Featured Artist:
Shaun Greenspan

Filmmaker and entrepreneur Shaun Greenspan grew up in Sarasota. His father, Dr. Richard Greenspan, is a prominent dentist here, and his mother, Betty Greenspan, is a nurse and artist. Greenspan says he developed his wry sense of humor and gift for storytelling from their example and influence. He brought that legacy with him to Los Angeles, where he has since launched his filmmaking career. Greenspan will bring it all back home next month when his short film, “The Break Up,” premieres at the 2011 Sarasota Film Festival, Friday, April 15, noon, and Sunday, April 17, at 7 p.m., at Regal Cinemas Hollywood 20 in downtown Sarasota, 1993 Main Street. The audience will have an opportunity to register a vote for this film at the Friday showing. For more information about this film and the Sarasota Film Festival, call SFF offices at 941-364-9514.

“The Break Up” is a comedic take on young love. Really young love. It’s the story of a nine-year-old boy who breaks up with his eight-year-old girlfriend while on a date at a pizza restaurant. “It’s based on my own experiences in the dating game,” laughs Greenspan, 32. “It always strikes me as charming when kids emulate adults; I just took it to the next comedic level.”

He adds that his family and his former life in Sarasota taught him more than comedy. His roots as a filmmaker began in this community.

Greenspan grew up in Sarasota and attended the Out-Of-Door Academy and Riverview High School. After high school, in 1997, he enrolled in Manatee Community College. According to Greenspan, his film career was launched after meeting Del Jacobs, the director of the college’s film program. “Del was a film scholar and film evangelist,” says Greenspan. “He passed his passion and knowledge on to all of his students. Teaching film was his life’s work. He gave me the confidence to make filmmaking my life’s work.”

After studying at MCC, Greenspan transferred to Columbia College Hollywood, a Los Angeles-based film school, where he studied with the highly respected actor and Emmy-winning director, Corey Allen, best known for his role as Buzz in the 1950’s classic “A Rebel Without a Cause.” Allen took Greenspan under his wing and introduced him to filmmaking theories that, Greenspan says, “I’m still exploring and unraveling to this day. He was one of my best friends.” Corey Allen passed away last summer after fighting Parkinson’s disease for many years.

Greenspan graduated Columbia College Hollywood in 2003 after receiving a B.A. in cinema and never looked back. In 2005, he co-founded Triforce Pictures with Edward James Fagan, a fellow film school graduate. The venture specializes in cost-effective content for a wide range of media formats, including music videos, commercials and films.

Since co-founding the company, Greenspan has had an impressive track record. He has produced, written and/or directed more than 45 independent projects for a range of clients, including Jargon Entertainment and Romark Films. He produced the Snoop Dogg music video “Candy,” two web series, “Brooklyn” and “Weedshop,” and the award-winning short film "The Job.” Greenspan has also supplied his talents to such television shows as “West Wing,” “E.R.,” “Six Feet Under,” “Nip-Tuck,” “Mad Men,” ” Flash Forward,” True Blood,” and “Big Love,” and to such films as “Little Miss Sunshine”, and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

This vast body of work has a single common element. “We’re storytellers,” says Greenspan. “You could call us story junkies. No matter what the creative project, we try to tell an interesting story. We create an emotional connection with our audience and bring them to a catharsis. If we’ve moved you, we know we’re doing our job.” Greenspan explains that he also honed his skills of entertaining an audience during many years of being a vinyl D.J under the name DJ SOLO, where his goal was to move the audience to dance. 

The 2011 Sarasota Film Festival runs April 7-17, 2011. Tickets for individual films go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 18, 2011, at the festival’s box office, inside the lobby of the Regal Hollywood 20. Tickets are also available at www.sarasotafilmfestival.com.

For more information about Shaun Greenspan and Triforce Pictures, visit www.triforcepictures.com; or call 818-469-2547.

March 16 & April 13
[ 5 films ]

Transition Sarasota is more than half way through its Five Films For the Future series. This week, the film is “FLOW”; about the global crisis facing us as the Earth’s fresh water supply diminishes and countries and corporations gear up to make water the oil-wars of the future. Then on April 13 see “Garbage Warrior” about Michael Reynolds and his green disciples and their off-the-grid self-sufficiency. Films are organized by the Social Justice Committee of UU Sarasota and shown at 6:30 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church on Fruitville Rd. Call 941-408-3374.

