IT'S ALL IN THE WRITING
I've been writing since high school -- short stories, plays, articles for underground newspapers, above-ground newspapers, film and TV scripts, to name a few. I'm currently focused on screenwriting with my writing partners, Sean Cardinalli, award-winning investigative reporter Mike Gallagher and actor/writer Steven Michael Quezada (Gomie in Breaking Bad). You can read a synopsis and/or treatment for selected scripts by clicking below.
Scripts
Tio
Woohoo! Shooting wrapped on March 16, 2026 for a feature I co-wrote with Steven Michael Quezada. Based on a character from Steven's standup act, Tio tells the story of a PTSD-afflicted veteran who never leaves his tiny apartment above a music store, except to get high with musicians and buy tamales from Rosa, the Tamale Lady. When Rosa is abducted in broad daylight from her customary corner by two masked kidnappers, Tio concocts a plan to rescue her from the local ICE detention center.
Last Night in T or C (feature film)
Unlucky in love, a struggling writer finds bliss with the woman of his dreams, then searches desperately for answers when she decides to give her husband a second chance, in this witty and poignant look at modern love.
Trust (feature film)
When a Black ex-con learns he's the illegitimate son of a wealthy white industrialist, it's the least of his surprises. He is soon dragged into a dangerous competition for his father's fortune in this unique take on King Lear.
Santuario (feature film)
A father's desperate attempt to save his daughter from the wrath of Mexican cartels erupts into a sun-bleached nightmare of violence and betrayal, exposing the corruption and death on the U.S. border.
Milagros (TV pilot) with Sean Cardinalli
This one-hour ensemble comedy focuses on the hopes, dreams and disappointments of players, coaches and fans of the Miracles, Albuquerque's arena football team. Led by dry cleaning mogul, South Valley hustler and team owner, Conrad Jaramillo, players and coaches alike try to find their way to the big time, while dealing with the realities of every day life in the unforgiving city of Albuquerque. Meanwhile, Connie must keep the team afloat by any means possible.
Dead by Thursday (feature film)
The friendship of two ex-drug smugglers is tested when a Mennonite elder they owe their lives to calls upon them to rescue his grandson from a vicious Mexican drug ring. Dead by Thursday was a semi-finalist in the 2011 Writers on the Storm script contest.
Duke City (feature film)
Eddie "Duke" Montaño, dismissed from the Albuquerque Police Department, returns to his South Valley stomping grounds as an undercover agent with plans to bust the Mexican cartels. The only problem is surviving street gangs, his DEA handler, pissed-off former colleagues and the burden of living a double life.
Duke City (TV pilot)
Eddie "Duke" Montaño, an undercover cop who's infiltrated a local street gang, must deal with threats from drug cartels, his own government and assorted thugs, after he's unexpectedly appointed leader of the gang.
Kachina Roads (TV pilot)
On the Road to Hell, you don't get to choose your friends....A rising star in the archaeology world arrives in New Mexico to rescue the university's reputation and find the answers to a family mystery. He soon learns his real purpose for being there is to lead a motley crew of gangbangers, dreamwalkers and religious fanatics on a mission to save the planet.
The Devil's Hatband (feature film or mini-series)
Set in New Mexico in the late 19th century, The Devil's Hatband brings to life the struggle between the Hispanic settlers of northern New Mexico and their challenge to preserve their communal way of life in the face of rapacious western capitalism.
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Mary and Jane (feature film)
Mary and Jane is a heartwarming comedy about saving the family farm and the way of life that goes with it. The twist? It's a pot farm in Northern California.
