Answered on April 22, 2008 2:40:35 AM EDT

1.) What is your earliest memory?
Eating egg salad sandwiches with my mother in our first house. We moved out of that house when I was 5 to make room for my sister, and I remember very little of that house, except for the basic layout of the house. I also remember eating scrambled egg sandwiches in the living room one time by candlelight when the power was out, and another time when someone accidentally put hot sauce on a taco from Taco Bell, and it really freaked me out. Three memories from before 6 years old, and they all involve food.

2.) Tell me about your upbringing, parents, siblings, family life.
I wanted for nothing, but was far from spoiled. I grew up in a middle class neighborhood in Little Rock with my parents and a younger sister, and in retrospect, things were pretty laissez-faire around the house, even though a younger me would probably disagree. My sister and I never really had that much in common, and still don’t, and I have always been jealous of others who are close to their siblings.

My father’s parents have also lived in Little Rock for my entire life. I lost my grandfather a few years ago, but my grandmother is still really spunky, and I see her often. My mother’s father died when she was 10, and I never met him, but her mother lived in Hot Springs, (about an hour away) until about 2 years ago when we moved her out to California with my Aunt and Uncle.

My father has one sister in Florida, and My mother has one brother in California. We’ve never spent that much time with any extended family, and I have also been jealous of others who have extended family that they see all the time. But our family have always been nomadic. About 10 years ago, my family moved to the Memphis area when my dad got transferred, and I stayed behind in Little Rock. I still live in the house I grew up in. Ironically, I liked Little Rock the least of the family, and I’m the last one still there.

3.) How do you view death? Do you feel that there is life beyond, our current existence?
It used to terrify me, but I want to believe that there is something waiting afterward. I could be wrong about that, but I don’t think I am. I’ve often felt that someone is looking out for me, and keeping me around for some reason (most recently after my car accident), and that there are certain things that I must do before I move on.

We’re all made of energy, and there is a life force in all of us that science can’t explain. Matter and energy cannot be created or destroyed, so it has to go somewhere. That place may or may not be heaven, but it has to go somewhere when it leaves our bodies.

4.) Do you give much importance to dreams? What is your most recent dream?
When I take afternoon naps, I often recall dreams vividly, and used to jot what I could remember down, perhaps for the purposes of writing fodder. But the afternoon naps don’t happen very often anymore, and I rarely recall dreams when I sleep through the night.

I am fascinated with the way that the subconscious works, and during the REM sleep, it’s interesting the way that the artifacts of our life experiences are arranged. But I don’t really put tons of stock into the interpretation of dreams, because it’s about as fruitful as reading a random number table. I also am rarely amused by other people attempting to explain their dreams to me. It’s not nearly as fascinating as they seem to think.

5.) Tell me about the film your currently submitting to film festivals.
Insomniac is the story of a man who made one small error in judgment long ago that cost one man his career, and three people their lives.

Cody Russell, former juvenile delinquent and current street hood, befriends Jason Dillon, a bright young man with his whole life ahead of him. Jason and his older sister Amber grew up under the strict guidance of their father Duke, a retired Marine who expected his household to operate with military precision. Amber got married as young as she could to get out of the house, leaving Jason alone to deal with the authoritarian and often cruel guidance of their father. Frustrated by his father’s stern parenting, Jason begins the path to juvenile delinquency, and finds himself getting drawn deeper and deeper into a world where perhaps for once, he can be the one calling the shots.

There is one last hope for Jason, in the form of Eric Stillman, a caseworker for A.C.E.D., a publicly-funded organization that provides mentorships for at-risk teens. Encouraged by his sister to give it a shot, and provided unconventional incentives by his Mr. Stillman, Jason begins to turn himself around, and soon thereafter, he begins the long path to reconciliation with his father, who dies suddenly.

For a long time, Jason’s identity was based on the premise of being at odds with his father, and when that was taken away from him, he found himself particularly vulnerable. His friend Cody, short-handed for a job, decides that he can use this to his advantage, and is surprised when Jason says no.

So Cody decides that if he wants Jason to come with him, he’ll need to get him away from Eric, and he happens to know a way to do it. Cody discovers, completely by accident, a rather indiscreet personal relationship between Eric and Amber. When Jason doesn’t cooperate, Cody grabs his camera phone, and successfully makes an educated guess of their whereabouts. And when Cody emails the photo to Jason, he decides to go ahead and send a copy to Eric’s boss.

All hell breaks loose for Eric and Amber when they are outed, and they soon find themselves with no one else to turn to, and nothing left to lose. And, more importantly, they find themselves paying little or no attention to Jason, and he’s able to sneak away easily and go on a job with Cody.

The following morning, Amber finds herself leaving Eric’s side in a huff, and returning home to find disturbing news about Jason, and she decides that it is time that she finally step up, and do for Jason what she never thought she would ever have to do.

Insomniac is a story of a man who wants to be remembered for the mistakes he’s made, and the story of a man who always wants to remember his mistakes.

6.) Do you want to have a family of your own in the future? Why or why not?
Yes. After the experience of being a teacher and working with children, I look forward to raising my own. I also feel that behind every great man is a great woman. That said, I haven’t been on a date in almost 2 years, due largely to swearing off of online dating after numerous bad experiences. Also, being 33 years old in the south is pretty much being a senior citizen.

7.) Pick one.
What artistic expression such as book, painting, song, poem, sculpture, movie has affected you most? Why?
Clerks. That’s the film that made me realize that anyone can make an enjoyable movie on a shoestring. El Mariachi was also an influence, but I saw it much later.

When I first started writing scripts 10 years ago, I assumed I’d be working on 16mm, but due to a mountain of debt and many years of underemployment, I never got much going. But then the technology caught up, and I realized that anyone can do it for the cost of a camera and a computer, and there is no excuse not to.

8.) Tell me something that no one else knows about you.
Nothing comes to mind. I’m pretty much an open book.

9.) As an individual, what experience has affected you the most?
My high school band director rode me pretty hard, and lit some fires under me to express myself in constructive ways. He’s the reason that I write, play music, and make movies, and also the reason I teach as a day job. I totally nick his style when I teach.

10.) As a country, the United States of America is 232 years old.
What social/cultural/political changes do you expect within the next
100 years?
Hopefully, people will think for themselves more, and be more accepting of new ideas. Unfortunately, this change will be a lengthy process of baby steps instead of great strides.