| I
was born
and raised in an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx borough of New York
City. My grandparents emigrated from Bari, Naples and Sicily. The family traditions
and cuisine were primarily Barese though, as I was probably exposed the most to
the extended family of my maternal grandmother.
As far back as I can remember, I always enjoyed drawing. My parents encouraged
me in this and I learned early that I could earn money at it. Classmates actually
paid me to draw on their notebooks and binders - mostly logos of rock bands and
their members, and popular sports teams.
During my senior year in prep school I was bitten by the film bug. When an art
studio class was cancelled since only two students applied I opted for a class
called Intro to Film - thinking this would be an easy way to kill time and coast
my way to an easy A. Little did I know how much it would change the direction
of my life.
As an undergrad, I worked as a waiter, occasionally filled in as a bartender,
and like all good film junkies, I did my time at a video store. Literally upon
graduation form college, I got a job as an apprentice editor for a company specializing
in movie trailers. Before long, I was editing trailers on my own and writing the
narration scripts.
While pursing a masters degree, I entered the world of stock footage where I held
various positions, eventually managing the MGM, Warner Bros., and Columbia Pictures
outtake collections. During this time, I wrote, studied, made a number of short
films, and won several academic awards in both production and screenwriting categories.
Once I had my masters degree, I had to figure out what the hell I was going to
do with it, so a book on Alfred Hitchcock and his relationship with his screenwriters
seemed a novel approach, which ultimately led me to write about Hitchcock's four
film collaboration with John Michael Hayes.
Since writing Writing with Hitchcock, I've lectured on screenwriting
and film at NYU's Hitchcock Centennial Conference, The American Museum of the
Moving Image, Film Forum, and New School University.
I continue writing, both fiction and non-fiction. Earlier this year, I was a contributing
writer to the 56th Annual Writers Guild of America Awards which
aired on Starz/Encore. I've written a number of screenplays, including
Italian Lessons and Open Season with Franco D'Alessandro,
and Adventures of a Hollywood Hero, I Think I Might Have Done
This, and Vanishing Point. I am currently at work on a biography
of another Hollywood giant - details to come.
That's all for the moment, I'll let you know more as things develop.
Until
then, peace.
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