After receiving a BA in Media Studies, from the University of Virginia, Brian entered the land of a 9 to 5 workweek. Realizing office life was not for him; he headed off to the Cinema program at USC. Since enrolling he has won such accolades as the Bernard Mayes Media Award, Gene Autry Scholarship, and a 2008 Coca Cola Refreshing Filmmaker Finalist. He is currently developing his first feature film called Pancake.
If we made a movie out of your life so far, what would the title be?
"Scrawny to Brawny." I'm gonna be king of the beach this year.
You wake up tomorrow and movies no longer exist. What would we find you doing professionally?
Probably architecture. I think architecture is actually very close to making movies. I wanted to be an architect but I can't draw, so I picked up a camera instead.
If you could have a drink with any character from a movie who would it be and why?
Takeshi Kaneshiro's character in Wong Kar Wai's "Fallen Angels." He doesn't speak because of bad pineapples, and I'm quiet as well, so we could each drink in peace. After a few, he would help me steal an ice cream truck to drive around Hong Kong giving people ice cream whether they liked it or not.
What happened to advance your film from an idea on the page into a reality?
There were two people at the Coroner's office that were instrumental in making this film come into reality. The first was James Hazlett; he was the person I first went to with the idea about making a documentary focusing on the people who work at the Coroner's office. He set me up with all of my pre-interviews, and if I didn't have him in my corner I would have never gotten access to shoot.
The other was José Hernandez, who is one of the subjects in the film. The first time I talked with José he started to tear up talking about his father's death. I was struck by his sensitivity when I considered what he encounters everyday working at the Coroner's office. Talking with him gave me faith that a film focusing on the people who work at the Coroner's office, rather than the cases, would actually work.
