Great Times at the 2016 Camden Comic Con

                                                          

I’ve been to several Comic Cons on the east coast, but my all-time favorite is the one hosted by Rutgers in Camden New Jersey. Bill Haas and his team do an outstanding job of making sure the event runs in a smooth and organized way at the Camden Comic Con.  

                                                                

I was so fortunate to have my favorite sidekick at my side for this event. Dawn Byrnes and I have been doing book signings together for several years, starting with selling our writing group’s first anthology, Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey. Dawn has several stories published and she’s hoping to have her novel finished by the summer of 2017. Check out her blog and check out the South Jersey Writers’ Group site.

                                                                      

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a Comic Con, but they are so much fun. People wear costumes of their favorite video, comic book or television characters and these fans put a lot of effort and time into making their costumes. We also some really cool vendors at the event.
                                                            

 
The young lady sitting at the table next to us was an Anime Artist named Kathy. Her work was fabulous and she had a steady stream of customers the whole day. Here is her site. Check it out.

                                                             

I sold a lot of books and made new friends. Thank you Beatriz for buying my books.  Dawn and I also met some cool visitors, Jeff Cleve, actor and puppeteer and, Tania Ann Monica, a model and actress.
                                                                                                    

                                                           

The busiest table at the Comic Con was manned by the pop culture duo, Glenn Walker and Ray Cornwall of The Gar Podcast. Glenn Walker is also the Editor-in-Chief of the pop culture site Biff Bam Pop! Glenn is also on the board of directors for the South Jersey Writers’ Group. Glenn, Ray and Jeff did ten hours of interviews including one with me and Director Christopher Eilenstine.
                                                            

As the senior writer for Biff Bam Pop, I’ve interviewed Chris on The Soulless Film here and the upcoming Shadows of the Forest and, I am one of the screenwriters for Shadows of the Forest. Thanks to Glenn, Ray and Christopher, I now have a movie deal for Roof Oasis. Like I said, great things happen at the Camden Comic Con and I’ll be looking for your visit next year.
                                                           

                                                       
So, yeah it was a great day, but the moment that touched me the most was when two girls from Pennsauken High School stopped in to say hello to me. For the last two years, I've been invited to the high school to talk to the students about writing. I usually spend the whole morning speaking to the junior classes.

Anyone who puts down the kids today should head over to the Pennsauken High School. These young men and  young ladies were well behaved, intelligent, curious and interested in what is happening in the world. They're much smarter than I ever was in junior year. Check out The Gar Podcast later in the week to listen to the interviews from the Comic Con.

 

Steampunk Granny's Talks About Shadows of the Forest a Chris Eilenstine Film

                                                       

                                           

There is a fabulous Independent Director out there named Christopher Eilenstine. I've done several interviews here and here on Christopher's movie, The Soulless, which I consider a damn great film. Last year, I had the pleasure of attending my very first Red Carpet Premier of The Soulless Part One. It was awesome and you can read about my experience, here.

                   At the Shadows of the Forest Script Reading                                      

Over time, Christopher and I become friends and he introduced me to so many talented actors and actresses. I had the chance to interview a few, like Joe Parascand, Jason Propst and Kaylin Iannone. I became a strong supporter of Independent Films because of my connection with Christopher and Joe.

Recently, I was asked by Christopher to be one of the writers for a new film he is working on. It's called, Shadows of the Forest. I won't give away too much about the film, but I can share the teaser.  Here is the IMDb for the film.

Shadows of the Forest teaser
A teaser for the film.
Posted by Shadows of the Forest on Sunday, November 23, 2014

Christopher assigned three writers to work on the screenwriting with him, Nick Kisella, Michael Kay and little ole Steampunk Granny. Here is the IMDb .

                                 Makenzie                              Nicolette                                  

Christopher picked a day for the cast and special effects team and writers to meet for the first reading of the script. This was a real education for me because I had never done this before. I was plenty nervous and didn't know what to expect. Christopher had everything set up including snacks for the long afternoon ahead of us. It was amazing to watch the story come together as the two young actresses Nicolette Davis and Mak Lowrey along with the other cast members brought the words on the pages alive with emotion.

