Proud to announce that Maturity has won two Telly Awards— Bronze for Comedy and Gold for Music (thanks to an incredible original score spanning hip hop, salsa, and jazz by Justin D. Wright). I had the extreme pleasure of creating this show. It aired last January, and we are thrilled to be honored alongside such hilarious comedy programming in the TV space.
I had the pleasure of producing upcoming romantic drama, Angelfish, starring Destiny Frasqueri (Princess Nokia) and Jimi Stanton last fall. The film is now complete, and we are SO excited to share a first glimpse of it.
Uploaded by Angelfish Official on 2019-05-14.
ANGELFISH is a coming-of-age love story set against the backdrop of the Bronx in 1993. It tells the story of Eva (played by rapper, Princess Nokia) and Brendan (Jimi Stanton, The Punisher on Netflix) a young couple from different worlds who change each other’s lives over the course of a summer.
I am proud to have produced this film alongside the incredible, Rabia Sultana, who has made four films with me now. The film will make its world premiere in 2019. Keep up to date on screenings and ways to watch through the Angelfish instagram! All photos by Ramy Mam.
FLOORED that Interference has been officially selected as one of 15 films in the NBCU Short Film Festival. This incredible initiative aims to diversify the film and TV industries from the ground up, cultivate new talent and voices, and create a pipeline to bringing new artists into the NBC family.
As a writer and director who has been making my living in film and TV production for four years now, it is so exciting to see a major network take meaningful steps to create a lasting change in our industry. I cannot wait to meet all of the hard-working, committed people who make a festival like this possible, and to get to know the work of the other filmmakers who are sharing the lineup!
Check out the list of films here!
FREE tickets can be reserved for the NY screening (we screen Tuesday, August 14th) here!
Very proud to have shared Interference with the March on Washington Film Festival audience, a festival focused on illuminating civil rights issues and increasing awareness and action.
Festivals like this remind me what an incredible opportunity filmmakers have to impact their communities through art.
Man-Babies, the independent TV comedy pilot I produced (with Ruya Koman) and co-starred in (with Tyler Hollinger, Collin Smith, and Surina Jindal) won seven awards at NYC Independent Film Festival this weekend. In the TV pilot category, we took home:
BEST COMEDY, BEST ACTRESS (me! haha!), BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (Surina Jindal), BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (Collin Smith), BEST ENSEMBLE CAST, BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN (Kory Diskin), and BEST COSTUMES (Fern Cozine).
I also had the immense pleasure of participating in a panel hosted by Jeff Ayars about creating your own work with some of my personal heroes, Tyler Hollinger (creator of Man-Babies), Sonja O'Hara (creator of Doomsday, Astral, and many more shows), Michael Melamedroff (direcotr/producer of THE PROBLEM WITH APU), and Victor Cruz (BLUE BLOODS, creator of THE STOCK ROOM). We had a wonderful time sharing our war stories with a packed house, I absolutely love meeting and speaking with emerging filmmakers.
After an unbelievable premiere and some tears during our Q+A, I'm so pleased to announce that Home Street Home took the prize for Best Short Doc at Harlem Film Festival this weekend.
I co-directed this film with Tyler Hollinger and co-produced with Phil Sullivan and Shane Duffy, our EP. We are very grateful to Damian and his family for opening up to us and helping to destigmatize the homeless epidemic.
Please stay up to date on our story and check out our trailer here!
Our team is over the moon to announce that our documentary, HOME STREET HOME, will receive its world premiere at the Harlem International Film Festival this Sunday May 6th at 5PM. I had the good fortune of co-directing this film with Tyler Hollinger. It was executive produced by Shane Duffy, and we had an absolutely incredible crew.
Synopsis: In 2015 Shane Duffy met a homeless man Damian 'Dean' Cummings. In an effort to directly help one man's life, Shane built a 'Hidden Home' disguised as a dumpster. Damian lived in this home for over a year on the streets of SOHO NYC and know one suspected otherwise. In 2017 the NYPD took Damian's home away after the NY POST broke the story, thus returning him to the streets. Now the duo is being threatened with 10 days of jail and a $500 fine.
Photo: Jamal Solomon.
I am honored to announce that "Interference," a short dramatic thriller I wrote, co-directed, and co-produced will receive its World Premiere on April 28th as part of BAMCinematek's New Voice in Black Cinema Festival.
I had been trying to make this film for years. Its script was shortlisted for many grants and awards including Nantucket Film Festival's Tony Cox/Showtime Screenwriting Award, ScreenCraft's Production Fund, WeScreenplay's Production Grant, and Hell's Half Mile's Pitch Fest. Through the love and support of an incredible cast and crew, we were finally able to make this film a reality. I am so extraordinarily proud of what we were able to accomplish and humbled to have directed such a talented group of people. We are especially honored to have the opportunity to elevate the black artists that made this film what it is and sincerely hope you can join us at one of my absolute favorite theaters in New York!
