Tony Zierra, also known as Tony Zierah, is an American director, writer, and producer. He first launched his career in the film industry in 1996 when he directed his first film ‘Invisible Temptation’. He is best-known for directing the 2009 documentary style film ‘My Big Break’, for which he is also credited as a writer. It is about the consequences of fame and the darker side of celebrity. It has received praise for analyzing the effects of stardom on rising stars in Hollywood. Since then, he has continued to make a name for himself as an independent filmmaker. Here are
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Tony Zierra...
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Tony Zierra...
- 10/25/2017
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
It had been 25 days since the Pulse shooting in Orlando, but the effects of the attack on the nightclub reverberated on the nation’s opposite coast at the beginning of the 34th Outfest Los Angeles Lgbt Festival.
Speaking from the stage at the downtown Orpheum Theatre, Opening Night Gala speaker Wilson Cruz noted that the festival’s general atmosphere is markedly different than the one surrounding 2015’s celebration. “Just this time last year,” Cruz said, “we were celebrating marriage equality across this country. Just short of one year later, we would come together again, but this time for the communal experience of grief and mourning.”
Outfest Executive Director Christopher Racster also echoed the sentiment that the evening’s gathering was a tribute to the Lgbt community’s resilient spirit. “Although we still face tough challenges, let’s not forget that love is, and always will be, stronger than hate. Thank...
Speaking from the stage at the downtown Orpheum Theatre, Opening Night Gala speaker Wilson Cruz noted that the festival’s general atmosphere is markedly different than the one surrounding 2015’s celebration. “Just this time last year,” Cruz said, “we were celebrating marriage equality across this country. Just short of one year later, we would come together again, but this time for the communal experience of grief and mourning.”
Outfest Executive Director Christopher Racster also echoed the sentiment that the evening’s gathering was a tribute to the Lgbt community’s resilient spirit. “Although we still face tough challenges, let’s not forget that love is, and always will be, stronger than hate. Thank...
- 7/8/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Chance are, the unleashing of over 100 new independent projects at this year's Sundance Film Festival has lit a fire under aspiring filmmakers. But before you start laying plans for Sundance 2017 and beyond, here’s some advice from the directors who just lived their Park City dreams. Read More: My Big Break: How This Year's Directors Found Their Way To Sundance "The biggest piece of advice I can offer filmmakers, especially directors, is to maximize the use of prep time. So many of the challenges directors face during principle can be mitigated during prep. Make prep a communal and collaborative effort by insuring every single person involved knows exactly what is expected of them And knows how they will approach and meet those expectations." -Nate Parker, "The Birth of a Nation" "Be as prepared as possible. Pre-production is the only time when you won't feel like a clock is ticking.
- 2/2/2016
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Sam Elliott has nearly 100 titles on his professional acting resume, and while many of those projects have given him the opportunity to play complex and different parts, the movie-going public really knows him for playing one: the cowboy. Few actors have ever looked better on the big screen sporting a giant mustache and ten gallon hat, and as a result the guy has found himself roaming around movie sets dressed as the Old West for his entire career. You might think he would get tired of this shtick after a while, but it seems that the guy is just happy to keep working with interesting filmmakers and material. While recently a special guest for the "My Big Break" segment of NPR's "All Things Considered," Elliott discussed the strange path that he took towards being a professional actor, but also touched on why he doesn't really have a huge problem constantly...
- 9/7/2015
- cinemablend.com
Wes Bentley is an interesting (and dreamy) guy. Breaking out of nowhere as Ricky, the stoner-cum-video-artist next door in “American Beauty”, Bentley was suddenly a big part of an absolutely huge movie. The resultant pressure led to a 10-year addiction to heroin, a consequently cratering career and a series of rock bottoms, chronicled in Tony Zierra's utterly fascinating documentary “My Big Break.” Bentley has been crawling out of hell for a while now, via various dreadful staging posts (“Ghost Rider," “Jonah Hex," “Gone”), and last year finally caught a break as Gamesmaker Seneca Crane in “The Hunger Games," twirling his goatee in Machiavellian style. 2013 will likely be an even better year for Bentley, with a part in the much-hyped “Lovelace” and another in Terrence Malick's “Knight of Cups” (though who knows if he'll end up in the final cut, or if the movie is coming this year, Malick...
