shoot mini-films with my friends, I really got the moviemaking bug after producing a music video with my cousin. That’s when I decided to try my hand at producing. The first short film I produced was shot on 16-mm film, entitled "Anguish". It won a film festival. It was one of the hardest things I ever did and yet exhilarating  In late 2005, inspired by the book "Rebel Without a Crew", I directed my first short film. I bought a CP-16 camera and some film and got some friends to act in it and went off to do “Damon”. It was a low budget version of  “Blade”. Despite how bad I thought it was, I received enough positive feedback to give it another shot. I then wrote, shot, scored, edited directed and produced a feature length version of the same film. It was produced on a budget of about $10,000, “Damon” went on to win the Audience Choice Award at the 2006 Westchester International Film Festival. It wasn’t the calling card I hoped it would be. So over the past ten years, I’ve continued to work on film on the side, pursuing any opportunity I come across to direct and improve my skills. I am currently married (with kids) going on 15 years.  My honeymoon, unfortunately, coincided with 9/11, but that is a whole another story. I have gone on to successfully direct two off-broadway plays, several music videos, spec commercials and other small jobs. My most recent directorial project, “Chance Encounter”, has been shown at 6 film festivals and I am proud to say that it generated a lot of discussion every time it has been shown. It has played at 2 colleges by invitation, and though it didn’t make the final round of the HBOaccess 2014 -  I received a call and a lunchtime meeting. Generally I’m drawn to gritty films like “The Town” and “Training Day”. Those are the types of films I feel I can do in my sleep, but lately my vision and sensibility has grown to include more dialogue intense character pieces like “The Godfather” and “Shawshank Redemption”. Action films are my wheelhouse. If there was one film I wished I could direct, it would be to make “Transformers II”. (The Autobot Twins were just horrible and you know it). “Transformers”, “Bad Boys II” and “Armageddon” in my opinion were probably Michael Bay's best films. There are films like “The Green Mile” that I love and I wish I would able to direct on that level. However, it is not a film I wished I could change because I have such an appreciation for what director Frank Darabont accomplished.  Maybe some day I would love to direct a film like “The Green Mile”, but in my heart I wish to direct “Transformers II” instead of Michael Bay so I could take care of the missed opportunities. Warner Brothers workshop would be a great catalyst at this stage. I know my voice now. I understand my style and how it helps tell a story.  I’ve have developed enough as a director  to realize, that if my style may not necessarily mesh with the story - the story still needs to be told. In those cases, I adapt and move outside my comfort zone to what best suits the story. I also feel this workshop is the perfect platform to show my growth as a director and a storyteller. I am thankful for the opportunity to be considered.