Tampa Production Company Shoots for the Stars

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - March 20, 2014 - PRLog -- When Justin Russo, founder and president of Flicker City Productions, LLC, in Safety Harbor, FL was just 18 he was shooting videos with his friends to hopefully, one day, make it big in film.  Now, a 42 year old software engineer-turned-producer and director of film and the occasional radio spot for commercial clients, Justin P. Russo isn’t aiming to become the next Spielberg and move to LA.  He has one simple vision.  Grow film in the Tampa Bay area, one quality film at a time.

Justin’s production company, Flicker City Productions, LLC, is currently producing a short film he’s directing named, April Fools Day.  It stars local area talent Charles Martin Garcia, Mick McNabb, Amanda Bowman and Dahlia Legeault. Justin also plays a small role in his film, which is slated to be completed by, oddly enough, April 2014.

The cast and crew of this film are all industry professionals who must constantly struggle with the inconsistency of finding work in the Tampa area film industry.  “The Tampa area does not possess a lot of opportunities to work on the big budget productions,” stated Russo in his recent Kickstarter.com campaign for his film.  “Paid acting gigs are few and far between here in the Tampa area.  My dream is to bring big budget productions to this colorful town.”

Resolutely, Justin realizes that he is fighting an uphill battle, and that he truly is at the beginning of his journey.  However, he is not alone.  Tampa Bay plays host to thousands of local filmmakers who share his passion.  The Tampa area has numerous film festivals which bring filmmakers from throughout the state and the nation every year.  Gulf coast Florida events include The Sunscreen Film Festival, The Gasparilla Film Festival, The Tampa Independent Film Festival, and The 48 Hour Film Festival, to name a few.

"One things for sure," explained Rich Nilsen, Chief Marketing Officer for Flicker City.  "The future for film in the Tampa area is bright as long as filmmakers like Justin, and his talented cast and crew continue to make films which improve the quality of Tampa film."

Visit the Kickstarter.com campaign for Justin’s most recent production, April Fools Day, and you can join Justin in his quest to grow film in Tampa.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1001692983/short-fil...