
Ashes of Eden really chanced everything for me. It was this project that put me on a true path to my dream career. I saw ad on MichiganActing.com and I submitted to it. I sent them a monologue I have on my youtube channel. A few days later I received a call from writer/director Shane Hagedorn. We had a really good talk about the role and the project. he then asked me to send in a video audition. I remember being on edge for the next few days at work. I couldn't put my phone down. I was working and felt my phone ring. BOOM, It was Shane. I dropped everything and answered it. He asked me if I liked the script. YES. He asked if I like the role. YES. He offered me the role. YES!!!!! I began to cry at work I was so happy.
SHANE HAGEDORN:
Shane is the writer/director of Ashes of Eden. He also plays a big part in the film. Shane and I hit it off right away. he is a genuine very down to earth person. He is a very good actors director! he always worked with such a positive light. Very calm and collected. To say that i was lucky to work with a director like him for my first project is an understatement. He really knows how to pull you into your emotions. He not only showed me how powerful I can be as an actor, He showed me a lot about what being closer to God can do for my life. Shane is a great friend now!
MY FIRST DAY ON SET:
I got to set feeling the nerves. I had done my hours of preparation yet I still didn't feel ready. Everyone knew who I was already that was really strange for me. I remember standing there while everyone was flying passed me moving lighting and setting up lighting and equipment. My first scene was with Melissa Anschutz and Drew Wise.
MELISSA ANSCHUTZ:
Mel... AKA my movie mom. She will always be my movie mom! Her ability to BRING IT on a movie set is crazy amazing! She's inspiring in every way as an actor. You cannot help but to up your game when you're working beside her. Otherwise you'll look like a FOOL! Between takes she wasn't talking she was in her emotions for her character. She felt and lived every emotion that was necessary for her to perform with perfection. After filming the project her and I became great friends!
DREW WISE:
The little bugger can act! It was honestly a great pleasure to work with such an awesome talent. the guy is awesome! I really felt a brother connection with him. He was very calm and professional on set! Very easy to work with. He is a natural in every way! I know for a fact he will go far in this industry! Actually turns out that he plays basketball on a team with my cousin in law. SMALL WORLD!
DJ PERRY:
What can I really say? He took me under his wing. Nobody has had my back so much like this guy! A pro! An educated successful PRO! He keeps me grounded. He yells at me when necessary and I appreciate every second of it. He is teaching me that as an artist I need to develop myself as a professional and never settle for anything less than professional. PUSH forward! NEVER EVER go backwards! He is a reality slap in the face that I AM somebody and I need to start seeing it that way! He's an amazing actor and awesome amazing producer! CEO of http://cdiproductions.com/. He is the real image of what this industry should be! THANKS BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER!
MICHAEL JOINER:
Another PRO.. We had a very powerful scene in Ashes of Eden that left us both a little bruised. Our chemistry on screen is awesome. I really hope to work with him a lot more in the future. To say that I worked side by side with the LEAD from The Grace Card is unbelievable. To say that Michael Joiner and I are great friends is even more unbelievable. Another true soul that keeps me grounded. He's got my back. Someone that has truly helped me thus far in my career and opened doors I never even knew were there! He's an awesome comedian and a very good friend. Michael and I have a lot in common. He is someone I know I can trust in this industry, I'm thankful to know him. He's a very inspirational christian.
ANTHONY HORNUS:
Anthony was awesome! he put up with a lot of crap from me on set! lol! Our Scene was crazy powerful. It's a very important scene for my character! Anthony is beyond a pro. He works with DJ perry at CDI! I'm very lucky to have someone at his professional stature in my life. He and i hit it off fairly quick on set. Anthony and I have some work in the future coming up and I have a strong feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other throughout our careers in the crazy industry!
