With this victory, you have achieved an important milestone and have become an authoritative voice in international cinema. What are your next projects?
Thank you for that flattering characterization of the distinctions TriBeCa Film Critics Circle Awards has bestowed upon me. I am humbled and honored to be named best visionary screenwriter, and grateful for American Money’s award for best arthouse script. The next project is assisting Incandescent Pictures, a Nashville-based independent film producer, with what is necessary for the lead-up to Whitni Resides, CEO of Incandescent, plan to film American Money. Whitni’s production partner, Dianne Berry, is portraying Edie France, the lead character; Dianne was the first person to read the script nearly 4-1/2 years ago, and even then, in the infancy of American Money, I could envision Dianne as Edie. Dianne shared with me a trailer and another film clip for a couple of her previous roles. I knew after watching her in action that Dianne is talented and legit! An interestingly serendipitous facet of Dianne is this: she was, as a wealth advisor and a CPA, active in the stock market for her clients on Black Monday 1987. That’s the period during which the script is set. Wall Street is the engine of American Money. I drew upon my brief 7 year career as a stockbroker to develop the characters Edie France, Mason Bricker, Stanley Mumphord, and the nefarious duo of Chaz and Darrell. I knew them well.
Other film scripts I am writing include Padre Guns, in which a young man’s dreams of college gridiron glory are interrupted as he draws upon his Catholic faith to fight against the racial injustice levied against his best friend, and Soaring Dove, a story of a what-if romance. She is the future of benevolent American politics and He is the Everyman who helps her resolve a threat against her people. The immediate excitement is working with Whitni and Dianne to get American Money on the silver screen. In the words of Edie’s love interest Mason Bricker, “I’d rather be lucky than good.”
Describe yourself with three adjectives that best reflect your vision of the world.
First? Optimistic. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over, and even then, I firmly believe you’ll get another sunrise. Failures provide the best lessons. What you did before does not necessarily determine what you can do. So, what you are could possibly have no bearing on what you will become. My favorite line from 19th century Irish poet Oscar Wilde is, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” There is always and forever an opportunity for redemption; forgiveness is the basis of my faith, Roman Catholicism. One of my favorite oil paintings is from, again, the 19th century. A German draftsman and etcher, Moritz Retzsche, created The Chess Players. My interpretation is a regular guy is involved in a chess match with the devil and it’s not looking good, but an angel gazes down to remind the regular guy that the king has one more move. Never, never, I say NEVER ever give up.
Next? Confident. My wish for mankind to exude the same confidence I have. If you don’t believe in yourself, chances are no one else will. Confidence begins in your soul; from there it grows in your mind, so ya gotta believe since you are what you think about. In 35 days I celebrate my 70th birthday, meaning I’m on the launching pad for my 8th decade on this planet. In the previous 70 years I have worked and played in many arenas. During my junior high years, I was a nerd winning science fairs and history contests. Something told me to give American football a shot. Despite being relatively small (barely under six feet tall and a skinny 180 lbs) and not really fast, I had the confidence to stick my headgear into high school teenagers bigger than me. A couple of college coaches came calling; one was even from the United States Naval Academy. Like many athletes, I played my last game at age 17 and moved on with life, at first studying psychology then finally settling on mechanical engineering. I was pretty good at that, but a bad economy soon after college graduation ended my job. I went with the hot hand at the time: Wall Street. My confidence landed me in the middle of the pack among men making a lot of money. That game changed on Black Monday 1987. I eventually returned to mechanical engineering; oddly, that’s when I entered my 5th arena. I became a writer. That brings me to TriBeCa. In everything I have done, I always believed I could do it. As it turns out, with the 13th verse in the 4th chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians in my mind, I’m right.
