It’s one thing to say I have a background in Law Enforcement and post some pictures – mostly from set. How do you know I’m the real deal? First the highlights:
- I served 12 years with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.
- I transitioned there after 8 years as a TV News Producer.
- I come from a Law Enforcement family – my dad was a beat cop and detective for nearly 40 years, between his two agencies, and my nephew currently serves a department in Charlotte County, FL.
- I was trained by the FBI and the Law Enforcement Video Association as a Forensic Video Analyst.
- I have given testimony as an expert witness.
- In my 12 years, I worked with specialty units and task forces, including Investigations, Crime Scene, K9, Gang, Narcotics, Traffic, Gambling, Domestic Human Trafficking, Crime Stoppers, and more.
- Because of my specialized skill set, I worked with multiple police agencies across Southwest Florida.
- I’ve worked more crime scenes and DUI checkpoints than I can count.
In 1992, I graduated from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI, with a BA in Psychology. While there, I ran the radio station and worked for the TV station. Returning to Florida, I did an internship at the local NBC affiliate – which turned into my first News Producer position at WBBH & WZVN. That led to being on the local launch team for MSNBC.
After some time in the private sector, I was hired as a civilian Video Production Specialist at the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO). My video producing, camera, and editing background were an asset. As the department expanded, I went through the Academy and became a sworn auxiliary officer, while learning forensic tools built on top of the AVID Media Composer that directly applied to Law Enforcement and Forensic Video Analysis.
When I retired from LCSO, I had worked with nearly every specialized unit in the department, either alongside them or while crafting training materials for their use.
In tandem with my Law Enforcement and Journalism careers, I exercised my creative gifts. I spent my free time as an actor and playwright. I spent more than 20 years treading the boards on local stages: Cultural Park Theater, The Pirate Playhouse, Sanibel, and the Seminole Gulf Murder Mystery Train, among others. In addition to performing, I wrote one act and full length plays, interactive multi-media presentations and adapted older plays for modern audiences.
In 2012, I left it all behind to come to Los Angeles. Like most in this town, my career has had ups and downs. I’ve worked a lot of background, student films and reenactments. I’ve also had the opportunity to perform in more prominent roles on screen, even if the platforms themselves have now disappeared.
I adapted a novel for screen that is currently optioned and in pre-production, and have written a few dozen other feature-length film scripts, TV pilots and short films that are in various stages of development. I write stories about broken people who don’t know they’re broken, on a path of redemption.