CARLUCCI WEYANT:
A great guy! Someone you can really learn a lot from in this industry. He was my arch enemy in Ashes of Eden. playing Angela's brother, the drug dealer. He and i had a very physical fight scene that left us both hurting and one of us bleeding.. Before our scene he told me "If you have to hit me, just do it" that's dedication! He is a producer/actor based out of New York. I can't wait to work with him again! http://www.splitvisionent.com/
MAYRA LEAL:
My first one screen girlfriend. It's very cool to work with such a professional. She gave me a lot of life advice about the industry. things to look out for and things to be excited about. Mayra is a very sweet down to earth person who is a lot of fun to work with. A few times she had me laughing while shooting. She's a breath of fresh air! I hope to work with her again in the future!
ABBY MASON:
WOW! No words. She's awesome! I feel very lucky to be in the same movie with her. She was amazing in Saving Sarah Cain. Abby is an experienced pro. I really enjoyed the ONE scene her and i had together. She played Donnie's girlfriend in Ashes of Eden. I remember her being super excited that she got to play a character that was out of her element. She rocked it out! We hit it off really well behind the scenes instantly becoming good friends. her and I have stayed in touch every since! I really hope to work with her again in the future! She's awesome!
JOSH CARRIZALES:
Josh was also a breath of fresh air to work with. Even though he played another enemy in Ashes of Eden we are not enemies in the real world. Josh is another pro. PROPS TO SHANE FOR HIRING ALL PRO'S. Josh came on set prepared and ready and willing to do what he had to do to rock out his character with perfection. We have some very powerful scenes together! I can't wait for everyone to see them!
REYNALDO RIVERA:
Our set designer. based out of New York. Turns out he is much more than that! An amazing actor! Starring in a crazy good silent short called HEAVY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgV7QMNg4gE Check it out! It's amazing! Rey and I have a project coming up that is going to be a very good experience! He is someone I can relate to and an easy going guy to talk to! Rey and I hit it off right away. I know as a writer/actor he is a very promising future.
OJAN MISSAGHI:
To quote Ojan "I'm so sorry buddy." as he rips the mic off taped to my chest. he was the sound guy. "HOLD FOR SOUND." Another PRO! Ojan is from CA. He and I hit it off right away on set. We are very much alike. I absolutely loved working with him! ANOTHER breath of fresh air! Even as a sound guy he was always willing to make sure the actors were comfortable with anything they may need. He's humble and down to earth! Love this guy! Ojan and I have stayed in touch and are friends!
JESSE LOW:
Our AD. an amazing director with a vision to boot. he was awesome to work with. I am very lucky to know this guy! Jesse and I have a lot in common. He is NOT Jesse to me. He is blue. my character was RED. We thought of that and it's clever! haha. I really really would love to work with Jesse in the future. Some people you don't wanna exclude from you life. He is one of them.
DOMINIC COCHRAN:
Partner of http://ahptic.com/. He was our camera guy. He really has a vision to capture and his collaboration with Shane was nothing short of awesome. Dom is a very unique guy with a strong professional eye to capture some true genius. I am very lucky to have worked with him!
BEN BARKER:
Ben was the first to introduce himself to me on set. He is so very good at what he does.Ben was our script supervisor and was amazing at it. "Steven lift your hand up higher, it was up more in the last take" REALLY BEN? He's a PRO! I know I keep saying these guys are pro's but they really are! Ben is another guy I try to talk to every once in a while. The guy is awesome!
BELLO PIZZIMENTI:
Last but not least at all. Bello played my best friend in Ashes of Eden. he is awesome. He and I have a lot in common. Bello is famous for coming to set with a giant bottle of water. Him and I hit it off right away on set. When he showed up it really was like working with a good friend. him and I sat around and listened to movie scores and talked about acting. This guy rocks. he and I stay in touch every now and again. Good dude!
MY LAST DAY ON SET:
Nothing short of emotional. Full of hugs and goodbyes. I really don't want to talk too much about it. It's a bittersweet thing to end an amazing journey compact full of emotions. Good memories and sad memories and HAPPY ones! Either way it was an amazing experience and I appreciate every second I had with these people.