Photo: Krittin Patkuldilok
The show is a half-hour comedy about a senior living facility in the Bronx. It follows a nurse, who has just relocated from Kansas to New York, as she starts her new job working with a very lively group of senior residents (who are not above a little hazing). However, her past may not be as far behind her as she thinks....
I am so in love with the incredible team that came together to make this pilot a reality-- especially our AMAZING cast, who brought it to life in ways I couldn't have dreamed possible. They are such an inspiration, and I have SO MANY ideas for what will happen to them next!
You can check out some of the very cool press surrounding the show here:
Aphasia, a film I wrote, produced, and acted in, is now available on Amazon (and included with your Amazon Prime membership)! Check it out here!
The film is a sci-fi drama about the consequences of relying on smart technology, and it premiered in 2015 as an Official Selection of Tribeca Film Festival. It screened on United Airlines and at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Hell's Half Mile, Nighthawk Shorts Fest and Cinevana Istanbul.
It's been an amazing week at NYTVF! I've learned so much from the good people at CAA, ICM, Warner Bros, HBO, FOX, Hulu, and more. I owe a huge THANK YOU to Made in NY and NY MOME for inviting me to the festival as an Official Artist this year for my original comedy series, MATURITY (airing this January!)
The show is a half-hour comedy about a senior living facility in the Bronx. We are putting the finishing touches on it this week. Massive gratitude to our incredible post and creative teams who have been pouring their love into making this show the best it can possibly be, especially Jamie Zelermyer, my incredible EP who has been such a phenomenal collaborator and fearless leader!
Making COMPATIBILITY was an incredible experience form start to finish. I was fortunate to have the chance to be directed by my fellow Tribeca Film Festival alum, Jack Marchetti; I worked for the very first time with my producing soul mate, Ruya Koman; and I finally had the chance to collaborate with artists I had wanted to work with for years.
The film recently made its world premiere as part of Hell's Half Mile Film Festival, where I had the pleasure of screening Aphasia a few years back. This programming team and their audience are nothing by supportive and enthusiastic about independent film.
The short asks "What would the world be like if your computer could tell you who your soulmate was?" It is part of a larger feature which we are currently putting together, and it is now available online! Check it out!
Writer/director: Jack Marchetti; starring John Kroft and Robin Rose Singer; produced by Robin Rose Singer and Ruya Koman; Director of Photography: Daniel Katz.
What if it were possible to predict the success of a relationship before the first date? Compatibility is a proof of concept short based on my upcoming feature film whose screenplay was a 2015 Academy Nicholl Fellowship quarterfinalist. It's about a Facebook engineer who builds an algorithm to test his romantic compatibility with an attractive tech journalist using their Facebook profile data. Directed by Jack Marchetti Written by Jack Marchetti & Brian Marchetti Produced by Robin Rose Singer, Ruya Koman, Heather DiPietro Director of Photography: Daniel Katz Starring: John Kroft, Robin Rose Singer, Austin Scott, Hannah Duncan, Christie Maturo and Christina Rose. http://compatibility.io 2017 Official Selection Hell's Half Mile Film and Music Festival Short of the Week : https://oneroomwithaview.com/2017/08/28/short-of-the-week-compatibility/
MAN-BABIES, an original TV comedy pilot that I starred in and co-produced with the incredible Ruya Koman, will world premiere in a few short days at the Independent TV Festival!
The show was created by Tyler Hollinger and is a half-hour original comedy about the world's first pregnant man. Or is he....?
ADULT BEHAVIOR, my original comedy pilot, has officially been set up for production via a wonderful initiative that is the collaboration of the NYC MOME/Made in NY, IFP, NYC Media, and the Feirstein at Steiner Studios.
The show is a half-hour comedy about a girl from Kansas who takes a job at a senior housing facility in the Bronx. I am beyond thrilled to be able to put such a diverse and FUN cast of characters on the small screen.
I will also be playing the Alex Meadowbrook, a recurring regular as the main character's buttoned up, Kansas-bred sister.
The pilot will be produced by the incredible Jamie Zelermyer (former VP of Physical Production at Focus Features/Rogue Pictures) and Brian Petersen, EP'ed by Jonathan Wacks, and directed by Rose Haag. Special shout out to Jackie Blain for her guidance during development as well and major congrats to Patty Carey-Perazzo, the writer of HALF-LIFE, which starts production right after we wrap!
