I think it began with my grand love for watching old movies with my father. We would watch legendary classics like King Kong, Spartacus, Jason and the Argonauts and all of the Frankenstein and Wolf Man movies. Those movies often had me wondering who would win in a conflict between these epic characters.

As a young kid, I was fortunate enough to have neighborhood and football friends who shared my passion for film. They are some of my best friends who I’m still in contact with. We would work for hours creating content no one would see. Back then there was no YouTube or social media, of course. We would make horror and comedy but what we were best at were stunts and fight scenes.

This evolved along with our love for, the previously known, WWF. We got the courage to try dangerous stunts in backyard wrestling shows where we did dangerous stunts such as jumping off of roofs and lighting tables on fire. This really allowed me to experiment with stunts, pushing the limits even though they often would push back, leaving us with nice scars and memorable injuries.

That curiosity followed me well into adulthood where a lot of my influence for fight scenes are embedded. Who would win between Spartacus and The Wolf Man? And not just who but how?  I quickly realized it’s not about who would win or lose but if you could write an entertaining and convincing story.

There are so many stories out there that I want to see on the big screen. I can’t wait for them to be made especially when I’m fully capable of doing it myself. With the advances in camera tech, theres no excuse not to create the content I want.

I was a massage therapist and a former MMA fighter and current trainer, but the pandemic really derailed both of those businesses. This pushed me to search for more work.

I happened to be training an actor that wanted to learn fighter techniques to make his scenes look more realistic. He eventually linked me with a Producer/Director who needed stuntmen. So without experience I took the gig and was a perfect fit! I immediately fell in love with it. I worked hard and my stunts looked great on film.

When the next project came I had to unlearn how to fight and learn more how to tell a story. I came to the conclusion that fight choreo has less to do with fighting and more to do with dancing. I then combined my already existing MMA Training center and my new stunt team and created The Ludus Productions where I train people in Stunts, fight choreo, Stunt safety, MMA, Catch Wrestling, Boxing and Limlama.

Making movies is applying the training and work but I ultimately provide a safe space to expand and evolve as an entertainer whether it’s a set, stage, ring or cage. What I look for in a client or partner is the authentic artist that is you. In the end that’s what we all are and it’s what I choose to surround myself with.

I’m most proud of the work I’ve put into this. Good or bad I’ve stood by my work and I loved every minute of it, even the difficult parts. In fact, I gotta say it’s the challenges I’m grateful for because it helped me understand and humble myself. Filming, in a way, has truly freed me.

Earlier I had mentioned that I had to unlearn fighting for the sake of story telling. The idea changes the whole dynamic that is fighting. In a real fight, you’re trying to hit first and hit fast. It’s gritty and can be unclear at times at whats happening, whether it’s an organized or street fight.

In film, your draw back on a punch is dramatically exaggerated for the camera and possibly timing. At the same time, in order to keep the realistic element of the scene, fight technique is most useful. Pivoting into a punch can make all the difference.

There’s also a need to align some physics, for example: torquing your head at the same speed as the strike so the audiences mind accepts it as real.

With a team theres a time to speak to them as a whole and at times there’s a need to speak and listen to them privately. A lot of times it’s difficult getting everyone to respond to group messages so it can be better to reach out to those people individually. Scheduling in this game can be very hard to line up and one must have as many back up plans as you can think of.

Overall patience and consideration can go a long way. Another big rule I have is that I want my crew, no matter which position to be comfortable. Whether it’s sound mixing, stunts, intimate or fight scene, comfort is always number one.