Summer is almost over and the children will be heading back to school soon. Life almost seems like it’s back to some semblance of normalcy, yet grief always lingers like a dark shadow that looms in the background. Our family is now almost a year and a half removed from my late-wife’s departure from this earth and the further we get it seems the more capable we are to cope but we still have our bad days. It’s also been a year since we released my feature documentary Made With Melanie and in this post I’d like to share some of my thoughts, feelings and observations about it. Additionally I was fortunate enough to give the keynote speech at this years Pat Tillman Foundation Leadership Summit in Chicago. Take a watch below to hear some of my story, why I became a filmmaker and share what happened to Melanie and the film about her. Read to the end of the blog for some big personal news!
Read MoreThe University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts is a world renowned film program that some notable filmmakers like George Lucas, John Carpenter, Ryan Coogler and Ron Howard have attended. The Master’s in Fine Arts program boasts a 3% acceptance rate and the school has been named in the top three of best film schools for decades. I was among some of the older students in my cohort and one of the only one’s married, with kids and a veteran, so at times it was very challenging, but in the end worth it. In this blog post I’ll share a bit about my journey through USC and the impact it made on me as a filmmaker with some of my student films I’ve made along the way.
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