ASHES OF EDEN:
really, everyone on set was amazing. the amount of professionalism on set was crazy. The Cast/Crew went well above and beyond what they had to. The experience was amazing. To say that I'm luck to have been apart of such an awesome project is an understatement. I know I will see a lot of the same faces in the future on other projects! GUYS, CAN'T WE ALL JUST KEEP MAKING MOVIES TOGETHER! I LOVE YOU ALL YOU'RE MY MOVIE FAMILY!
SHANE HAGEDORN:
Shane is the writer/director of Ashes of Eden. He also plays a big part in the film. Shane and I hit it off right away. he is a genuine very down to earth person. He is a very good actors director! he always worked with such a positive light. Very calm and collected. To say that i was lucky to work with a director like him for my first project is an understatement. He really knows how to pull you into your emotions. He not only showed me how powerful I can be as an actor, He showed me a lot about what being closer to God can do for my life. Shane is a great friend now!
MY FIRST DAY ON SET:
I got to set feeling the nerves. I had done my hours of preparation yet I still didn't feel ready. Everyone knew who I was already that was really strange for me. I remember standing there while everyone was flying passed me moving lighting and setting up lighting and equipment. My first scene was with Melissa Anschutz and Drew Wise.
MELISSA ANSCHUTZ:
Mel... AKA my movie mom. She will always be my movie mom! Her ability to BRING IT on a movie set is crazy amazing! She's inspiring in every way as an actor. You cannot help but to up your game when you're working beside her. Otherwise you'll look like a FOOL! Between takes she wasn't talking she was in her emotions for her character. She felt and lived every emotion that was necessary for her to perform with perfection. After filming the project her and I became great friends!
DREW WISE:
The little bugger can act! It was honestly a great pleasure to work with such an awesome talent. the guy is awesome! I really felt a brother connection with him. He was very calm and professional on set! Very easy to work with. He is a natural in every way! I know for a fact he will go far in this industry! Actually turns out that he plays basketball on a team with my cousin in law. SMALL WORLD!
DJ PERRY:
What can I really say? He took me under his wing. Nobody has had my back so much like this guy! A pro! An educated successful PRO! He keeps me grounded. He yells at me when necessary and I appreciate every second of it. He is teaching me that as an artist I need to develop myself as a professional and never settle for anything less than professional. PUSH forward! NEVER EVER go backwards! He is a reality slap in the face that I AM somebody and I need to start seeing it that way! He's an amazing actor and awesome amazing producer! CEO of http://cdiproductions.com/. He is the real image of what this industry should be! THANKS BROTHER FROM ANOTHER MOTHER!
MICHAEL JOINER:
Another PRO.. We had a very powerful scene in Ashes of Eden that left us both a little bruised. Our chemistry on screen is awesome. I really hope to work with him a lot more in the future. To say that I worked side by side with the LEAD from The Grace Card is unbelievable. To say that Michael Joiner and I are great friends is even more unbelievable. Another true soul that keeps me grounded. He's got my back. Someone that has truly helped me thus far in my career and opened doors I never even knew were there! He's an awesome comedian and a very good friend. Michael and I have a lot in common. He is someone I know I can trust in this industry, I'm thankful to know him. He's a very inspirational christian.
ANTHONY HORNUS:
Anthony was awesome! he put up with a lot of crap from me on set! lol! Our Scene was crazy powerful. It's a very important scene for my character! Anthony is beyond a pro. He works with DJ perry at CDI! I'm very lucky to have someone at his professional stature in my life. He and i hit it off fairly quick on set. Anthony and I have some work in the future coming up and I have a strong feeling we will be seeing a lot of each other throughout our careers in the crazy industry!
CARLUCCI WEYANT:
A great guy! Someone you can really learn a lot from in this industry. He was my arch enemy in Ashes of Eden. playing Angela's brother, the drug dealer. He and i had a very physical fight scene that left us both hurting and one of us bleeding.. Before our scene he told me "If you have to hit me, just do it" that's dedication! He is a producer/actor based out of New York. I can't wait to work with him again! http://www.splitvisionent.com/
MAYRA LEAL:
My first one screen girlfriend. It's very cool to work with such a professional. She gave me a lot of life advice about the industry. things to look out for and things to be excited about. Mayra is a very sweet down to earth person who is a lot of fun to work with. A few times she had me laughing while shooting. She's a breath of fresh air! I hope to work with her again in the future!
