Festival Director

FILM FESTIVAL FOUNDER, DIRECTOR & PROGRAMMER

I've been a film festival director for 14 years.  Every major arts city has a festival devoted to unique genre films, and as long as  I'm around Buffalo will have one. 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 aso told I conduct pretty good Q&A sessions. 

My new 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. Amazing Fantasy Fest is open for submissions on FilmFreeway, and debuts Friday the 13th, September 2024; it will run for seven days at Dipson Theatres' Amherst Theatre. Twenty years ago, when I managed the Amherst, I ran a popular midnight movie series there, and I love the theater and crew. I also have a great team of people reviewing submissions.

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