                                                            

                                                                                                                            
I'll share some of the photos taken that wonderful afternoon and you can keep informed on the progress of the film by following the Shadows of the Forest Facebook page  

Steampunk Granny's Interview of The Soulless Star, Jason Propst

                                                          

I had the honor of meeting Jason at the premier of The Soulless Part One a few months ago. Jason plays one of the lead characters in this apocalyptic film directed by Christopher Eilenstine. He plays the part of David Peterson, father of Nicole Peterson. Nicole was played by three different actresses over the course of the film starting with Carlee Iannone in the opening scene, Kaylin Iannone at age 12 and finally Jennifer Teska as Nicole age 24. Join me now as we learn more about Jason Propst.

Marie Gilbert:  Jason, please tell my readers a little bit about you.

Jason Propst: I was born in Detroit, though moved to Florida at a very young age and lived somewhat transiently with my mother and brother - throughout the state - until I moved to NYC at about 17 years old.  Back and forth from Florida to NYC, I eventually moved to Italy for a couple of years, then various cities throughout Europe, working in the fashion business.

 

                                                                       

Marie Gilbert: You were in the fashion business?

Jason Propst: Well, one day while I was in New York, someone from the Ford Agency stopped me and asked me if I wanted to model. I wasn’t completely interested, but then he followed up with would you want to go to Italy in January? Of course that sounded exciting and so I ended up going to Italy and got involved with modeling. I went to Milan for the first show season, did some shows and ended up staying in Milan. Italy is incredible. Then I met some other agents and went to Germany and Paris, just traveling Europe a little bit. It was a very exciting time in my life.

After Europe I moved to Martha’s Vineyard, then Vail, CO.  I worked as a bartender and carpenter and went back and forth, seasonally, several years until moving to San Diego. After 2 years-ish in San Diego, I moved back to NYC for another year or so, then floated around between Vail, FL, the Vineyard, Boston, NYC, and a brief stint in Paris, some time in Huntington Beach, Los Angeles… I’m sure I’m forgetting a few others.  You get the point… restless bones.  Although I loved all the places I’ve been, they never really felt like home.  At some point I decided Vail would be my home, perhaps triggered by the birth of my daughter, and now that I’m back here I’ve never been happier.

I now own a business selling/installing design conscious building products.  Designing and building have always been a passion so I’m fortunate to have found something that encapsulates those components.  Building a brand is a special feeling.  It’s your own creation, not so different from a child, though also very, very different.  It’s another type of love.  So I’m no longer working… I’m living.  It’s an extraordinary sensation.

 

                         Jason Propst with actress Kaylin Iannone in The Soulless                                 

Marie Gilbert: No father in the picture?

Jason Propst: No father, but I did find him when I was twenty-one for the first time, but opted not to meet him for various reasons.

Marie Gilbert: Are you married? How many children?

Jason Propst: I’m not officially married but I have two kids, Jezebel and Saunder and live with my partner, Gabrielle. Jezebel just started kindergarten and Saunders starts next year.

Marie Gilbert: Were you always interested in acting?

 

Jason Propst: I’ve always been interesting in writing.  I love developing characters and visualizing locations and events.  It’s invigorating to invent situations and put it down on paper.  I get bored very easily though and there’s always a better story just beyond the one I begin - so finishing hasn’t been my strong suit.  However, there is a character that’s been with me for years.  Lately, she’s all I think about when I go to bed.  I have hopes of sharing her someday.

As far as acting goes, I’ve been drawn to it since my first trip to NYC.  I went to HB Studios, then from this recommended coach to that one.  Every town I went had a coach to inspire me.  I went to quite a few acting schools… several in California, several in NYC and one in NJ.  It was always a lot of fun, but I was young and insecure and auditions never went well.  I gave up acting after yet another nauseating audition in LA.  I didn’t want to feel sick to my stomach anymore.  I was well into my 30s before I felt comfortable with myself and fell back into Community Theater.

                                                          

Marie Gilbert: What drew you to work in the Soulless?

 

Jason Propst: I did a play with an actor, Steve Hirsekorn, who was also filming a movie at the time.  Steve asked me if I’d like to play a short role in his film and I was thrilled.  Chris Eilenstine was filming that movie.  Shortly after that, Chris called and offered me the role of David Peterson.  There wasn’t a formal script, so I was a bit nervous going in.  I wasn’t sure who the character would be.  But the opportunity to work on the craft was exciting, a zombie film? Awesome. A father? I’m a father… what a great tool to grow.  There were many factors… and most of them thrilling.

