Small screen and big screen with Vegas Pro
Justin Fornal is an eccentric independent film maker with a unique creative mind and hardcore guerrilla approach. Since graduating with a degree in film from University of Pittsburgh in 2000 he has produced a series of acclaimed underground science fiction works including the much sought after feature length cult classic Canzo Empyrean. The film's final scene features Fornal's character fighting on the Manhattan tower of the Brooklyn Bridge, a scene which landed the film maker in jail. Quotes such as, "I can't imagine someone renting the Brooklyn Bridge for less than I did…a $160 fine," summarize Fornal's no-hold barred way of getting cinematic results.
The film premiered in Monrovia, Liberia in June 2007 and led to near riotous conditions. The film's U.S. premiere took place one year later in an abandoned ballroom beneath the Bronx. Fornal transformed the space by hand into his own personal guerrilla theater equipped with a bar, chandeliers, and 12 foot screen, and seating for 100 people. He christened it the "Mastabah to Megiddo".
Since moving to the Bronx nine years ago he has become one of the borough's most recognizable faces. This is due largely to his presence both on and off screen as culinary ambassador Baron Ambrosia. The character first emerged in 2006 when Fornal produced the Underbelly video podcast for Libsyn Media. The show's unique hybrid format of sketch comedy mixed with culinary journalism enabled it to quickly become iTunes #1 food podcast. Handling both creative (writing & directing) and technical (editing) aspects of the project enabled Fornal to get large amounts of work done in a short time with no budget. In 2008 the show was picked up by Bronxnet 67, given a budget, renamed "Bronx Flavor" and received a New York Emmy Nomination. Episodes have guest starred Bronx legends Grandmaster Melle Mel, Joe Bataan, Sal Fever, and Opera Steve. read more...
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