As most of you know, last month’s competition was fierce on the Video Stage. In the final round, we had some heavyweights battling it out for the $1,000 grand prize plus other incredible opportunities. Four of the ten finalists were past grand prize winners (Animasmith, George A. Villalba, Zero Hour Direcktor, and FunnyMovieStar) while the rest of them were recent channel winners. It was the closest race ever and the excitement was felt by all. And in the end, FunnyMovieStar a.k.a. Jeremy Saville rose to the top with his farcical comedy, “Switch.”

This was the second grand prize win for Jeremy since he took home his first one last June. Check-out EJ Alyssa’s hysterical interview with him and watch his acceptance speech video on the EJ Blogs.

Finally, I was able to reach this busy and funny moviemaker and had a humorous discussion about his talents and skills as a director, producer, and actor. I’m sure you’ll find this piece refreshing. Enjoy!

Julie: Were you always a funny man (comedian)?
Jeremy: I was born funny, in fact I slapped the doctor. (He looked at me funny. (So maybe he was the funny man.))

JP: Have you considered casting other male leads in your films?
JS: I once had Tom Hanks play the lead in a film, but he was just such an egotistical blowhard, and quite honestly the man just couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag. So I just took over on that film, and never looked back. I did, however, hear from Daniel Day-Lewis who remarked that he had never been so jealous of a performance after he watched “Gay Date”, I then offered him the lead in my new film, about the birth of the Beer Barons, “There Will Be Bud”. I’m still waiting to hear back.

JP: Where did you find all those beautiful actresses in your shorts?
JS: Those are all my ex-wives.

JP: When budgets are tight, where are the best places to economize?
JS: Usually food. Who needs to eat? Not actors or crew members for sure. I mean, I’m a filmmaker not a goshdarn restaurant. I used to want to forego the camera and the film, but some wizened soul reminded me that without those there was no way to record the scene. At first I scoffed, but later realized the true value of that statement. My first 4 films were performed flawlessly, but alas, never seen by human eyes again.

JP: What’s the biggest waste of money?
JS: College

JP: . How important are film festivals? How do you research and select them?
JS: Film festivals are a great place to pick up women by telling them you’re a “Big Time” producer, in fact borrowing from the indie film “Colour Me Kubrick”, I often tell people I’m Bob and Harvey Weinstein. I can’t tell you how many filmmakers are disappointed when they learn that check for 10 million is completely uncashable. (Luckily I have all of it on video, but due to a pending lawsuit, can’t really comment. But look for it on the Ourstage documentary channel in the near future.)

JP: How has the Internet changed how you market/distribute your work?
JS: Well it’s now allowed some unscrupulous souls to set up Google Ads websites around some of my films they’ve simply downloaded (this unfortunately is not a joke). In all seriousness I’m able to connect with my audience. And that audience can support me both emotionally and financially. (God knows someone has to).

JP: Who most influenced your development as a filmmaker?
JS: Larry the Wino, who once told me “If I wake up, and I’m not in a pool of my own vomit I know it’s gonna be a good day.” Words to live by.

JP: Any new projects in your horizon?
JS: Other than “There Will Be Bud,” I have many I’m working on. I’m really, really excited by them. Right now “The Britney Mouse Club” is out there, and I need to promote it to be a HUGE hit, because I want my Mom’s house to be saved. So, I tell everyone to go to www.WatchTheMouseSaveTheHouse.com, and sign-up. They will see a hilarious movie by a 2-Time OurStage Grand Prize Winner. (Who else can say that? That’s like 2 time Academy Award winner. (Oh here we go with the Tom Hanks crap again.)). Anyway, this subscription site I’m asking everyone to join could be a huge win both for my adoring fans and me. They get to see some really great high quality movies in High Res for a mere pittance. It’s just 99 cents for 3 months- talk about a deal! So we can do this together, but I do need support from all the folks out there who dig my work. I promise to make you laugh, and trust me, you are going to SERIOUSLY need it at some point, because life can really be challenging.