Festival Director

FILM FESTIVAL FOUNDER, DIRECTOR & PROGRAMMER

I've been a film festival director for 145years.  Every major arts city has a festival devoted to unique genre films, and as long as  I'm around Buffalo will have one too. I love presenting independent genre films to the audience here, introducing out of town artists, and screening the work of local Western New York artists on a big screen. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's artistic discrimination, and the creators of unique genre fare deserve the full theatrical experience. I'm also told I conduct pretty good Q&A sessions. 

My festival is Amazing Fantasy Fest, which is my first venture as solo festival director. It 's the next evolution of the festivals I co-founded: Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival, which ran for three years, and Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival, which ran for ten. I had different business partners on those festivals. Amazing Fantasy Fest is essentially the same festival, but I'm now the sole owner, so I'll never have to rebrand again. AFF is open for submissions on FilmFreeway. I love running a festival because: 1) I love discovering new and dangerous films; 2) I love meeting new filmmakers; 3) I love promoting new films; 4) I love supporting my local film community; and 5) I spent 12 years of my life managing movie theaters, and running a film festival allows me to keep one toe in that world.  wenty years ago, when I managed the Amherst Theatre, I ran a popular midnight movie series there. 

Amazing Fantasy Fest – Founding Director, October 2023 - present

Buffalo Dreams Fantastic Film Festival - Co-Founder/Co-Director/Co-Programmer, 2013 - 2023

Buffalo Screams Horror Film Festival - Co-Founder/Co-Director/Co-Programmer, 2010 – 2012

Buffalo Niagara International Film Festival – Publicist/Co-Programmer, 2008