Marie Gilbert: Were you a zombie fan before starring in The Soulless? Did you watch a lot of zombie movies?

Jason Propst: No, there was a movie a while back called Body Snatchers, which I liked.  It had a Rock & Roll style to it.  It wasn't exactly zombies, but a similar type of thrill.  But that was ages ago, maybe 1993... beyond that, I wasn’t into that culture at all. 

Marie Gilbert: Was it hard doing a zombie film? If no then why and if yes...why?

 

Jason Propst: Zombie films are amazing b/c there is a large demographic of incredible people enveloped in this culture.  They bring things to the table that other genres of movies could never dream of obtaining.  For example, if Chris posted a call for zombies, he could have a dozen to fifty show up – half of them in full gear; waiting for makeup at 8am in 25 degree weather.  Try that with a romantic comedy and you’ll be standing in the cold, with only your best friends – if they had the time for you.  And this culture doesn’t stop at “cut.”  They take it home with them, they go to shows, create zombie dolls… it’s truly unique to horror.

 

All that being said, I’m not sure I would say it was hard, specific to a zombie film.  Characters have definitely come easier to me than David Peterson.  But it was more about raising a daughter in an apocalyptic world, than about zombies.  In that sense it was challenging.  The zombies were just color.

Marie Gilbert: Now that you’ve been in an Independent zombie movie that’s going places, are you now looking at other zombie movies and shows differently? 

Jason Propst: Yes, quite a bit. Well like I said, I really didn’t have any experiences with zombie films, but lately I’ve started watching “The Walking Dead” through Netflix. I’ve heard a lot about the show while I was filming this movie and I thought it would be interesting to watch... and it is. It’s a bit addicting and I love the show.

Marie Gilbert: Oh yeah. I write the weekly recap of “The Walking Dead” for Biff Bam Pop and yes, it’s addicting.

Jason Propst: Yep and beyond that I’ve watched World War Z when it came out. The similarity within The Soulless and “The Walking Dead” is the drama involved. The fact that there is drama involved gives it that addictive tone, whereas with movies like World War Z, it’s almost exclusively about the adventure.

Marie Gilbert: With the zombies in World War Z, you don’t identify with them like in The Soulless.

Jason Propst: Right.

Marie Gilbert: What was it like to work for Director Chris Eilenstein? 

 

Jason Propst: Chris has something that I’ve seen in very few people; the tenacity to push forward regardless of the obstacles.  That is something I strongly admire about him.  He had this vision (albeit an amorphous vision at times, which is why we now have a trilogy on our hands) to communicate. 

 

                                                                   

And his drive to lay this vision on film was strong enough to push his family, his actors, his crew and producers to over a year of work.  I, myself, had committed to quitting several times because it was taking a tremendous amount of time; way longer than anticipated (another reason we now have a trilogy on our hands).  In the end, one of the factors that kept me going was his tenacity and will to succeed and, of course, the story.

Marie Gilbert: You had to work with three different actresses who played the part of Nicole Peterson, I’m not sure of Kaylin’s little sister’s name, but you worked with her, Kaylin Iannone and Jennifer Teska. Was it hard to adjust to their different acting styles?

 

                                                                   

Jason Propst: My first scene was with Kaylin.  We never even spoke.  We were thrust into this ice cream scene on Z Day and I had no idea how to relate to her.  It was completely awkward for me.  It took a while to get comfortable with her.  I couldn’t say exactly when it happened, but our relationship eventually developed into a boisterous friendship.  So unruly, in fact, that at times I longed for the good old days when it was just awkward. So riotous, actually, that I had to move almost 2000 miles away to retain my sanity.  And now that it’s getting drudged up again I may need to call my therapist.  I love her.

 

                                                                  

Jennifer.  So easy to relate to and work with her.  From the first scene I realized that she was going to make it much easier for me.  Although I have yet to see that scene, it created the type of father-daughter relationship we would have throughout the film; the bond that we would share, in spite of the characters we stumbled across; and the way we related to the rest of the cast and crew.  There was no adjustment… it was immediate chemistry.

