My Very First Blog

I got fired from my job in Feburary 2006 and re-evaluated my life and decided to go back to college to live the life that I wanted instead of the one that I fell into as a drone in corporate America. Now I'm very happy as a filmmaking student in New York City at Katharine Gibbs School. So what if I'm the oldest one in my class (I'm even older than my instructors)? Most of my classmates are young enough to be my children but they accept me like an equal. They are all very talented and smart young men and women and I think will be major contributors to the film and video industries one day. I finally feel like I'm on the path to doing something that will make a difference in the world and in my life. I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe having a job. And maybe meeting a nice guy to curl up with on these cold winter nights like we've been having lately.

My whole reason for going to film school was because a few years ago I took a screenwriting workshop at "The Writer's Voice" at the West Side YMCA. It was a great workshop and the instructor, Charles Schulman was THE BEST!!!!!! I eventually learned how to develop and write screenplays. I finally finished a screenplay that I was very happy with and considered it "my baby" and then we talked about what to do with it after it was done. One of the things that I didn't want to happen was that I would sell it and a studio would change the entire story as I had written it. So one day I read this book by Robert Rodriguez called "Rebel Without A Crew" and in it he spoke about he how he made his first film "El Mariachi" and became one of the biggest Directors in Hollywood. So it gave me an idea: Maybe I should go to film school and learn how to make my own films instead of selling my story away.

Now after being in school for 7 months, I am having the time of my life. Learning all about filmmaking for the digital age. I'm doing really well too. I hope that when I get out that I can get a job working with a major network or maybe learning my craft as an apprentice for a one of my favorite directors like Mira Nair, John Waters, Ang Lee or Spike Lee. I've followed all of their careers and love watching their visions unfold on screen. I hope to be just as great as they are one day.

I'd be curious to know if there are any other 40-somethings out there who believe that it's never to late to follow your dreams. Just because we are no longer the MTV generation or eligible for reality show like "American Idol" doesn't me we have to give up on our dreams. Personally, I really don't care what someone like Simon Cowell has to say about my talent. Any comments?