- 7/2/2013
- by Ben Brock
- The Playlist
Ashley Greene (Alice Cullen in the Twilight) is featured in a new two-part documentary series called "Becoming" on YouTube, and in her lengthy interview, Greene recalled the exact moment she found out she'd been cast in Twilight and allowed the cameras to follow along as she got her new tattoo. "My big break [was] Twilight. I mean, huge break," she remembered. "I got the casting call, and it basically said like 'Girl, seventeen.' And that's it. There was no script, there was nothing, and I kind of called them and said 'Guys, what am I supposed to do with this? What is it about?' And they said, 'Oh, there's a book.' The moment that I got the call I was sleeping and ignored my phone for probably the first five calls and finally picked up my phone, and it was my agent, and he said, you know, 'Hey...
- 2/6/2013
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Reboot is an upcoming film we recently covered in our Indie Spotlight. The film’s creators released an alternate reality game that ties into Reboot‘s story and we were interested in learning more about the project.
Continue reading to hear what writer/director Joe Kawasaki and producer Sidney Sherman and have to say about their upcoming release and the possibility of expanding Reboot into a full feature or TV series:
Reboot Synopsis: “Set within a dystopian world that is a collision between technology and humanity, “Reboot” touches upon many of the current social and political concerns that arise from becoming more and more intertwined with the virtual.
In contemporary Los Angeles, a young female hacker (Stat) awakens from unconsciousness to find an iPhone glued to her hand and a mysterious countdown ticking away on the display. Suffering from head trauma, and with little recollection of who she is or what is happening,...
Continue reading to hear what writer/director Joe Kawasaki and producer Sidney Sherman and have to say about their upcoming release and the possibility of expanding Reboot into a full feature or TV series:
Reboot Synopsis: “Set within a dystopian world that is a collision between technology and humanity, “Reboot” touches upon many of the current social and political concerns that arise from becoming more and more intertwined with the virtual.
In contemporary Los Angeles, a young female hacker (Stat) awakens from unconsciousness to find an iPhone glued to her hand and a mysterious countdown ticking away on the display. Suffering from head trauma, and with little recollection of who she is or what is happening,...
- 3/11/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
ABC Family struck gold with "Pretty Little Liars," and they're sticking with what works -- on Monday, August 15, the network debuts "The Lying Game," another show about teenage girls who get caught in their own web of lies, also from "Pretty Little Liars" author Sara Shepard.
The series stars Alexandra Chando as Emily, a girl who grew up in the foster care system... and as Sutton, Emma's long-lost twin sister who was adopted by a wealthy family and grew up in a world of privilege. Yes, Chando joins stars like Nina Dobrev, Anna Torv, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as she takes on two roles in one series.
"The Lying Game" shares some common themes with Gellar's upcoming CW show "The Ringer," but certainly doesn't feel like the same show. Like in "Ringer," the twins pull a switcheroo -- Emma takes Sutton's place in the lap of luxury while Sutton skips...
The series stars Alexandra Chando as Emily, a girl who grew up in the foster care system... and as Sutton, Emma's long-lost twin sister who was adopted by a wealthy family and grew up in a world of privilege. Yes, Chando joins stars like Nina Dobrev, Anna Torv, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as she takes on two roles in one series.
"The Lying Game" shares some common themes with Gellar's upcoming CW show "The Ringer," but certainly doesn't feel like the same show. Like in "Ringer," the twins pull a switcheroo -- Emma takes Sutton's place in the lap of luxury while Sutton skips...
- 8/16/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
We may know her best as Maddie Coleman from As The World Turns, but Emmy nominee Alexandra Chando is also about to launch a thrilling, new, original one-hour series on ABC Family called The Lying Game.
The weekly, primetime soap follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother.
We Love Soaps TV recently had the chance to talk to Alexandra about The Lying Game, As The World Turns, the challenge of playing twins, and much, much more. Here's a transcript of our conversation, followed by more info on Alexandra and The Lying Game.
But first--is there someone you'd like We Love Soaps to interview?...
The weekly, primetime soap follows Emma, a kind-hearted foster kid who learns she has an identical twin sister, Sutton. Sutton, unlike Emma, was adopted by wealthy parents and is seemingly living an ideal life. After their initial meeting, Sutton talks Emma into stepping into her life for a few days while she pursues a lead on the mysterious identity of their birth mother.
We Love Soaps TV recently had the chance to talk to Alexandra about The Lying Game, As The World Turns, the challenge of playing twins, and much, much more. Here's a transcript of our conversation, followed by more info on Alexandra and The Lying Game.
But first--is there someone you'd like We Love Soaps to interview?...
- 8/12/2011
- by Kevin Mulcahy Jr.
