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Journal

I was born just outside of Detroit, in Royal Oak, Michigan, and, in a lot of ways, I am very much a reflection of where I came from. At my best, I carry Detroit's spirit with me; a world-weary optimist who's quick to a fight for a good cause; a quixotic dreamer, and a stalwart of a DIY ethic. I carry my birth-city with me too; a halcyon suburb whose downtown, as I grew up, was a crash box of erstwhile Americana and Gen X alternative culture. I see this juxtaposition play out over and over in the way both my values and aesthetics skew; a mix of F Scott Fitzgerald and underground techno parties; Casablanca and Blade Runner. Bing Crosby and David Bowie.

I studied theatre at Wayne State University. Within a few months of graduating, I co-founded a theatre company, eager to practice my particular brand of youthful hubris within a series of unconventional productions. But that kind of naive, cocky energy seldom sits still for long. So I took a weird piece of German theatre, steeped it with the trappings of Detroit's vibrant music scene, and staged it in the city's most lauded nightclub. It was a pivotal moment, though I didn't realize it at first. It moved me away from producing plays into running clubs and throwing parties with various international cohorts at home and abroad. Ten years passed, and I grew restless within the world I created. I didn't know exactly where I was heading, but I knew this wasn't the way. So I packed up and headed west, imagining I'd find my own version of Thoreau's Walden somewhere in the Russian River Valley. But there's this relentless drive toward story-telling I have that no amount of bucolic quiet was going to calm. I headed to Los Angeles. 

Sometimes the point of a long journey is to bring you back to where you started as an entirely different person. That's where I am now, living in the heart of Hollywood with my girlfriend and our calico cat. Like so many others, I'm fumbling in the dark in this business of moving pictures. Like so many others, I believe I can offer some light…