An unconventional filmmaker with an unconventional background.
50+ feature credits across Hallmark, Netflix, Lifetime, SyFy, Chiller, and more.
A tech-forward VFX artist with an actor’s training.
I shoot logistically impossible movies.
I’ve filmed in 9 countries on 4 continents.
Multi-national crews.
Actors who speak English as a second language.
River boats going over rapids, sea-planes, car chases through cobblestone streets, vipers, monkeys, spiders, royal residences, kids.
I don’t shy away from challenge or complex productions, even on a tight budget.
My career began in genre filmmaking.
I launched Chiller network’s first original feature and love my weird, cult hits like Alien Opponent and Stalker’s Prey 3.
I am actively developing and seeking new projects in the sci-fi, horror, and suspense spaces, particularly for streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu.
I love fun, camp, and style, but I also have a deep love for really dark and thought-provoking horror.
I was an animator before I shot a frame.
I have always been interested in technology, SFX, and VFX and I stay up to date with the latest tech and AI tools.
I understand the post-production implications of every shot, allowing me to stretch budgets, execute seamless VFX, and plan complicated sequences using many techniques and locations.
See my NoFilmSchool article about imaginary locations in Stalkers Prey 3.
I grew up watching classic movies with my family and imagining new ones with my friends. In 2007, I graduated from Wesleyan University, where I combined acting and computer animation hobbies into a career making films.
My award-winning senior thesis film about a giant man-eating rabbit, Harold and Burns led to my first feature: 2008’s Banshee!!!, a direct-to-dvd monster flick for Synthetic Cinema. In addition to directing it, I created the CGI creature, beginning a hands-on VFX tradition that has followed me to this day.
I next directed Alien Opponent, an over-the-top campy scifi/horror romp that got picked up by NBC’s Chiller channel. It still has a cult following and a special place in my heart.
I was brought in to direct Chiller’s first original feature, comic-book-derived zombie movie Steve Niles’ Remains in 2011, and followed it up with several more movies for Chiller and one for Syfy.
In 2014, I directed Wishin’ and Hopin’, a Christmas comedy set in a Catholic school in 1964 and the first adaptation of a Wally Lamb novel for the screen. It had a brief, but successful theatrical run before appearing on Lifetime.
In 2015, I shot The Murder Pact, a Poe-inspired thriller for Lifetime. I got to play with a gimbal for the first time, a tool I immediately knew would become a favorite.
As the world started craving Christmas movies, I shot several for TV, including the perennially popular Jane Austin-inspired Christmas at Pemberley Manor for Hallmark.
I directed a trilogy of shark attack stalker movies called Stalker’s Prey, which grow increasingly fun and campy with each installment as our anti-hero spirals into a dual obsession with sharks and his dead ex-girlfriend, Ali.
Recently, I have been directing destination romcoms for Hallmark with Johnson Production Group, traveling the world with a small team to shoot in fantastic destinations, like an underwater hotel, a mountain-top glacier, an ancient amphitheater, an underground waterfall, historical European landmarks, and Machu Picchu.
I pride myself on having done many of the jobs on set. My comprehensive understanding of set operations allows me to move fast, adapt on the fly, and make our days without sacrificing the emotional core of the scene.
I believe that a good director sets the tone for the cast & crew with their energy. You’ll usually find me standing by camera, close to the performance
In addition to my directing, I frequently produce for Synthetic Cinema International, a small production company that has made movies for television, streaming, festivals, and theaters.
I am currently expanding my directorial work into episodic television and streaming original features. I am also seeking literary and directorial representation to partner with for the next phase of my career.
I am fortunate to have an amazing international team that can pull off unbelievably things efficiently in impossible circumstances. I will be finding new things to do with them.
I also am a passionate nerd outside of work. I love seeing video games and real scifi books making their way to the screen. I would love to be a part of that. It would be a dream to adapt John Scalzi, Charlie Stross, China Mieville, or NK Jemisin. Hell, put me on Dungeon Crawler Carl while I’m writing wishes.
