end warrior” as when I left
teaching to start my own com-
pany called Lead U which of-
fers school assembly leadership
programs for kids all across
the state. When it comes to
the decision I always reverted
back to the George Costanza
coined phrase “it’s not you, it’s
me”. Teaching was an amazing
opportunity but I personally
needed to take a leap of faith.
My decision to leave teaching
was hard at the time however I
knew I would still have the op-
portunity to positively impact
kids and do so through my own
creative platform. I do miss see-
ing the same kids and my co-
workers for sure but running
Lead U and making mov ies is
definitely a better fit.
Tell me about where you shot
Shellfish and how the cast
came about. We shot Shellfish
very locally. When you live at
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 48
the beach and you are writ-
ing a film with aquatic under-
tones theres really no better
place than right here in NJ to
film. Specifically we shot at Is-
land Beach State Park, Denville,
Point Pleasant Beach, and a ran-
dom field in Tuckerton.
Casting was easy, as I wrote
the characters with specific
people in mind. I’m just really
humbled and grateful that they
all said yes. Everyone in the film
is a person I’ve worked with be-
fore in some capacity, whether
they were a character in a play
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