Homemade Cinema short films

After teaching Speech and Drama at community colleges for many years I started teaching adults in corporate settings. I became certified to teach emotional intelligence (my work in drama prepared me for this). My specialities in adult learning are public speaking, storytelling and emotional intelligence. I continue to teach as a freelance instructor while I also make films. My films reflect my heart as an educator and always focus on social-emotional themes.

I love to offer rich resources that students can explore independently. I strive to create stories that embrace the diversity of our world. I work to keep my “casting” open and feature dolls of different ethnicities. A recent film had a white GI Joe doll father, a Latina-doll mother, and an African American doll daughter. My comedy short, “Would You Rather I was Dead,” centered on a gay couple. Through my studies in analytic psychology, I developed a deep love of fairy tales. (Folk tales and fairy tales have been used for thousands of years to provide guidance and solace.) Most all of my films are comedies and many are adapations of fairy and folk tales. These days I’m alternating between my own fully original stories, and my adaptations of folk or fairy tales. All of my work is designed to elicit reflection and discussion. In addition to fairy tales, I create original shorts often exploring politics and the psychological dimensions of contemporary culture.

25+ awards and official selections in film festivals around the world.

Phd Studies – UC Davis / Masters Degree in Drama-- San Francisco State University / Masters Studies in Transpersonal Psychology--John F. Kennedy Univ., Orinda CA / B.A in Communications, Speech and Performing Arts--Northeastern Illinois University

My filmmaking style has been influenced by my very meager budget. I work alone and handle all the costuming, set design, filming, and editing. To save money I create humble set pieces and often provide head transplants to bring new doll faces into my films. My audiences appreciate my scrappy visual aesthetic. I also now teach public speaking and storytelling to adults.