ABOUT THE CREW

Irving Schwartz (Director) In his early career, Irving Schwartz worked in all phases of the Movie Business. He was a film and distribution executive (ALMI Pictures), owned an active production company (THE AMERICAN MOTION PICTURE COMPANY) and worked as an executive for a large exhibition company (RKO CENTURY WARNER). 
In the late 1990s he started writing, selling his first screenplay (“THE VIRTUAL HERO”) to a company based at MGM. In 2001 he made his directorial debut with a picture he also wrote, “LARCENY”, starring JOSHUA LEONARD, KATE JACKSON, TYRA BANKS and ANDY DICK amongst others, which was distributed by HBO FILMS.  He also wrote and directed the indie movies “SWATTERS” and “PERCEPTON” the latter starring PIPER PERABO, SETH MEYERS, KATE MULGREW and MARY BETH HURT which was released by EMPIRE PICTURES.   Last year Irving was executive producer of “WATCHING THE DETECTIVES” a movie starring LUCY LIU.

 Renee Garzon (Writer, Producer, Executive Producer) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She aspired to introduce people to worlds they didn't  know existed. Renee studied  psychology and was intrigued by human behavior, particularly deviant behavior. Growing up in New York City, she was exposed to varied and alternative lifestyles.  She soon recognized that the arts were the perfect venue for her to share her perspectives on life. She debuted as an intern and dabbled in acting, but soon realized that her passion lied behind the scenes, and dedicated herself to birthing her first film. As a New York City local, Renee has been influenced by the cultures, lifestyles, and underground scenes which fascinate her. Inspired by the irony, and humor of everyday life, and intrigued by the dynamics of relationships, Renee and partner, Adam Sales have created a film, which they hope will not only entertain but also educate audiences albeit in an unorthodox manor . She is currently working on a handball documentary along with Co-Writing two feature films, I Got Next and Getting Ahead.

Adam Sales (Writer/Producer) The Lower East Side’s very own Adam Sales, first time filmmaker, writer, and producer found his place in the arts at a very young age.  After studying the fine arts at LaGuardia high school, his adult life consisted of following that path. He was a young man with so much to say, and his voice for many years was a paintbrush. Starting on subway cars, and progressing to canvases, every stroke told a story, and every color expressed emotion; Sales painted pictures that no amount of words could express.  After living a life caught in a web of political struggle, sales moved to Hawaii where he designed and sold his own jewelry. Ironically being away from his home, gave him new appreciation for New York City. He returned with a new voice, and this time, his words were his weapon. Sales wrote lyrics, and performed at the Nuyorican Poets Café educating others of  the world in which he lived, the world of the lower east side filled with drugs, police corruption, gentrification, and the struggle to survive.  “ Living through this made me who I am today,” he said. Today Sales is giving back to his community, hoping to better life for future generations. He is working closely with non-profit organizations that cater to the Lower East Side, such as the Lower East Side Girls Club, Goles (Good Old Lower East Side), and Pop (Power of Peace), which is a youth activist organization. Aside from helping the community through Organizations, Sales hopes to give insight to the realities of the Lower East Side through his films.  Sales is currently Co-Writing a feature film, I Got Next.

ABDUL MALIK ABBOTT  (Co- Writer / Producer) Abdul was born and raised in New York. At an early age Abdul Malik Abbott decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, Randy Abbott, to become a filmmaker and photographer. Abdul attended the acclaimed H.S. of Music & Art as a visual artist, continuing onto college, studying film at the School of Visual Arts in NYC and studying video production at DCTV and the Educational Video Center. Abdul started professionally in the film business as a PA, then moved on as a sound technician, working on Spike Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues” and “Do the Right Thing”, as well as several other features, commercials and music videos where Abdul learned the ins and out of production and set etiquette. Soon after establishing himself also as music video editor and working with some of the top directors in music videos, Abdul’s professional Directorial debut was a music video for a Hip-Hop trio "2 Too Many", a group produced by Will Smith, who also made a cameo in the video. In the next few years Abdul directed, co-produced and edited several videos for then emerging rap artist, Jay-Z, including the #1 videos for the songs; "Dead Presidents" and "Ain’t No" as well as chart-topping videos for artists; All City, Lord Finesse, Ladae, Shades, Killah Priest, Hezekiah Walker, Leki, 3rd Wish, Electrik Red, Kevin L and other new and established artists. The video he directed for the rapper turned actor Saigon “Pain in my Life” earned Abdul a Telly Award in 2008. His relationship with Jay-Z brought Abdul to direct, co-write and edit; "Streets Is Watching", a long-form music video starring rapper, Jay-Z. It became a huge hit amongst new and old Jay-Z fans, earning the #1 slot for several weeks in Billboard magazine’s "long-form music video category" and was certified Platinum. The modestly budgeted video project went on to gross over 7 million dollars. "State Property"- (Lions Gate Films) marks the feature film directorial debut for Abdul. Shot for just a million, the film’s limited theatrical release and video sales helped the hip-hop driven crime story gross close to 10 million to date and still has a huge cult following. Abdul has recently completed writing an erotic/crime thriller screenplay entitled “Pefecta!” and is currently developing a love/crime story entitled “Love & Lola”, in which he also wrote. Abdul has recently finished an independent feature film in which he co-wrote and produced entitled “My Normal” (2009), a tale of love, fetish and passion, set in New York City’s Lower East Side.

Phillipa Davis (Producer) Phillipa is a 2 time Grammy nominated producer, nominated most recently for the long form film “10 Days out, Blues From The Back Roads”, directed by Nobel Jones.  The film highlighted blues artists including BB King, Etta Baker, Honey Boy Edwards, Brian Lee, Howling Wolf band and others. The film was nominated in the long form video category for the 2008 Grammy Awards. Current feature film credits include independent feature titled “My Normal” directed by Irving Schwartz, and foreign film titled “Cristovao Colombo-O Engima directed by well known European director Manoel De Oliviera.  Phillipa’s background expands over 10 years having successfully produced a variety of projects ranging from feature and TV films, documentaries, commercials and music videos.  All projects were from concept / script to delivery, with heavy focus on creative, overall project management and budget management.  Most recently she has ventured into creative producing and writing and working on developing some of her own projects.

Daniel Olshansky (Editor/ Music) Daniel was born on September 29th, 1979 in St Petersburg, Russia. From an early age he showed signs of artistic and musical talent and his parents encouraged these beginnings by admitting him into the prestigious Hermitage Art Program as well as the Rochmaninov Musical Program where he studied viollin. Upon his arrival to the US in October of 1989, Daniel continued his artistic education and eventually was accepted to the La Guardia HS of Music and Art. After his graduation in 1998, Daniel became interested in film making and computer graphics, using his skills in illustration and design he became the Art Lead for a video game company based in Brooklyn. After spending three years mastering the ins and outs of the video game industry, Daniel decided to explore the world of film and television production. He was hired as an intern in a New York based production company in 2002 and within a matter of months worked his way up to Director of Development. Learning the various industry skills, Daniel worked with major television and cable networks, directing, producing and editing numerous show pilots and reels as well. Recently, Daniel has completed the editing and sound design for our indie feature film 'My Normal'. Currently, he is working on various personal projects including a feature screenplay and directing music videos.

           George Lyon (Director of Photography) George is a cinematographer who seeks out story and substance and text which lends itself to indelible images with lasting emotion. He is consistently looking for projects that challenge and provoke while enabling an exploration of craft. He is always up for shooting on any continent.