Growing up in a rural part of New Jersey, just outside the city, I remember always being surrounded by a diverse community. As a child, I was quiet, kept to myself and watched others live life. I learned how different people act, talk, deal with situations, live their lives and when I started watching movies, I felt like I understood them. Movies were my way of connecting to the world. Seeing themes and messages come together on screen helped me understand the life around me. At eleven years old, I picked up a camera for the first time. A spark was lit within me to express myself through the art of film. Throughout my teenage years, I grew an undying passion to become a filmmaker.

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I didn’t find that clear vision of who I wanted to be as a filmmaker until my teenage years. I watched the film Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino, and I felt motivated. The film changed how I perceive movies. For a time I was in love with superhero films, they were a main inspiration for me to become a filmmaker and I always thought those were the films I was going to make. It wasn’t until I watched that Tarantino film that my perspective on cinema changed forever. For the first time in my life I felt like I had watched a true film. A film that told a story with flushed out, grounded characters telling their stories from a moment in history. I immediately wanted to watch more films like this, lucky for me it was covid and I was locked in my house with all the free time in the world. For the next four to six months, I had my film renaissance I like to call it. Watching two to three classic films a day, opening a new world of film to me and inspiring me as a filmmaker.

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Then I fell in love with a dream. A dream of becoming a filmmaker who can tell stories that inspire others like Once Upon A Time In Hollywood did to me. I want to create someone who can show others that “Anything is possible”. I want to help others feel empowered to follow their dreams like I did, have that career renaissance and find that drive to accomplish their life goals. Yet, as someone who grew up in a small town with no connections to the film industry, telling my stories felt out of the picture at times. However, I never gave up hope and always believed with hard work, drive, and a bit of luck I’d be able to get there. It wasn’t until I directed my first short film that I thought the reality of becoming a filmmaker was actually possible. The film wasn’t perfect by any means, but I figured out a way to make something meaningful with the little resources I had. This motivated me and reinstated my vision of “Anything is possible”. Since that film, I have continued to sharpen my craft by studying film in college, going outside of school to direct multiple films, going across the country to Los Angeles to experience the industry while also directing a film in LA, and finding other passions in film like screenwriting and acting. Throughout these countless experiences, I have found that my films tell everyday character stories by using a realistic style for surreal situations. I discovered that I use a unique and diverse set of genres to display my messages and themes of love, loss, loneliness, motivation, hope, and nostalgia. By using the skills I have developed, my talent has continued to motivate my vision of “Anything is possible” and follow my dreams of inspiring others.

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As I am still young in my career, my next step is to take my films and ideas to the next level. In fact, I am currently in pre-production for my first feature film and have started to become a notable actor. I hope I find success with this feature and have a big break in my acting career so I can start telling the world my stories. I know once I reach that part in my career I will have reached my vision of “Anything is possible”. I want to prove to not only myself but to the world that anyone can start at rock bottom and work your way to the top. No matter what the situation is, no matter your starting point in life, I know with hard work, a strong drive, and a bit of luck your dream can be accomplished.