Some of my work.👇
Comedy/Action Feature
Los Angeles Lurid
A young, timid actor, ready to give up on his dreams, is dragged into the underbelly of the Los Angeles crime world when he gives a mysterious homeless man a ride to Hollywood.
Comedy/Drama Short
Luke
A day in the life with a homeless busker in Los Angeles. A social commentary that explores when dreams and desires meet the harsh reality of the big city. This is backstory work for one of the protagonists in my current feature project.
Drama Short
Manny
For an "Aaron Sorkin challenge," I wrote this short to showcase witty, snappy dialogue in a behind-the-scenes environment. A production manager encounters problem after problem when trying to figure out who made a costly mistake.
Drama Short
Karen
A Karen flips shit on a barista in perfect meme fashion, but the barista bites back, making a viral video. Then we go behind-the-scenes of their lives to shine a light on the deeper issues underneath the seemingly lighthearted meme.
Drama Feature
Ants Use The Stars
A contained psychological thriller. Cain is at his lowest point, detoxing from a psychedelic drug that has ruined his life called eyetop. He's trapped in his apartment, in his mind, as he's visited by important people in his life who trigger him to reflect on how he's degraded himself and his life, forcing him to face his demons.
Coming Of Age Feature
Dae
Dae is a rising star in Hollywood, living the good life with no worries in the world, until he gets a call from his casual girlfriend, Rachel, who tells him that she's pregnant. This news spirals Dae into an emotional, twist-filled night, as he meets with a top director he might work with, runs drug errands for a hardass producer, and struggles with how he and Rachel should handle the unwanted news.
Suspense Short
The Card
Here's an example of an exercise in suspense. I wanted to write something in a genre that I typically stay away from to strengthen and broaden my craft. This is a realtime screenplay - every minute on the page is a minute for the characters. A breaking-and-entering goes completely awry.
Who am I?
I'm a screenwriter/filmmaker who just wants to tell impactful stories and help keep cinema alive.
I moved to Los Angeles from a small town in Texas when I was 20 completely by myself. No money, no prospects, no plan. I started taking some acting classes and started to learn how to write screenplays.
After a little while, life hit me directly in the face. I started struggling with depression, working a stressful job, worrying about money, and had responsibilities I had to maintain. So what did I do?
I gave up.
I gave up on my dreams and stopped pursuing what I wanted most. To be a filmmaker. To be a storyteller. Years went by, and I fell into a deeper depression.
Then I had a wake up call and was reminded...
We only have one shot.
So, that's why I started Swila. I wanted to create a place where storytellers of all kinds can inspire, motivate, and help each other improve. A place where we can share our stories and get our stories heard.
A place where we can share our perspectives of reality with other people who truly care.
And that's what Swila is all about.
Now, I'm back at it, after years of beating myself up, thinking I had no chance, with more passion and drive than I've ever had - a true passion for the craft on a mission to make great films.
And a passion to help others on their journey.
Need help?
Work With Me
I do feedback, rewrites/polishes, and direct 1-on-1 sessions with me where you can ask questions, get motivation, come up with a plan, or discuss your story/characters.