More info on the projects, programs, and people involved:
http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/nyc-media-womens-scriptwriting-winners-1202033733/
http://deadline.com/2017/04/nyc-script-contest-winners-announced-1202072006/
So honored to be working on HOME STREET HOME, a new documentary I am co-directing with Tyler Hollinger and producing, tells the story of Dean Cummings, a formerly-homeless man who has been living in Soho in a home that looks like a dumpster for almost a year.
You can learn more about Dean's story in the meantime by visiting IAmSupported.org.
NO KICKS LEFT BEHIND, a feature I wrote with Lai Cheung, has been shortlisted for the Orb Media Group's China-Hollywood Screenwriting Fellowship. The advisors for this program, which includes a cross-cultural trip to China, have brought to life some pretty massive films including the RUSH HOUR films, HACKSAW RIDGE, CORALINE, WAYNE'S WORLD, ROBOT & FRANK and many more, and we are so excited to have a chance to work with them.
NO KICKS is a family-driven story centering around brother and sister martial artists, rebuilding their relationship after their father passes away suddenly. This shortlist represents the top 8% of entries to the program.
More info here: https://screencraft.org/2017/03/23/orb-media-group-china-hollywood-screenwriting-fellowship-semifinalists-announced/
Very excited to be part of a reading of Ruthellen Cheney and Jesse Tendler's feature script, CAROUSEL, in the Acura Lounge on Main St. at Sundance!
Join us by RSVPing here!
Thrilled to announce that pre-production has begun on the half-hour mystery-comedy, MAN-BABIES. The show is written and directed by Tyler Hollinger (co-written by Colin Smith.)
I play Miranda, the girlfriend of the main character, Charlie (played by Tyler himself) in this fascinating meditation on gender norms, YouTube fame, and scientific impossibilities.
Casting is underway and we are all really excited to bring this hysterical project to life in early March.
More about the project below!
MAN-BABIES
Series Overview
30 Min Comedy/Mystery
Created by Tyler Hollinger
Written by Tyler Hollinger & Colin Smith
In the vein of classic cinematic masterpieces like the perennial “Junior”, “Man-Babies” is a timeless male pregnancy story with a twist. In a land not so far away, Brooklyn to be exact, one person struggles with both the hardships and the magic of birthing life... too bad he is a man and this is 2017 where a pregnant man is about as accepted as a Trump presidential victory. Charlie, a naïve-but-likeable writer with a vivid imagination, a taste for spicy foods and a penchant for miniature pigs is ambushed by reality when 12 pregnancy tests come back positive and the crushing reality that he is the first pregnant man EVER comes knocking at his door.
When Charlie learns of this anomaly, almost by accident he is forced to confide in his less-than-receptive girlfriend, Miranda, who may or may not be the mother of the child. Meanwhile his erstwhile best friend, the bearded Eli, is more than excited and thinks pre-natal visits are a good excuse for Moscow Mules. Charlie is subsequently kicked out of his girlfriend's apartment due to his untimely pregnancy and forced not only to move in with Eli, in his bleak apartment, but the bigger choice of whether or not to keep the child. Charlie realizes that this child is coming to term(s) ... with him! Initially doubtful, now a doting father, Charlie and Eli have created a birthing plan along with matching furniture sets and a house, no a home, ready for a child.
Little do they know that due to Charlie’s social media fame, his girlfriend Miranda angles to get back in the relationship to revel in the rewards of his snapchat following. Eli and Miranda come to blows in the dramatic conclusion.
Finally, with no-one else to turn to Charlie is forced to bear the child himself and the long dark road toward single parenthood.
I am so proud to announce that 'Mr. Richardson,' the crazy pipe dream I had a few months ago, is now in the final stages of post-production.
In April, my dear friend and frequent collaborator, Ben Kanes, called me up and said, "Hey, let's make a film. Why don't you write something contained and manageable that we can shoot together some weekend?" I said I'd be thrilled to. What resulted was an action-comedy far beyond the scope of what any sane person would ever attempt to make in a week. Six months, 27 cast members, 40-plus crew members, fights, blood, hand-built props, and a whole lot of love later-- I had directed my first film.
I can't express enough times what a dream of a shoot we had. So many people from so many different moments of my life and career came together to make this crazy thing happen, and it wouldn't have been the same without any one of them.
As someone who has been a professional actor and producer for years now, I went into this shoot assuming I would have to make compromises. (If you ever feel a little too starry-eyed, a gig as a line producer will cure you quickly.) I feel so lucky to say that my team made this film a total dream to make, and the compromises were precious few.
You can check out that list of incredible humans here. Follow 'Mr. Richardson' on Instagram or add us on Facebook for more updates!