Rex Sikes' Movie Beat

Daniel Noe is a screenwriter, indie film maker, and producer. As a writer he has written eight feature length, speculative screenplays, and have six more in various stages of writing. Noe started writing in 1990, under the trained hand of Esther Glazer. Esther had worked at CBS Studios with the writers block. Since, he has written following the wisdom of Lew Hunter, Professor Emeritus of UCLA’s prestigious Screenwriting 434 graduate class, through his book, and following The Colony, online, which he hosts in Superior, Nebraska. Since 1989, he has worked within the film industry, spending the majority of my experience within the Independent world of film. His on set, below the line experience covers set design/ construction, grip/ electric/ rigging, sound boom operator, props, production management and AD unit. Noe has worked in L.A., Dallas, New Orleans, Atlanta. Daniel's film experience above the line is very young. Up to 2008 most of his producing work has been with SAG ultra-low budget pictures and be

Ted Hope is recognized, by The Hollywood Reporter and other publications, as one of the most influential and powerful people in Independent Film. Hope is currently in pre-production on SUPER, written and to be directed by James Gunn, and starring Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page and Liv Tyler. He recently completed Greg Mottola’s ADVENTURELAND -r eleased on April 3, 2009. Hope’s 2007 production of Oscar-winner Alan Ball’s feature film directorial debut, TOWELHEAD, marked his 18th production of a first time feature film director. In addition to Ball, Hope has brought to the screen the first features of Todd Field, Michel Gondry, Hal Hartley, Nicole Holofcener, Moises Kaufman, and Bob Pulcini & Shari Berman, among others. Along with his Good Machine partner James Schamus, Hope produced Ang Lee's early films including RIDE WITH THE DEVIL (1999), THE ICE STORM (1997), EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994), the Academy Award nominated THE WEDDING BANQUET (1993), and PUSHING HANDS (1992). Hope has received numerous awards and ho

Mark Stolaroff is an indie producer & a founding partner of Antic Pictures, an LA-based production company producing a slate of low budget, high quality digital features. Stolaroff produced Pig, the 4th feature from award-winning writer/director Henry Barrial (Some Body). With Ron Judkins, Stolaroff produced Barrial's 3rd feature, True Love, developed in the 2003 Sundance Screenwriters Lab & recently played the festival circuit. He also co-produced the 2005 feature documentary Paper Chasers, & was Associate Producer of The Trouble With Men & Women (2006). Stolaroff was formerly a principal of Next Wave Films, a company of The Independent Film Channel that provided finishing funds to exceptional, low budget films; & through its production arm Agenda 2000, financed & executive produced digital features. Included in Next Wave's 13 films are Christopher Nolan's (The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Memento,) first feature, Following; Joe Carnahan's (Narc, Smokin' Aces) first feature, Blood, Gut

Nick Mancuso Pt 4 and I will continue our discussion on creativity, movies, acting and art and who knows what else will come up in this conversation. The legendary critic Walter Kerr of the New York Times called Mancuso’s performance in Merchant of Venice at Stratford Ontario one of the best interpretations of the role of Bassanio in 250 years. In the late 80’s the Los Angeles Times referred to Mancuso as "A Renaissance Man" and Kevin Thomas called his performance in "Ticket To Heaven" one of the best performances of the decade. He has garnered acting awards in Canada, the U.S.A. and in Europe. He has worked in over 10 countries and in three languages having starred opposite legendary performers such as Sophia Loren, Catherine De Neuve and Charlton Heston. In Hollywood he has been called "an actors actor" and "one of the best" by icon producer Robert Evans, producer of "Chinatown" and "Love Story". In 1983 he was invited to become an associate of the

Peter Marshall PT 2 The Director's Series - The nuts & bolts of directing film and television with Peter Marshall. Peter has had a 35-year career & has worked as a PA, dolly grip, electrician, assistant cameraman, commercial production manager, first assistant director, TV series creative consultant, television producer & director. He has worked on industrial films, documentaries; television commercials, music videos; Emmy Award nominated TV series & features. Peter has directed over 30 TV episodes& written, directed or produced over 50 hours of documentary/educational programs. His works have won, or been nominated for 14 International awards. He's worked for directors such as Zack Snyder, John Woo, Ed Wick, Phillip Noyce, John Balham, Roger Adam, Anne Wheeler, Bobby Roth & Kim Manners. He has worked with actors including Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Kathy Bates, Adam Sandler and Peter O'Toole. He was 1st Assistant Director on Steven J.