- We Love Soaps
Developer Pop Quiz is a weekly interview series in which we ask developers from around the industry the same 10 questions and post their responses.
This week's Developer Pop Quiz features a special treat: we don't have just one game developer telling us about themselves, but instead we have two. David Pellas and Keith Hladik, High Voltage Software's Design Director and Producer respectively, are coming off completing "The Conduit 2" are they're both answering our burning questions about their influences, their careers, and the future of the games industry.
Names: David Pellas and Keith Hladik
Titles: David: Design Director, Keith: Producer
Company: High Voltage Software, Inc.
Job Descriptions:
David: My job is to ensure that our game designs are fun, thorough, well-documented, and properly communicated. I am also responsible for ensuring that each of our Designers has a clear career path and is motivated to making the best games possible.
Keith: I...
This week's Developer Pop Quiz features a special treat: we don't have just one game developer telling us about themselves, but instead we have two. David Pellas and Keith Hladik, High Voltage Software's Design Director and Producer respectively, are coming off completing "The Conduit 2" are they're both answering our burning questions about their influences, their careers, and the future of the games industry.
Names: David Pellas and Keith Hladik
Titles: David: Design Director, Keith: Producer
Company: High Voltage Software, Inc.
Job Descriptions:
David: My job is to ensure that our game designs are fun, thorough, well-documented, and properly communicated. I am also responsible for ensuring that each of our Designers has a clear career path and is motivated to making the best games possible.
Keith: I...
- 4/8/2011
- by Jason Cipriano
- MTV Multiplayer
Interview by Kayley Thomas
2010 is the year of the Lindberg. The 33-year-old actor’s no stranger to the business, mind you. If you didn’t catch his early debut in Black Circle Boys, that’s a little horror flick you’re probably going to want to check out regardless. You might also have seen him in an episode of The X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer once upon a time. Or maybe you remember him as Jesse in The Fast and the Furious or O’Dell in October Sky? With starring roles in films like Punk Love, The Other Side of the Tracks, and Push, plus recurring roles in recent years on Supernatural and CSI: NY, Chad’s been a busy man, but rest assured, you’ll be seeing more of him soon. He’ll be joining interviewee Sarah Butler in the upcoming I Spit On Your Grave as well...
2010 is the year of the Lindberg. The 33-year-old actor’s no stranger to the business, mind you. If you didn’t catch his early debut in Black Circle Boys, that’s a little horror flick you’re probably going to want to check out regardless. You might also have seen him in an episode of The X-Files or Buffy the Vampire Slayer once upon a time. Or maybe you remember him as Jesse in The Fast and the Furious or O’Dell in October Sky? With starring roles in films like Punk Love, The Other Side of the Tracks, and Push, plus recurring roles in recent years on Supernatural and CSI: NY, Chad’s been a busy man, but rest assured, you’ll be seeing more of him soon. He’ll be joining interviewee Sarah Butler in the upcoming I Spit On Your Grave as well...
- 2/1/2010
- by kayleymonster
- Planet Fury
London -- U.S. filmmakers may come out on top in the competition strands during this year's upcoming Raindance Film Festival with nominees popping up in best international, best debut and best documentary categories.
Ry Russo-Young's "You Won't Miss Me" and David Lee Miller's "My Suicide" are among the five titles competing for best international nod.
For the best debut, Asiel Norton's "Redland" and Daniel Stamm's "A Necessary Death" find themselves in the running.
The documentary competition is dominated by titles from the U.S. with three out of the five.
Patrick Shen's "The Philosopher Kings," "It Came from Kuchar," directed by Jennifer M. Kroot and Tony Zierra's "My Big Break" feature in the doc competition.
The festival also dishes out nods for best U.K. feature and best micro budget work at the event, which runs Sept. 30 through Oct. 11.
All award winners will...
Ry Russo-Young's "You Won't Miss Me" and David Lee Miller's "My Suicide" are among the five titles competing for best international nod.
For the best debut, Asiel Norton's "Redland" and Daniel Stamm's "A Necessary Death" find themselves in the running.
The documentary competition is dominated by titles from the U.S. with three out of the five.
Patrick Shen's "The Philosopher Kings," "It Came from Kuchar," directed by Jennifer M. Kroot and Tony Zierra's "My Big Break" feature in the doc competition.
The festival also dishes out nods for best U.K. feature and best micro budget work at the event, which runs Sept. 30 through Oct. 11.
All award winners will...
- 9/11/2009
- by By Stuart Kemp
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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