 

                                                                         

Carlee and I only had a few scenes together.  The only adjustment I had to make was to rise to her level of commitment.  She was incredible and brought me to tears on our first scene (I think it was our first scene) together.  Then, in the park scene it was easy to think of her as my daughter.  She was so adorable.  Although, in the last few days of our association I recall a little Kaylin coming out in her and I fear for people.  Seriously… 2 of them?!!  Forget zombies.  There are Iannones out there!   I love them.

Marie Gilbert: If this film is picked up by a Network, would you be willing to travel to the filming location, especially if it’s a hit?

 

Jason Propst: There’s a whole lot of ambiguity in that question given the sacrifices I’ve made to get where I am now.  Certainly if everything fit I would love to work with everyone again and would welcome the opportunity to hone in on David Peterson with even more depth and insight.  I’ve made a lot of commitments here and I so love it.  It would be tough.

Marie Gilbert: Did you do MacGuffin before or after The Soulless?

Jason Propst: I did it before The Soulless. I was in Community Theatre ever since we came back to the East coast and I was doing a play with the writer/director of MacGuffin, Steve Hirsekorn. He had seen one of the earlier plays that I did and we talked about a mutual collaboration early on and I can’t remember if MacGuffin was before or after the play we did, but inevitably I did do a scene in the movie. It was fun. The girl playing opposite of me was Rebeca Spiro and I actually pulled her into a little short film that some friends of mine were doing later on. So yes, there is a community. It’s a circle.

 

                                                                             

Marie Gilbert: Are you doing any acting in Colorado?

Jason Propst: Vail is a ski resort but there is a theatre that I contacted when I moved here, the Vail Valley Theater Company.  I just missed auditions for Chicago, which is probably for the best since my singing voice really only shines in the shower and the occasional karaoke bar. I can audition when the next show comes up, but it’s only one and it’s not like New York or New Jersey where they are everywhere and you can just call up anytime you want...so there are limited opportunities as far as that goes. I have aspirations to act, but no time. There is just too much going on in Vail in the summer… rafting, hiking, wakeboarding, SUPing, biking, skating… on and on.  The kids are so happy and I’m so exhausted. 

Marie Gilbert: What are your feelings about Independent Films?

Jason Propst: I love independent films.  I generally prefer them because I love watching talented people I’ve never seen (or have seen very little).  There are so many gifted actors, directors, writers, etc. and the more I experience, the better my life… in acting, writing, creating, or what have you… also it’s important to support independents if only to embolden those would-be creators to go for it.  I like a good blockbuster as much as the next guy… but I feel special when I’m watching an independent.  I feel like I’m a part of something that the masses are not.  Independents make me feel ever-so-slightly more unique… don’t ask me why that matters… conditioning perhaps… but that’s the effect.

Marie Gilbert: You mentioned earlier that you were interested in writing. Could you tell us about the story you’re working on?

Jason Propst: The story that I’m working on is science fiction with a strong helping of drama and existentialism. It's another world entirely.  Architecture is different, transportation is different... even varying degrees of gravity, which changes innovation and technology, as well as politics, mentality, strengths and weaknesses... virtually everything is affected.  That is why it's been such a mainstay in my creative warehouse.  I can change anything.  Then I learn to recognize how those changes affect everything else.  It's a barrage of epiphanies and excitement.  I have a few chapters written, but they are incessantly changing.  I took a Creative Writing Class to help me extrapolate the main character and develop her more in the story.  Positive feedback makes it even more exciting.

Marie Gilbert: Do you have a title for the book, yet?

Jason Propst: The working title is “The La La Room.  It delves into a father-daughter relationship much like The Soulless, but there is also a son… and they may not be entirely related.  I guess you’ll have to wait and see.  That is to say, I’ll have to wait and see.

Marie Gilbert: That is so great and I’m wishing you luck as a writer and if you ever want me to read it for my point of view, let me know. Are you thinking of joining a writer’s group in Colorado?

Jason Propst: Well, you know I just started a business out here and we haven’t actually opened yet. We’re getting a lot of our products from Italy, so things take a while to get to the showroom and it’s a work in progress designing the showroom and that’s taking up most of my time.