Kristy Swanson has a lot of TV and movie credits beginning for her at age 9, but you may best know her as the original Buffy in Josh Whedon’s movie “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” or as Adam Sandler’s girlfriend in “Big Daddy”. She appeared in over 30 commercials between the ages 9 & 13 & made several appearances in series such as Cagney and Lacey & Alfred Hitchcock Presents. In 1986, she appeared in the John Hughes films: Pretty In Pink, & Ferris Bueller's Day Off.s Her first starring role was in Wes Craven's Deadly Friend as Samantha In 1987 she starred as Cathy Flowers in the Attic. By 1990, Kristy had numerous television appearances, on Knots Landing (1987-1988), and the Nightingales (1989. She got her first starring role in a TV series, Burt Reynolds show B.L. Stryker (1989). She played the title role in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer, & appeared in both starring & supporting roles in movies the Hot Shots!, The Program, The Chase, Higher Learning,The Phantom,& 8 Heads

Jackie Burch casting director PT 2 We are glad to have Jackie share her knowledge about movies, casting, working with actors - what actors need to know about the casting process & auditioning much more. Casting Director Jackie Burch says about casting “It is a career i cherish & love doing to this day. Every movie I start with the same attitude as if it is my first job.” Her over 60 film credits include “The Breakfast Club” “Mask” “Weird Science” “Commando” “Three Amigos” “Predator” “Coming to America” “Dick Tracy” “Road House” “Die Hard” “Die Hard 2” “Predator 2” “Hudson Hawk” “Beverly Hills Cop 2”“Vegas Vacation” “I Still Know What You DId Last Summer” “End of Days” “The Santa Claus” & many more. After teaching for awhile in another profession (teaching sign language) a friend asked her to come work for him while his assistant was gone. That person was Michael Chinich who was head of casting at Universal & Jackie agreed to do the work. She states she “literally fell into this career but on

Dallas Jenkins director - Pt 2 we will discuss production design, wardrobe and how the director gets the look of the film & much more with Dallas Jenkins produced the $2 million independent "Hometown Legend" at the age of 25, ultimately guiding it to Warner Brothers for distribution. Dallas made his directing debut with the short film "Cliché," which "FilmThreat.com" called "Fast and funny...ingenious," and his next short film, "Midnight Clear", starring Stephen Baldwin, won a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the San Diego Film Festival. In 2006, he was the Co-Executive Producer of "Though None Go With Me," a movie based on his father's book that aired on The Hallmark Channel. His feature directing debut, also called "Midnight Clear," was based on his short film and was featured in over a dozen film festivals, including winning the Cinequest Film Festival award for "Best Fi

Brian Krause is best known for his portrayal of white-lighter Leo Wyatt on Aaron Spelling’s popular, sci-fi program Charmed [1998-2006 / The WB] opposite Alyssa Milano, Rose McGowan, Holly Marie Combs and Shannen Doherty. The actor played the ever-developing character for eight television seasons, and during the fifth season he showcased his writing skills by penning one of the episodes [Sense and Sense Ability]. In May 2006, starring in the series finale marked Krause’s 145th episode on the program. Since completing the series, the actor has taken on a variety of television roles, including: a priest in Lifetime's Devil's Diary, a WWII Colonel in the Sci Fi Channel's Warbirds, a cryptozoologist in the Sci Fi Channel's Beyond Loch Ness, a murder suspect on CBS' CSI: Miami, a firefighter under suspicion on TNT's The Closer and a guest appearance on AMC's Mad Men. Krause will soon be seen as the title character in the independent feature Cyrus. Among the actor's other television credits are: Highway to Heaven,

Sam Auster attended Columbia College Film School. Shortly after, Sam began shooting news for NBC and CNN in Chicago. Auster has written and directed thee feature films. “THE RETURN OF JOE RICH”, (currently in post-production) is a pitch-black comedy about a young man seeking redemption by joining the Mafia. “THE RAPE OF EDEN”, is a futuristic action adventure, released on video by West Side Studios. His first feature, “SCREEN TEST”, a teen sex comedy, was theatrically released by CineTel and shipped a record number of units on home video through RCA/Columbia. Auster has won multiple Echo awards for his commercial work He recently directed the national spots “Open Road” for ProtectMyID.com, “Haz-Mat” for Reynolds Aluminum, and the animated spot “Missing Something” for TurboTax. Auster has shot and directed numerous other commercials for companies such as AARP, Burger King, Skechers USA, LowerMyBills.com, and Carbite Golf. He also directed “Stick Figure”, an animated spot for FreeCreditReport.com, which

