Hello, I am Aaron, a writer and filmmaker based in Skokie, Illinois, where I live with my wife and two kids. You can call me 'Ron for short.
I grew up in Calgary and then Chicago, and lived in Brooklyn for a decade. Yes, I do have dual citizenship. That is just one of the interesting facts you will learn about me on this bio page.
My first feature film, the offbeat indie comedy Wedgerino, was shot in Brooklyn and completed in 2015. An official selection of six festivals in North America, it is now available on Amazon Prime and DVD.
My second feature, Skippers, was shot in Michigan and completed in 2018. An official selection of 10 festivals, it won Best Feature Film at three fests, including the Adirondack Film Festival. It is now available on Amazon Prime, Vudu, Tubi, Hoopla, Xumo, and DVD.
An extreme close up of my face.
I recently completed the 8-minute short film Limited Time Offer Act Now, a high-octane (or perhaps medium-octane according to Marc) psychological thriller-comedy shot in the Chicago area. It premiered at the 2020 Sunscreen Film Festival in St. Petersburg, Florida, in September 2020.
I have also worked as a production coordinator at the TV channel Viceland, assistant director on actor Michael Angarano's directorial debut Avenues, wrote Marc Grey's 2019 short film The Sandwich (filmed on the Greek island of Fournoi), and will be producing Michael Glover Smith's upcoming film Relative, shooting in 2021.
I was the assistant editor and a columnist for the Chicago Jewish Star newspaper for seven years, until it folded in 2018. Prior to that I had started a local newsletter in Brooklyn, the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Star Ledger (later renamed the Greenpoint-Williamsburg Social Examiner). Now I write obituaries and other articles for the Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle.
As a freelance writer and video editor my clients include Disney, Amazon, Zoom, Rakuten, Universal Music Group, ErosSTX, Stanford University, Playtika, Jose Cuervo, and Color Me Badd.
Favorite sport: Basketball. Favorite film of all time: That is a really tough question. Here are some lists I made on Letterboxd.
Other things I am into: record collecting, bike riding, playing softball, mowing the lawn (weather permitting).
In closing, I'd like to say, follow me on Spotify.
Photo credit: Marc Grey
Film Highlights If Anyone Cares
1995
1999
2001
2003
2005-06
2006
2006-12
2011
2015
2016
2018
2019
2020
2021
The Bantis (30 min.) | First film, made with my friend Jon and other high school friends, heavily influenced by Shaft. Can only be found on VHS tape.
Johnny Performer (2 min.) and Parkin' (5 min.) | Made these films on actual 16mm film while at Columbia College Chicago.
The Warrior (25 min.) | Shot on video in Chicago, starring my friend Jon and my future wife, as Tommy Wiseau would say.
Always, My Brother: The Heist - Eddie Lives (Slow Burn) (14 min.) | A heist film about the up and down relationship of a pair of twins, made with Anthony in Brooklyn. The sequel to 2002's Always, My Brother.
Laser Vision Theater | Monthly variety show on Brooklyn Cable Access TV by Anthony and I. We made 8 episodes.
Pedro Garcia (1 min.) | Animation made with Josh S., screened at Animation Block Party in Brooklyn.
The Dream Films | Miscellaneous 2-minute short comedies made with Kenny and Anthony all over NYC. Many of these screened at the comedy club Rififi on the Lower East Side.
Respec' (2 min.) | A mind-bending thriller by Joey and I.
Wedgerino (77 min.) | My first feature, a comedy filmed in Brooklyn and Queens, starring Kenny, me, and Anthony.
I Wanna Be In All Your Movies (15 min.) | A short documentary by Josh Freed about the making of Wedgerino and my relationship with Joey.
Skippers (71 min.) | My second feature, a comedy filmed in Bay City, MI, starring Chris and Kenny, edited by Anthony.
The Sandwich (4 min.) | A short film about friendship, written by me, directed by Marc, filmed in Greece.
Limited Time Offer Act Now (8 min.) | High-octane, or medium-octane, thriller-comedy influenced by Jason Bourne.
Relative | Family drama written & directed by Michael Glover Smith that I am producing.