Rex Sikes' Movie Beat

Scott Brown, writer/director currently focusing in the digital space. In 2010 Scott directed the six-episode dramatic web series Asylum, acquired by BET digital for a second season.  In 2009, Scott created and directed the ?ve-episode web comedy Blue Movies, which earned him a Streamy Award nomination for Best Director. The show has been seen by over 6 million viewers, and is distributed on JTS.tv and Virgin Airlines. Scott was also the director and editor of online content for the Spike TV’s series Blue Mountain State in their second season, creating over 60 scripted videos for the show’s website.  Now he writes and directs content for Youtube Premium Channels as well as other online destination websites and currently works as producer and director on HULU’s newest show Larry King Now.

York Shckleton, Director, took up snowboarding and skateboarding at age 10. By 19 he was on the professional snowboarding circuit, where he wowed legions of young fans and popularized a move called the "rodeo flip." Inspired to tap into the commercial aspect of the sport, York and a friend started the company groove snowboards. In the late 1990s, York took his tricks in front of the camera, appearing in several national commercials for Mountain Dew and Taco Bell. York got his first taste of straight acting the next year, when he turned up alongside Dominique Swain as a teenage skater in Johnathan Kahn's "Girl". York's movie career began in earnest when he landed a lead role in Emilio Ferrari's "White Out" (at his very first audition, according to Ferrari). While the film was almost universally panned, York received high marks from critics and audiences for his turn as "a cocky king of the mountain" Kelly Powers. Ferrari was so pleased with York that he wrote a part for him in his next film, "I Know What You Did Last Winter". After appearing in several Indies and the MTV series "Undressed", York crossed over into mainstream circles with his directorial debut. "Las Paraditas", a feature documentary exposing the violence and corruption that surrounds the prostitutes of Tijuana. In 2005, York wrote and directed the critically acclaimed cult film, "Kush" Starring William Atherton, Mike Erwin and Lyn Shea and has since completed "1 out of 7" which is now available on Pay Per View. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com

Paul Weber, CSA, PT3 is one of Hollywood’s most respected Casting Directors. As longtime Executive Head of Television Casting and Feature Film Consultant for MGM Studios, Weber effectively moved between both mediums with ease.

Brad Lichtenstein, award-winning filmmaker, president of 371 Productions, from 2003 when he moved from NYC to Milwaukee, WI. His newest documentary is As Goes Janesville. The film will air on the PBS series Independent Lens in October of 2012. Before making his own films, Brad associate produced FRONTLINE’s Peabody award-winning presidential election year special, Choice ’96, and Lumiere Production’s PBS series, With God on Our Side: The History of the Religious Right.  With Lumiere, he produced and directed André’s Lives, a portrait of the “Jewish Schindler;” Safe, Discovery Channel documentary about domestic violence, Caught in the Crossfire, about Arab-Americans after 9/11, and the BBC/Court TV co-production of Ghosts of Attica, about the infamous 1971 prison uprising and aftermath, for which he was awarded a Dupont-Columbia Award for Excellence in Journalism. His film, Almost Home, a PBS Independent Lens documentary about people in a retirement care community trying to improve their institution and lives, continues to be featured in workshops on aging and caregiving more than 6 years since its initial broadcast.  Besides producing, Brad taught documentary production for 5 years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he founded doc|UWM, a documentary film center that provides students with professional documentary experiences. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com

Marci Liroff, casting director. Her extensive credits as a casting director span more than 50 films. While working at the renowned casting office of Fenton-Feinberg Casting she, along with Mike Fenton, cast such films as Bob Clark's “A Christmas Story” and “Porky’s”; the Academy Award-nominated “Poltergeist”; Steven Spielberg's “E.T. – The Extra Terrestrial” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”, and Ridley Scott's “Blade Runner”. After establishing her own casting company in 1983, MARCI LIROFF CASTING, Liroff cast “Footloose”, “St. Elmo's Fire”, “Pretty in Pink”, “The Iron Giant”, “The Spitfire Grill”, “Untamed Heart”, “Freaky Friday”, “Mean Girls”, “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past”, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins” to name a few.Whether it's an indie or big blockbuster movie, Liroff makes a good film great and a great film a classic. In addition to casting film and television, Liroff is an acting coach working with actors in person and worldwide thru Skype. Stay tuned to Rex Sikes Movie Beat for other great archived interviews, cast and crew listings, events, festivals, premieres, and more at rexsikes.com