Nick Mancuso Pt 3 and I will continue our discussion on creativity, movies, acting and art and who knows what else will come up in this conversation. The legendary critic Walter Kerr of the New York Times called Mancuso’s performance in Merchant of Venice at Stratford Ontario one of the best interpretations of the role of Bassanio in 250 years. In the late 80’s the Los Angeles Times referred to Mancuso as "A Renaissance Man" and Kevin Thomas called his performance in "Ticket To Heaven" one of the best performances of the decade. He has garnered acting awards in Canada, the U.S.A. and in Europe. He has worked in over 10 countries and in three languages having starred opposite legendary performers such as Sophia Loren, Catherine De Neuve and Charlton Heston. In Hollywood he has been called "an actors actor" and "one of the best" by icon producer Robert Evans, producer of "Chinatown" and "Love Story". In 1983 he was invited to become an associate of the

Dallas Jenkins produced the $2 million independent "Hometown Legend" at the age of 25, ultimately guiding it to Warner Brothers for distribution. Dallas made his directing debut with the short film "Cliché," which "FilmThreat.com" called "Fast and funny...ingenious," and his next short film, "Midnight Clear", starring Stephen Baldwin, won a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival and was the opening night selection of the San Diego Film Festival. In 2006, he was the Co-Executive Producer of "Though None Go With Me," a movie based on his father's book that aired on The Hallmark Channel. His feature directing debut, also called "Midnight Clear," was based on his short film and was featured in over a dozen film festivals, including winning the Cinequest Film Festival award for "Best First Feature" and the "Audience Choice" award at the Kansas Int'l Film Festival. It's currently available on DVD from Lionsgate.

David H Lawrence XVll After a 30 year career on radio in markets from New York to San Francisco to satellite and network, David H. Lawrence XVII decided to make a change. He hung up his headphones and retired from hosting 3 network/satellite radio shows to head to Los Angeles, to concentrate solely on acting in front of the camera. This new phase of Lawrence's performance career seems to fit him like a glove. The Cleveland native is seen on TBS' Frank TV, CBS' legendary CSI and military thriller The Unit, and his breakout role as one of the Villains, puppet master Eric Doyle on NBC's smash hit Heroes, has sci-fi fans and the media buzzing. Lawrence also stars in new media as well, a series regular on the webisodic hit Goodnight Burbank playing Frank, the cable station's lecherous general manager. As a new media expert, David Lawrence was heard nightly as the wacky, eclectic and highly opinionated host of The David Lawrence Show, and weekend Online Tonight, both nationally syndicated radio talk shows that revo

Reed Marin Pt 4 Some of those Reed interviewed for his book are independent film icons Kim Peirce, Terry Zwigoff, Werner Herzog, Doug Liman, Harmony Korine, Atom Egoyan, documentary flimmakers Barbara Kopple, Ken Burns, Ric Burns, and 'Pulp Fiction' producer Lawrence Bender, 'Juno' producer Lianne Halfon, and 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' producer Anthony Bregman, among others. Among the directors that talked with Martin were recent Oscar winner Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), Kenneth Lonergan ("You Can Count on Me"), Seth Gordon ("The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters") and Harmony Korine ("Kids"). Reed started work on "The Reel Truth" in 2001 after attending the Sundance Film Festival in 2001 and hearing that many of the biggest names in the independent film world had encountered the very same roadblocks and pitfalls on the road to getting their projects completed. After that he set about compiling a list of production and post-production l

Peter Tolan PT 2 is the man behind the successful FX series “Rescue Me” starring Denis Leary. He began his career writing for sitcoms “Carol & Company” & “Wish You Were Here”. He wrote & co-produced the first six episodes of Tim Allen’s “Home Improvement” & then moved to the hit series “Murphy Brown”, starring Candice Bergen. He worked the series for 3 seasons which resulted in a shared Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1992 as co-producer. Also in 1992 he began writing for Gray Shandling’s “The Larry Sanders Show” on HBO. As the co-executive producer of the series he received 3 CableACE Awards for Comedy Series and he got an Emmy for co-writing with Shandling the series finale episode "Flip".He wrote for the series “Ellen”, “Buddies” & he created the sitcoms “The George Wendt Show” & “Style and Substance”. With comedian Denis Leary Tolan co-created the ABC satiric comedy “The Job”, which also starred Leary as a tough NYPD detective. Though it was cancelled after tw