But, that is a great idea and I will probably join soon.

Marie Gilbert: Because then you won’t feel isolated in your writing and I felt that joining a writers’ group was the best thing I ever did.

Jason Propst: Yeah and it motivates you to prepare something for the group as well. It gives you deadlines.  That helps me quite a bit.

Marie Gilbert: Tell me more about your business?

Jason Propst:  My partner and I sell design conscious building products. We sell Italian kitchens, doors, floors, appliances, windows, hand-crafted carpet – almost everything one needs to finish a home or space. Our floors are from Norway, German carpet, Italian windows and cabinets… modular homes from Finland, etc.  We aim to find the products that have value and aren’t offered anywhere else.

Marie Gilbert: You’re products are different?

Jason Propst: Yes, our kitchens for example… there is one other company in the U.S. that provides these kitchens - located in Miami.  And, with our doors, the only other company that provides these doors is located in New York.  So, we source these amazing products, get exclusivity in our market and the products sell themselves.  The Vail market is high-end… but we’ve noticed that people aren’t looking for brands as much as value.  Our products are the best in the world, but many aren’t established brands yet.   Therein lies the value.

Marie Gilbert: That’s awesome and I wish you the best of luck.

Jason Propst: Yes it’s going tremendous even before we’ve opened up our doors. It’s just a rocket ship.

Marie Gilbert: Do you have a Web page that I can share with our readers?

 

                                                                  

Jason Propst: Yes, it’s www.yournewbox.com

Marie Gilbert: I’ll share the link so people in your area will read this. Whenever I’ve seen cabinets, floors and buildings from Europe, I just feel that they’re made better. There is no wasted space.

 

                                                                          

Jason Propst: They are miles ahead of us as far as design goes and as far as craftsmanship goes, when you touch and feel it, it’s just worlds apart. We do offer domestic cabinets and commodity products so people can see the difference.

Marie Gilbert: I’m so excited for you, Jason, and I’m wishing you the best with your business and your writing.

Jason Propst: Thanks Marie.  I wish you all the best as well.

 

Did You Hear the News?

                                             
                                                             

                                  There's a new film about zombies?


                                                          

                           The Soulless

The Soulless is directed by Christopher Eilenstein, produced by Bob Cleary, Stephen Hirsekom and Russ Bucci and stars Jason Propst, Jennifer Teska, Kaylin Iannone, Joe Parascand, Michael Chartier, Jeff Caplan, Genoveva Rossi, and Edward X Young.


                                                               

              Forget everything you've ever known about the living dead....

                                             The Rules have changed


                                                               

                       

Steampunk Granny's Interview with Actress Genoveva Rossi

                                                                   

I have met many talented people either through my Steampunk adventures or my Ghost Hunting adventures and I’ve learned so much from them. I became acquainted with the lovely and talented actress, Genoveva Rossi, through my interviews of Director Chris Eilenstine of The Soulless. I’m very happy to have Genoveva as a guest on my blog.

Marie Gilbert: “How did you get started in acting? Did you always want to be an actress?”

Genoveva Rossi: “This was something that had always interested me since I was very young as far back as nursery school, I was in school plays. In nursery school, I played a Lady Bug, but I don’t remember what I had to say, but I was very excited. I’ve always had that interest and by the time I got into college, I started doing some short dramatic films with college students that were working towards their film study majors and things like that and I was taking acting classes as well.

                                                                   

                                                                               

Then, one day awhile after I graduated from college someone Jennifer Valdes and Fallen Faith had posted on my Facebook wall that they were looking for people to star in a horror film and did I want to be in it. They wrote a part for me and I went out to Long Island to this old haunted house and farm and I played a sexy Satanist in Jack 'o' Slasher, my first horror movie and I met a lot of consistent people on the set of that film, especially, Director, James Balsamo.

                                                                        

 I did his next film, I Spill Your Guts, which actually got huge pretty quickly and James Balsamo became famous all over the world for that. James got didn’t know how big it was going to become and I didn’t know how big it was going to become in the horror genre, but I still get a lot of feedback at Conventions where people recognize me from that film. I also get fans messaging m from all over the film to ask about this film.