March 17
[ scf jazz ]

The State College of Florida (SCF) Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Combo will perform at 8 p.m., Thursday, in the Neel Performing Arts Center at SCF Bradenton, 5840 26th St. West. Call 941-752-5351.

March 18 & April 1
[ despicable ]

“Despicable Me” to be screened outside at Booker Middle School at 7:45 p.m. on March 18th as part of Moonlight Movies, the Sarasota Film Festival's free outdoor film. Then on April 1, catch “Megamind” at Laurel Nokomis School (see link for more details). Attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and pillows, as well as their own food and beverages. Arrive early and pick the best spot. The 2011 Moonlight Movie series is sponsored by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice, ABC 7, and paid for in part by the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues. 941-364-9514.

March 19
[ get hip ]

Who says you can’t enjoy vegetables and Hoola-Hoops at the same time? This is Florida; anything goes (except properly funding teachers, gay marriage, mass transit, chad control and, well, that’s for another story). Visit Downtown Bradenton’s Farmer’s Market (Saturday’s 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and experience demonstration performances by Hoola Monsters, a group dedicated to promoting self-expression, health and physical fitness through hoola-hooping. 941-744-7484.

March 19 & 20
[ lwr art ]

The 11th Annual Art at the Ranch comes to Main Street in Lakewood Ranch from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., each day. Sponsored by ArtCenter Manatee and the Lakewood Ranch Communities, the event offers artists from across the country and a lot of things you’ll enjoy during this outdoors event. 941-746-2862.

March 19 – April 23
[ pencil me in ]

Art Center Sarasota is offering The Way of the Pencil, with Chris Casanta, as part of its “Careers in Art” series. The course is comprised of 6 Saturday sessions (1-4 p.m.) and will teach the fundamentals of line-based drawing, illustration, character design, color theory, perspective and depth. Call 941-365-2032.

March 25 – 27
[ fuzion ]

Fuzión Dance Artists 5th Season Concert; a contemporary dance performance, created for the intimate space of the Cook Theater. Performance includes collaborations with local writers Gina Greenlee and Harold Wolfe, composers Edward Cosla and Scott Blum, visual artist Sabrina Small, and New York fashion designer Jen King Elliot, as well as choreography by guest artists Anjali Austin, Elena Garcia, and emerging choreographer Alyson Dolan, and special appearance by David Howard. Buy tickets on-line or call 941-395-0099.

March 26
[ concert ]

GuitarSarasota is proud to welcome one of America's leading guitarists, Jason Vieaux. Jason is a frequent guest with orchestras across the US and has performed as concerto soloist with, among many others, the Cleveland Orchestra, Ft. Worth Symphony, San Diego Symphony, the Florida Orchestra, the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Auckland Philharmonia. This special concert is at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (2256 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota). Call 941-360-7399.

March 26 – 27
[ arts & craft show ]

The streets of Sarasota will soon be lined with tents and booths and all kinds of arts and crafts from local, regional and national artists at the 9th Annual Downtown Sarasota Arts & Craft Fesitval. The art festival is open air and open to all from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.

March 27
[ speech, speech ]

The Hermitage Artist Retreat, Asolo Repertory Theatre, Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice and New College of Florida present a “Conversation with Oskar Eustis,” on Sunday 1:00 p.m. in New College’s Mildred Sainer Pavilion (5313 Bay Shore Rd). Eustis is the artistic director of The Public Theater and the annual New York Shakespeare Festival in New York City and the keynote speaker for the 2011 Greenfield Prize Award Dinner. 941-351-9010 x-4710.

March 26
[ 1-day intro voiceover basics workshops ]

John Burr offers voiceover and speech training at his new studio in Sarasota. From 9:00 am - 2:00 on Saturday March 26, join John for his 1-day intro voiceover basics workshp. Whatever your needs, with his many years of experience, John can help you develop into a world-class voiceover talent or public speaker. Check out John's website for the details.

Call to Artists:

North Port Art Center

Myakka State Park

Be sure to check the audition pages of local theaters to make sure you don't miss anything (click the theater name): Florida Studio Theatre • The Players Theatre of Sarasota • Manatee Players • The Golden Apple • Island Players • Asolo Repertory Theatre • Venice Theatre • Lemon Bay Playhouse