Finally? Determined. An optimistic and confident person is teed up to “grip it and rip it,” but that person needs to be determined do whatever has to be done to realize the dream. I love Jesse Jackson’s “keep your eyes on the prize.” Maybe some folks are born screenwriters. I had to learn, so I found a couple of good teachers. Dianne Berry told me a couple months after we met that she thought American Money had potential, so she introduced me to film script guru Tammy K. Gross (tammygross.com). Tammy is so insightful and knowledgeable, I just had to coin her nickname: Movie Harvard. She’s been working with me since the 2nd rewrite of American Money. Without Tammy, I’m permanent potential. The other teacher is the thoroughly awesome Charlotte Pritt. Talk about someone excelling in a variety of arenas! Charlotte was a writing teacher for high schools and colleges in West Virginia who, due to her brilliance and giant heart, ran for governor of West Virginia in 1992, 1996, and 2016. If you haven’t already guessed it by now, Charlotte is the inspiration for Soaring Dove. She was a political force through the 1990s who had the opportunity to speak during television network prime time on the floor at the 1996 Democratic National Convention. Think Tulsi Gabbard. That was Miss Pritt 30 years ago. I was fascinated by Charlotte from afar for 32 years. Four years ago I simply started a conversation with her through Facebook’s private messenger. One thing delightfully led to another, and she and I got together to write film scripts. Charlotte is the writer who helped me with what several film festival juries call the “cracking third act” of American Money. Please allow me to repeat, I’d rather be lucky than good. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Determination. The world needs more determined people who are willing to do whatever it takes.
WILD FILMMAKER is, above all, a space for freedom of thought and sharing. Who would you most like to find yourself in front of, and what would you say to them?
Ernest Hemingway. At one time I thought Hemingway was boorish but brilliant. Several years ago I finally owned the fact I, too, am boorish and I’d really like Hemingway’s brilliance to draw out whatever brilliance is deep within me. Hemingway is a man’s man; I am a guy’s guy. We both seek romance and adventure, although mine pale in comparison. Luckily, I never experienced war as Hemingway did, and I’ve never crawled out of a burning crashed airplane as he did twice. I did not incur the head injuries Hemingway suffered; my experiences from succumbing to the coercion by my first wife and a psychiatrist (with whom she eventually became a BFF) to treat a phantom bipolar misdiagnosis (now that’s been proven 100% false by a few other doctors) lead me to believe the brain trauma led to Hemingway’s suicide.
So, here’s what I’d say to Ernest Hemingway:
I am so sorry you were subjected to the blatantly unnecessary fifteen treatments of electroconvulsive therapy. Psychiatrists, also known as lying-ass fake doctors, scrambled your brilliance. I get it; the eccentricities you and I share just don’t mix well with the status quo. Well, to quote Jeff Goldblum’s character Michael from the 1983 classic film The Big Chill, “Eff them if they can’t take a joke.” I’ve decided to dedicate my pursuit of writing film scripts to the years after your 62nd year that the fake doctors stole from you. Mr. Hemingway, I’m balls to the wall, doing my best to live your legacy. To begin this, I visited Paris in April this year to walk your streets, and even frequented Shakespeare & Company bookstore across from the Cathedral of Notre Dame. There, I could feel your presence, an inspirational presence I brought back with me to my home in the coalfields of Appalachian southern West Virginia. Leave no doubt, I’m going to make you proud by keeping your legacy alive. Say hello to St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. One day I hope to meet you there. I’m buying the tequila.
Through the WILD FILMMAKER community, we have succeeded independent filmmakers under the same spotlight as mainstream industrial cinema. How do you evaluate our work and activities?
Personally speaking, WILD FILMMAKER is one of the best things to ever happen to my burgeoning screenwriting career. You brought me into your community after you had spent 5 years successfully establishing the presence of indies and arthouses. Thank you for setting me up! Through reading WILD FILMMAKER I have learned so much about what has turned out to be my market. Several film festival juries commented favorably to me that American Money is a script that arthouses are looking for. The agreement I have signed with the independent producer Incandescent Pictures says it all. I am looking forward to riding the tide created by the passions of the WILD FILMMAKER people. May the peace your higher power provides you be as sweet as the peace given to me by The Holy Trinity.
