I Really Get Into It: The Underage Architects of Sioux Falls Punk is a feature documentary I made about the early days of the vibrant all ages music scene in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
It had a very healthy festival run, won some awards, and sold out several screenings. It also turned a surprisingly sizable profit on a marketing budget of zero dollars. My co-producer/wife and I used a chunk of the proceeds to remodel our kitchen and donated another chunk to a local domestic violence emergency shelter.
Largely ignored and left to their own devices, a group of unassuming teenagers in Sioux Falls, South Dakota created their own culture, community, and economy. And when they moved out into the world at large, they brought what they learned along with them.
I Really Get Into It is a documentary about the tenacity and ingenuity of youth, finding and following your convictions, and how the kids you least expect often make the most noise.
Filmed on location in eight U.S. cities, the film features interviews with Larry Livermore (Lookout! Records), Ian Mackaye (Fugazi, Minor Threat), Mike Park (Skankin' Pickle), Terry Taylor (Hammerlord, Nodes of Ranvier), Rebecca Hanten (Cadillac Blindside, The Cardinal Sin), Shawn Kock (Blood Drugs, Absolute Monarchs), and many more.
MERCH
Since COVID made safe, traditional film screenings pretty much impossible in 2020, we launched with a home release, and packed the virtual merch table with everything from stickers and postcards to lapel pins and VHS tapes.
My friends at Look’s Beer Co. offered to brew, can, and keg a special Hazy IPA for the local theatrical screening of the documentary, and I agreed without
reservation.
FESTIVALS
& AWARDS
Best U.S. Documentary, L.A. Punk Film Festival 2021
Official Selection, Sound Unseen 2021
Official Selection, Decibels Film Festival 2021
Official Selection, South Dakota Film Festival 2021
Best Feature Documentary, Dakota Independent Film Festival
Official Selection, Seattle Film Festival 2021
Official Selection, SiouxperCon Film Festival 2021
A “quiet cosmic horror” starring my friend, Dessa, The Events of That Night… is my first attempt at narrative filmmaking.
I leaned hard on a lot of artists and friends to bring this short to life. We premiered it to a sold-out crowd at our local century-old restored movie house, and donated the proceeds to one of my favorite local non-profits, The Transformation Project. As I write this, the short is entering the final leg of a nice festival run.
On her way home from a housewarming party, Elise (Dessa) observes-and is observed by-something inexplicable but familiar in the night sky. She leaves the experience confused and unnerved, only to find that it has just begun.
FESTIVALS
& AWARDS
Benson Film Festival, Official Selection 2025
Minnesota Film Festival, Official Selection 2025
Midwest Weirdfest, Official Selection 2025
Unidentified Anomalous Pictures, Official Selection 2025
Campfire Scares Shorts Festival, Official Selection 2025
Vermillion Vortex Film Festival, Official Selection 2024
Cinema Scares, Best Cinematography Nominee 2024
Cinema Scares, Best Actress Nominee 2024