A Life in Movies and Music

It started with movies. My dad was an Academy Award–winning producer who co-founded one of the first true indie film companies — the one said to have broken the back of the studio system. They took on old Hollywood and won, turning out both blockbusters and critical hits while I was still in grade school.

By the time I hit high school, the Vietnam War was raging. I had a deferment for a while, but eventually dropped out and moved to Paris. Things got a little wild — I ended up in a Swiss jail (the first of three). When I reached Amsterdam, I learned I’d been drafted, so I flew home to fight it.

A year later, my girlfriend and I took off for Mexico and wound up in Costa Rica. She’d managed a small juice bar in Berkeley, and we parlayed that experience into a full-scale California-style restaurant in San José.

Eventually, I came back to L.A. to work with my semi-retired dad. We nearly produced his comeback film at Paramount — with Jack Nicholson, John Frankenheimer, a first-time screenwriter named Michael Mann, and a polish from Michael Cimino. But when new executives took over the studio, the project was shelved.

So I went off-grid for a couple of years in the backwoods of Northern California. We threw great parties and played music with our amps powered by wind generators — there was no electricity, but no shortage of energy.

Later, I joined a band with Woody Guthrie’s son, Joady, which led to a recording deal with Fantasy Records. Before we could start, I took my guitar to Seymour Duncan’s shop in Santa Barbara. That one visit turned into a job, and I eventually ran International Sales and Artist Relations — working with players like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, John Fogerty, James Burton, and Peter Frampton.

Film was always my true calling. Since then, I’ve produced or written three features and more than ten documentaries — shown in over thirty-five film festivals worldwide, including Venice, Telluride, Sitges, Leeds, and Deauville — winning awards for Best Film, Best
Documentary, and my personal favorite, Social Justice.

These days, I make political documentaries and play in the Sandy Sutton Band.

When I first started this website years ago, I just wanted to tell the story of a young guy who’d had some wild adventures. I figured that was enough.

I don’t have kids, and I know I’ll live on mostly in the memories of a few people. But this website — this work — will still be here after I’m gone. I used to think it was just a place to share good stories. Now I realize it means more than that.

This site is a collection of my life’s work: the films, songs, and screenplays I’ve created, and the people I’ve met along the way. You’ll see some awards and praise, but what matters most are the stories — and the people behind them. I’ve always been drawn to the underdog, the ones who don’t have an easy road: townspeople fighting City Hall to save a local landmark, an after-school arts program for kids who need a break, a feature and documentary about the homeless community in my own backyard.

All my screenplays circle the same theme: war — its destruction, its reach, and how it always finds a way to hurt the innocent. One is set in 1871 with the Nez Perce; another in 1968, between New York and Vietnam; and a third follows a modern journey from the Midwest to Ukraine. The time and place change, but the story is always the same — just with different names and weapons.

These are the things that have mattered to me — what I’ve spent my life working on, and what I’ll leave behind.

My father was an Academy Award-winning producer and founding partner of an independent film company that “broke the back of the studio system.” They produced blockbusters and had great critical acclaim while I was in grade school.

In high school and then college, the Vietnam War was raging. Despite my 2S deferment, I dropped out to live in Paris. I did some crazy teenage things and ended up in a Swiss jail (the first of 3). When I got to Amsterdam, I found out I had received my induction notice and returned to the States to fight the draft.

A year later, I set off for Mexico with my girlfriend, ending up in Costa Rica, where we somehow parlayed her experience as a manager of a juice bar in Berkeley into becoming partners and co-owners of a California-themed restaurant in San Jose.

Eventually returning to LA, I began working with my semi-retired father. We got close to producing his comeback picture at Paramount with Jack Nicholson and John Frankenheimer, a script by first-time screenwriter Michael Mann, and a production polish by Michael Cimino. But there was a regime change, and our project got dropped, so I went off the grid for a couple of years into the backwoods of Northern California—great parties and music. Our amps were powered by wind generators (no electricity).

I also started playing in a band with Woody Guthrie’s son Joady, which led to a recording deal at Fantasy Records, but first, I had to have my guitar checked out. I was in Santa Barbara, so I went to see Seymour Duncan. This chance meeting led to an entry-level position… I worked my way up to running Int’l Sales and Artist Relations and met and worked with Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, James Burton, and many others. But film remained my passion, so I switched careers and ended up producing or writing three feature films and over 10 documentaries. These films have screened at some of the world’s top festivals, including Venice, Telluride, Seattle, Sitges, and over 30 others, winning Best Film, Best Doc, Best Actor, Best Score, and my favorite, Social Justice.

These days, I make political documentaries and play in the Sandy Sutton Band. I hope you’ll keep reading.

When I made the first pass on this website years ago, I didn’t know what I was after. I wanted to tell a story about a young guy who had some interesting adventures and then bring it up to date. I thought that was enough.

I don’t have any kids. I know I’ll live on in the memory and maybe even the hearts of a few. But the website will be there forever, and someday, someone will stumble upon it. Perhaps it’ll be interesting and entertaining, and that’s fine and probably good enough, but now I realize it means something more to me and always did, even if I didn’t know it at the time.

This site is filled with my movies and songs. They’re mainly about the underdog, about homeless families, kids in an after-school program because they’re poor and disadvantaged, a doc about the threat of Trump. And my screenplays, all with the same anti-war theme. One is set in 1871 (with the Nez Perce), another in 1968 (NYC, Paris, Vietnam), and a contemporary one set in the Midwest and Ukraine. It’s the same war, with different names and weapons.

That’s what has been important to me, what I’ve worked on and will leave behind. I hope you’ll keep reading.