"A Partially-Authorized, No-Holds-Barred, Mini-Bio of Brooks Elms"
by Glenn Sanders
Writer, Creative Director, Viral Video Mastermind

"So I have this idea...”

This is how Brooks Elms starts probably half his conversations. Most of which lead into some wild-eyed new project of his that sounds daunting, difficult, and, well, Brooksian.

If there’s one thing I can say about Brooks, when he sets his mind to something, he accomplishes it. I’ve known Brooks since NYU film school, when we were introduced by our mutual friend Eli Roth (who later made “Cabin Fever” and the “Hostel” films). Brooks never took “no” for an answer - even if it meant swinging an ancient 20-pound camera by a rope, crawling across a busy intersection in zero-degree weather, or sticking my fingers into a moving fan because “it looks good for camera.” As I nursed a series of bruises, scrapes, and cuts, Brooks honed his down-to-earth, personal filmmaking style, which culminated in winning a screenplay award for his thesis film, “Drew, Trip and Zoey.”

The ink on my own diploma was barely dry when, his first summer out of film school, Brooks wrote, directed, and produced a feature film. "Snapshots From a .500 Season” is a quasi-autobiographical character study of hard-partying college soccer players. He self-distributed the film, and screened it for a month straight at a venue in Manhattan he personally created, called “New York City’s Guerilla Cinema.”

Brooks’ next project was an experimental feature called “Disaster Video,” a first-person look at the end of the world. Around this time, he discovered democratic schools, which led him to write "Schooled," an intense personal drama that challenges the notion of traditional authority for kids.

Brooks moved to Los Angeles while prepping to shoot "Schooled," though I tell people it was to be closer to me. He soon decided that making a feature film wasn’t time consuming enough. So he started a screenwriter’s group, and invited me to join, with promises of fewer injuries and more snacks. Six years on, the group is still going strong, thanks 99.99% to Brooks’ calm, open, and supportive approach.

As for "Schooled," well, he made that film too, and screened it all over the world, and earned all kinds of accolades, among them a nomination for “Best Ensemble Performance” at The Method Fest in LA.

And then recently, Brooks called me and said, “So I have this idea.” An online mentorship program for filmmakers - sort of a hybrid of the old NYU collaboration, with the input and support of the writers’ group. My first concern was, “here he goes again with the crazy ideas” (yes, my inner monologue sounds like a Catskills comedian).

But then I gave it a second thought. And realized that, like all of Brooks’ best ideas, this was actually a perfect fit. Throughout the years, I’ve made my own short films, written scripts, even gotten one of them optioned by an Oscar-winning producer. And whether it was at film school, in the writers group, or just whenever I needed it, Brooks has been one of the go-to guys. I’ve counted on him for script and story notes, production support, and even basic advice from a trusted friend and colleague who just happens to have made a ton of short films and three features. It’s truly rare to meet someone with his experience, persistence, and skill, combined with a unique personal vision and a genuine desire to help. He is a natural leader, guide, and mentor.

So I’ve written this bio on Brooks’ behalf because I wanted to let you know, as a potential student of his, that A Better Film is a pretty darn good idea.

For even more info....
His IMDb page: www.imdb.com/name/nm0255484/
His blog: www.BrooksElms.com
The website for his latest film: www.SchooledTheFilm.com

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