I was doing Zombie Hunters at that time and I was in episodes nine and ten as a National Guard soldier. I had met Patrick Devaney the director from Chiller Theatre that I’ve been going to since I was a kid. I asked him if him if he had a part for me and he said, “You know what I have a part for a soldier, which I haven’t cast yet and I was going to cast a man, but we’re living in a modern world where women are soldiers too, so why don’t I cast a woman and why don’t I cast you.” So, the part was given to me and I got to wear camouflage and I got to handle an M-16. This was so interesting and I had fun."

                                                                                     

Marie Gilbert: “This was a television series?”

Genoveva Rossi: “Yes it’s on Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead. It’s been going on for years and each episode is around thirty minutes. I was on episodes nine and ten and there’ll probably be some more episodes down the road as well.

Marie Gilbert: “Now, where can people find these episodes?”

Genoveva Rossi: “People can find them on FYE.com.  It goes on Public Access television stations on some parts of the country. You can Google it. I don’t think it’s on Netflix, but you can probably buy it. There are a lot of places that distribute it and you can buy it. It’s been around for a while and it’s very much like a soap opera and it follows so many different characters lives.”

Marie Gilbert: “You started acting right out of school and it looks like you do mostly horror.”

Genoveva Rossi:  “Yes, but as far as horror, I can go through my IMDb to tell you what isn’t horror. Sanctum Deep is actually a Sci-fi horror film directed by Geraldine Winters. We just shot that pretty recently and it’s been getting some press. Midnight Show is an interesting film and a collection of trailers of all kinds of movies and is more of a fantasy movie. Then we have The Soulless, which is more like a sci-fi drama. It has zombies in it, but it’s not really a horror film. Also, it doesn’t have crude language or sexuality in it and there is not going to be exclusive violence. I would call it a dramatic series with serious dramatic acting.”

                                                                            

                                                             

Marie Gilbert: “I did an interview on Director Christopher Eilenstein here and here and also with actor Joe Parascand on The Soulless and I was invited to the Premier of part one and I was very impressed with the movie. What part did you play in The Soulless?”

Genoveva Rossi: “In part one; I played a part of a zombie and also a person running from people. We don’t shoot on some days consecutively, but I’m a team player and I’ll to help when needed. I pop up as a member of ‘the soulless’ as a soldier, Charlotte Elling going around and killing zombies and trying to save the human race in parts 2 and 3. In fact I actually have a duel role in that I play Madam Serling, a fortune teller and she is in part three.

You don’t meet my characters until part two when we go away on location with the main characters. In part three, Madam Serling pops up and I play that character with a wig, make-up and a French accent and Christopher was impressed on how unrecognizable I was at being the same actor. He said that the people he showed this film to did not know it was me."

Marie Gilbert: That’s really neat.”

Genoveva Rossi: “Well it challenging for me as an actor. I didn’t know if I would be able to pull it off, but after Christopher shot it he said it actually came out better than he expected, which is what you want to hear as an actor.”

Marie Gilbert: “This opens your career up now because other people are recommending you, right?”

Genoveva Rossi: “Yes, that’s right. If things work out and you’re a good actor, you’re reliable and you have a good positive attitude, it gets around. In fact I was working on The Soulless when I got cast for Trailer Heaven, which is being directed by Michael Chartier and we’ve already starting shooting that film, but it’s not on my IMDb yet. Trailer Heaven stars Edward X Young, myself, Alan Rowe Kelly, and a whole bunch of other wonderful actors. I play a reporter in that film, Jennifer Devine.

The film is about a con artist played by Edward X Young who seeks sanctuary in a trailer park inhabited by cannibal transvestites”

Marie Gilbert: laughing says, “This is going to be a good movie.”

Genoveva Rossi: “It’s going to be amazing and thatstically done with the great acting and with the strong cinematography. What I’ve seen so far, it looks spectacular. I play Jennifer Devine as homage to the actress Divine  who acted in a bunch of John Waters' films.”

Marie Gilbert: “I know Devine. I love the actor. Thank you for doing part one of the interview, Genoveva and we'll continue with part two next week.

I have to end part one of the interview with Genoveva Rossi here, dear readers, but don't worry, Genoveva will be back next week to tell us more about her acting career.