ABBY MASON:
WOW! No words. She's awesome! I feel very lucky to be in the same movie with her. She was amazing in Saving Sarah Cain. Abby is an experienced pro. I really enjoyed the ONE scene her and i had together. She played Donnie's girlfriend in Ashes of Eden. I remember her being super excited that she got to play a character that was out of her element. She rocked it out! We hit it off really well behind the scenes instantly becoming good friends. her and I have stayed in touch every since! I really hope to work with her again in the future! She's awesome!
JOSH CARRIZALES:
Josh was also a breath of fresh air to work with. Even though he played another enemy in Ashes of Eden we are not enemies in the real world. Josh is another pro. PROPS TO SHANE FOR HIRING ALL PRO'S. Josh came on set prepared and ready and willing to do what he had to do to rock out his character with perfection. We have some very powerful scenes together! I can't wait for everyone to see them!
REYNALDO RIVERA:
Our set designer. based out of New York. Turns out he is much more than that! An amazing actor! Starring in a crazy good silent short called HEAVY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgV7QMNg4gE Check it out! It's amazing! Rey and I have a project coming up that is going to be a very good experience! He is someone I can relate to and an easy going guy to talk to! Rey and I hit it off right away. I know as a writer/actor he is a very promising future.
OJAN MISSAGHI:
To quote Ojan "I'm so sorry buddy." as he rips the mic off taped to my chest. he was the sound guy. "HOLD FOR SOUND." Another PRO! Ojan is from CA. He and I hit it off right away on set. We are very much alike. I absolutely loved working with him! ANOTHER breath of fresh air! Even as a sound guy he was always willing to make sure the actors were comfortable with anything they may need. He's humble and down to earth! Love this guy! Ojan and I have stayed in touch and are friends!
JESSE LOW:
Our AD. an amazing director with a vision to boot. he was awesome to work with. I am very lucky to know this guy! Jesse and I have a lot in common. He is NOT Jesse to me. He is blue. my character was RED. We thought of that and it's clever! haha. I really really would love to work with Jesse in the future. Some people you don't wanna exclude from you life. He is one of them.
DOMINIC COCHRAN:
Partner of http://ahptic.com/. He was our camera guy. He really has a vision to capture and his collaboration with Shane was nothing short of awesome. Dom is a very unique guy with a strong professional eye to capture some true genius. I am very lucky to have worked with him!
BEN BARKER:
Ben was the first to introduce himself to me on set. He is so very good at what he does.Ben was our script supervisor and was amazing at it. "Steven lift your hand up higher, it was up more in the last take" REALLY BEN? He's a PRO! I know I keep saying these guys are pro's but they really are! Ben is another guy I try to talk to every once in a while. The guy is awesome!
BELLO PIZZIMENTI:
Last but not least at all. Bello played my best friend in Ashes of Eden. he is awesome. He and I have a lot in common. Bello is famous for coming to set with a giant bottle of water. Him and I hit it off right away on set. When he showed up it really was like working with a good friend. him and I sat around and listened to movie scores and talked about acting. This guy rocks. he and I stay in touch every now and again. Good dude!
MY LAST DAY ON SET:
Nothing short of emotional. Full of hugs and goodbyes. I really don't want to talk too much about it. It's a bittersweet thing to end an amazing journey compact full of emotions. Good memories and sad memories and HAPPY ones! Either way it was an amazing experience and I appreciate every second I had with these people.
ASHES OF EDEN:
really, everyone on set was amazing. the amount of professionalism on set was crazy. The Cast/Crew went well above and beyond what they had to. The experience was amazing. To say that I'm luck to have been apart of such an awesome project is an understatement. I know I will see a lot of the same faces in the future on other projects! GUYS, CAN'T WE ALL JUST KEEP MAKING MOVIES TOGETHER! I LOVE YOU ALL YOU'RE MY MOVIE FAMILY!