GUEST STAR: The League; a couple of Indie Movies; and… long overdue update!

Ahhh! Happy Summer to you all. Hope you’ve been enjoying it so much you’re behind on all your blogging as well

What fun job stuff can I tell ya? Last month I filmed a fun li’l guest star spot on the FX show “The League”– which was a unique and wonderful experience… First time ever showing up to a set and having no idea what I was doing that day. They improvise most of their dialogue- so I did not get a script the night before. And while you know the gist of the scene and what your character’s main intent/function is… they truly do allow you to play! Since I love improv, this was really exciting for me, I just wished I’d had more to do, because it *was* so much fun and freeing!  Actors on shows like these are definitely lucky duckies in my book…  how neat to get paid on a regular basis to have so much fun. I’ll be sure to check back in and let you know when the episode I appear in airs.

Then, a couple weeks ago, I worked on an indie film currently called “Republic of Two”- which I think is a good name for the film actually. I don’t know quite why I said ‘currently called’- maybe because all the indies I do seem to get their names changed when they get picked up for distribution. And by all…  I really mean just the 3 we’ve produced now that I think about it? “The Thirst” became Bloodwars… “Disarmed” became Special Ops- and we just found out recently that “Project Fear” is going to be renamed Absolute Fear when it gets released in the late fall/early winter. At least, that is when I think they said it’s coming out? I will check in about that, too.

And shortly before THAT, I worked on a short film called “The Number Nine” with a great group of people. I’m not sure how much I can say about that just yet, but when they release more info I will

What else? Hmmmmm…… Angel City Pit Bulls is going well! Have to admit, it takes up A LOT (too much?) of my time and energy so I am trying to get some balance back. Just so hard, knowing how many are in need, and sometimes I feel like such a small drop of water in an ocean of sadness Ewwww. Depressing. Sorry. To try and combat this, I am truly trying to expand upon the education and awareness part of our non-profit, and not just the rescue aspect, which can be very emotionally draining (but also rewarding, beyond words.) Am working on some cool P.S.A.’s to promote positive awareness and perception of the breed, along with responsible ownership. And we’re also starting a new program at the South LA Shelter this weekend to teach volunteers how to work with, train, and care for the pit bulls. So am excited about that. And of course nervous about how many we may fall in love with while we are there. Especially since we are so full on a regular basis. Anyway, I will stop rambling about that- but if you want to learn more- pls do click here to check out our website.

Lastly- am super excited to be back to work on Young Justice Season 2! And still working on The Croods with Dreamworks… Oh how I LOVE the v/o jobs. I just want to do more and more and more. They are so much fun and I get so jazzed every time I work, truly.

Alright, on that note, I must go study my lines for tomorrow’s auditions. Oh wait! That reminds me… I changed agencies a little while back also. After 8 years (though there was a change in ‘management’ during that time so it almost felt like 2 different places) I left Paradigm and signed with APA. So far so good. It was time. New, positive energy only brings more of the same… and I am looking forward to the months ahead. I’ve had a string of close calls these past few months, where I seem to get down to the wire and it’s between me and one other girl, and they always decide to go with someone ‘older’ (usually, the same age as me, but I look young, blah blah) or someone who has more of a name (such a Catch 22 because who do you get to be a name if they don’t hire you! grrrr!) or… someone who is friends with the director (I need more director friends it seems)… but I have faith my time will come. I have to…

Still truckin’

~Stephanie

MOVIE: “Special Ops” comes out today!!!

In Motion Pix film: Special Ops

Absolutely thrilled to announce that Special Ops (the movie my husband, AJ and our friend, Tom Shell, produced– formerly known as Disarmed) officially comes out today!  I have a small cameo in the film but more importantly I helped to write it and am very proud of all the work we did as a team to get this movie made and out on the market (finally!)

Special Ops was nominated for 7 awards at the Action On Film Fest last year, including: Action Movie of the Year, Best Fight Choreography (utilizing the arts of MMA, Eskrima, and Krav Maga– done by AJ and fellow KM black belt Kevin Lewis), Best Fight Sequence (for AJ’s knife on knife battle with Eskrima World Champion Al Punay of the Philippines), Best Original Score (done by the phenomenally talented Joe Cruz, and featuring award-winning Filipino artist Grace Nono) and Break Out Action Star (which AJ won!!!)

NBC Universal and Screen Media Films are distributing here in the United States, and the movie is available almost everywhere on Blu-Ray, DVD and On Demand (check your cable or dish service for pay per view). Please support our film by purchasing it in stores (Walmart) or online (iTunes) or add it to your Netflix/Blockbuster Queue! You can also purchase it directly and find more info at the official movie website here: www.specialopsthemovie.com

Feel free to forward this post to your friends who may be interested in supporting our film. Thanks so much for your support!

MOVIE: Disarmed, see the trailer!

I am excited to share the trailer for our movie, Disarmed.  Making this movie has been a true labor of love for my husband, me, and the rest of the creative team at In-Motion Pictures.  We finished filming Disarmed in early 2008 and subsequently went into an arduous post-production phase. In August of 2009, Disarmed was accepted into the Action On Film Festival, where it was nominated for 7 Awards including Action Picture of the Year, Best Score, Best Effects, Best Fight Sequence and Best Martial Arts Sequence.  I am of course very proud to say that my hottie husband, Krav Maga expert A.J. Draven, won the award for 2009 Breakout Action Star.  Fun, fun! Anyway, here’s the trailer below, can’t wait to get back on here soon and share the news of where and when you can watch/buy the film!

MOVIE: The Thirst (Bloodwars)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! You can now watch The Thirst: Bloodwars (the first movie we ever produced and acted in) on Syfy’s CHILLER NETWORK. Huge fans of this vampire dramedy can buy the film at: www.inmotionpix.com/im_thethirst (Come on, you know you want one!)

Click here to read a Bloodwars review

MOVIES: Disarmed, Project Fear

Stephanie travels to the Philippines to film 2 movies with her husband’s production company, In-Motion Pictures. The first, Disarmed, an action movie with a political edge, stars AJ Draven and Stephen Bauer. The story for the film was created by Stephanie, AJ and their business partner, Tom Shell, who also directed.

The second movie, a psychological thriller entitled Project Fear, stars Stephanie and Patrick Bergin, and tells the story of 6 friends who unknowingly get caught up in a scary mind game on a deserted island. The experience was challenging and life-changing– and all caught on film! Check back for details soon.

MOVIE: The Thirst (AKA BloodWars)

The Thirst (AKA BloodWars), the vampire film that Stephanie produced with her fiance, AJ DRAVEN (who stars in the film!) premieres in the San Francisco independent horror film festival Another Hole in the Head.

Click here for more info on AJ’s future projects!