Jon Reiss author of Think Outside the Box Office is the first nuts-and-bolts guide for filmmakers who want to take control of their own distribution and marketing destiny. Each chapter addresses an essential aspect of a film’s release and gives specific techniques to filmmakers to create success with their films in today’s marketplace. Jon Reiss named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker who has produced and directed three feature films most recently Bomb It about graffiti and the battle over visual public space throughout the world. Based on his experience releasing Bomb It with a hybrid strategy has just published Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era. He also speaks around the world at film festivals, schools and organizations on this topic. Jon teaches film the California Institute for the Arts where he created the class “Reel World Survival Skills: Everything I Wish I Had Been Taught in

Douglas Day Stewart Pt 2 is best known for his original screenplay “An Officer and a Gentleman,” which was based on his own experiences as a Naval Officer Candidate undergoing rigorous training, while falling in love with a factory girl looking for a “ticket out of nowhere.” In addition to the many accolades and awards garnered by the film, “Officer” was recently listed by the American Film Institute as one of the ten highest grossing love stories in cinema history. Stewart’s other writing credits include the enduring first “Blue Lagoon” with Brooke Shields, the acclaimed “The Boy In the Plastic Bubble”, (the ABC television movie that launched John Travolta’s career), and “The Scarlet Letter,” Stewart’s much maligned take on Hawthorne’s classic novel, starring Demi Moore. Stewart wrote and directed the cult favorite “Thief of Hearts” (which boasts clubs of women around the country) and the controversial “Listen to Me.” Stewart has been nominated for an Academy Award, and for an Emmy, and for numerous Write

Peter Marshall Pt 1 The Director's Series - The nuts & bolts of directing film and television with Peter Marshall. Peter has had a 35-year career & has worked as a PA, dolly grip, electrician, assistant cameraman, commercial production manager, first assistant director, TV series creative consultant, television producer & director. He has worked on industrial films, documentaries; television commercials, music videos; Emmy Award nominated TV series & features. Peter has directed over 30 TV episodes& written, directed or produced over 50 hours of documentary/educational programs. His works have won, or been nominated for 14 International awards. He's worked for directors such as Zack Snyder, John Woo, Ed Wick, Phillip Noyce, John Balham, Roger Adam, Anne Wheeler, Bobby Roth & Kim Manners. He has worked with actors including Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Spacey, Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, Mel Gibson, Kathy Bates, Adam Sandler and Peter O'Toole. He was 1st Assistant Director on Steven J.

Peter Tolan is the man behind the successful FX series “Rescue Me” starring Denis Leary. He began his career writing for sitcoms “Carol & Company” & “Wish You Were Here”. He wrote & co-produced the first six episodes of Tim Allen’s “Home Improvement” & then moved to the hit series “Murphy Brown”, starring Candice Bergen. He worked the series for 3 seasons which resulted in a shared Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series in 1992 as co-producer. Also in 1992 he began writing for Gray Shandling’s “The Larry Sanders Show” on HBO. As the co-executive producer of the series he received 3 CableACE Awards for Comedy Series and he got an Emmy for co-writing with Shandling the series finale episode "Flip".He wrote for the series “Ellen”, “Buddies” & he created the sitcoms “The George Wendt Show” & “Style and Substance”. With comedian Denis Leary Tolan co-created the ABC satiric comedy “The Job”, which also starred Leary as a tough NYPD detective. Though it was cancelled after two sea

Dylan Avery is a 26 year old filmmaker currently residing in San Diego, California. In 2002, he began research for a feature length film based upon the premise that the events of 9/11 were not all they were cracked up to be. It was during that research it became clear the events did not add up in real life, as well. After years of writing, editing, and test shoots, the project evolved from a feature film into a documentary. The first edition was released on April 13th, 2005, and spawned a small underground following. The 2nd Edition, released in December of 2005, evolved into an internet phenomenon whose spread has yet to be matched ... The "Loose Change" series has been seen by over 100 million people across the globe, translated into a number of different languages and screened in libraries, classrooms, and of course, movie theaters. The 2nd Edition dominated the charts of Google Video in 2006, consistently ranking #1 for over a month, beating out Stephen Colbert's scathing White House Correspo