The Four Filmmakers...

Gerry Corneau, Co-Producer and Director Gerry - the Rhode Island Evangelical

So, the perfect filmmaker bio starts with a rich family in the burbs -or- grows up poor in the 'hood, which leads through any one of the fabulous film schools, or a series of very solid working up the ladder jobs (or both). Then, a great shot at a first project that's a no-brainer guaranteed success. Then, there's mine.

I grew up in small town in Rhode Island, went to Catholic school, was the tubby religious kid, and talked politics at home (anywhere really) constantly. Became a politically radical atheist who wandered from profession to profession, continent to continent, with no real plan to do anything, at least none that ever got anywhere. Fun jobs, nice places, boats, mountains, islands, all that stuff. Felt lousy about being the eternal child so I got serious about "the helping professions" by taking a 60 hour a week live in job with "recently adjudicated" teenagers, for $10,000 a year.

While living on Cape Cod working with autistic kids who bit like Rottweillers, I met Jessica, dumbstruck in love (but about to be engaged to someone else, go figure) and eventually married in Rhode Island, working as a landscaper and sewing machine operator (for mom and dad, still working then in their 70's). Went back to college for my senior year, 20 years after my junior year, and then to Psychology/Counseling grad school at this wacky little place, Goddard College, in Vermont.

Met God through my amazing mother-in-law, realized I was still the tubby religious kid who loved church, and started pursuing seemingly random passions. This is the time where great luck in being surrounded by a loving family who are tolerant to a fault started to really pay off (and I kicked all the nasties; drugs, booze, girls, etc). Got the jones to make Seeing Red (tricky for a first project, since there's no story), then had God tell me to get going, since it was his jones, and realized I was truly, totally born again. Still have two jobs, and my wife and kids are still patient.

So, I'm blessed with a God who loves me, decent visual sense, great family, good friends, no need to sleep, and at least some imagination. All you really need to make movies, at least as far as I can tell (small sample size). Really though, If I can do it, you can too...