PERSONALITIES FROM AFM 2024
Well, it’s me. It’s him. It’s T.I.M. In this edition, I will talk about all the wacky and unique characters I met during the week at the American Film Market. There were times I would pass someone for the first time in the halls, and we would talk back and forth about projects and other things on our minds, and we would hit it off. I would see those faces again at panels or a meeting and recognize them, and it felt as though we had known each other for years. When in reality, I met him/her yesterday or five hours ago. We became a Band of Brothers. Or I should say a Band of Brothers and Sisters. We became a little gypsy nomad tribe encouraging each other to watch their work, a teaser trailer, or read a synopsis. It was fun! My favorite is when I would run into people in the elevator I knew ten years ago who worked in Hollywood and were there. A lot of what brought you here. What are you working on? It was amazing to see familiar and new faces.
In particular, Stuart from ITN, a studio right here in Las Vegas. His accolades included Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey horror movies where it was in the public domain. It was nice catching up with him. Oh, and my friend Lloyd Kaufman from Troma Films, who moderated a panel at AFM. He and I hung out. Another friend, Chris Gore, was on a panel moderating on behalf of Film Threat. He and I did a livestream for his channel, and we had a great time catching up.
I met a lady named Erin Tatum, who was moving around the event in her mobility scooter and promoting her interview series, Wheel Life Stories. She writes for online magazines, including Vogue. This year, she covered the Paralympics in Paris. Another group was the guy behind Vegas Traffic, a movie about sex trafficking in Las Vegas, and his actor buddy, John Molinaro. We all hung out. A gentleman was trying to sell an army movie, and a woman who looked like Winona Ryder was a screenwriter I met at the bar. She was from Greece but lived in Toronto. She was really cool.
I went to the Women in Film mixer, recommended by Danette Tull from the Nevada Film Commission. Danette is an amazing human who does a lot of fantastic work bringing people together and suggesting ideas to get noticed; overall, a wonderful person. At the Women in Film, there were a lot of actors, writers, editors, and producers who were all making things happen. I even hired a line producer after the meeting. Tonya Todd was there; she was one of my actors in Hell’s Coming for You. She is a fantastic and wonderful person. It was great catching up with her.
A producer from Orka Studios in Poland, Marta Krzeptowska. We spent time together, and she was wonderful. Oh my God, there was even a lady, Ally Wolfe, a producer, selling her horror flick TERROIR. Janella Christa will star in and direct, and it gives off if the movie Sideways were a horror film. Three couples head into wine country for a getaway; it turns sinister when they discover the vineyard staff is a cult using guest bodies as fertilizer for their well-known diet of biodynamic wines. It sounds amazing. What a great idea. I really want to see it and be involved; hell, I’d love to produce it.
Then, there was a group of guys I spent time with and interviewed from Dinosaur Rumblings Entertainment (video below). I sat down with Brett Roblez, owner, Drew Cookenmaster, distribution/marketing (the numbers guy), and Everett Baudean, their legal guy. This year at AFM, they were promoting two films, one a Civil War movie taking it from the side of the Confederacy. The other is a true crime documentary, Dead People, Crazy People, Drugs and Politicians, about a corrupt small-town coroner and a pedophile sheriff who think they can continue their illicit schemes unchecked; they make the mistake of targeting the wrong man’s wife. “The movie is hard to watch, and a lot of truths are revealed,” says Drew.
Anywhere from Everett stepping in to make sure they don’t break the rules and Drew’s ability to be the numbers guy, Dinosaur Rumblings Entertainment is not a ‘g’ rated company, despite the name. They are a legitimate company that can compete with anyone else. They want to provide stories that can be told. Brett also dabbled in everything from music videos to commercials, narrative, slasher, and zombie films. He isn’t opposed to stepping in and doing what his company needs to succeed.
A huge thank you to Jennifer Garnick, Vice President of Communications for the Independent Film and Television Alliance. She went over the top to help a new press contact get acclimated with AFM. Even steering me toward where I wasn’t supposed to go. So, thank you for keeping me on course. She was amazing and wonderful.
So, you see, all kinds of great folks were at AFM this year—tons of opportunities from panels to meetings and after parties. I even managed to pick up an option for my nudist Christian films. I won’t go into details yet, but just know yours truly will have an experience unlike anything I’ve ever had. When the time is right, I will spill the beans. But it’s going to be very cool, very exciting!
On my desk, I have a plethora of business cards with their faces on them and emails to follow up on from a lot of the amazing people I met at AFM. You will not find a more eclectic place full of unique creatives than here at AFM. I gained so many new friends.
Now, I’m ready to get to work!
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