As this will be my last post for 2025, it’s time for a reflection on what has transpired these last twelve months. I look at the end of the year as an opportunity to take stock and to plan for the next. While I’ve never been one for New Year’s resolutions, I am a consummate planner and always have my “To Do” list at the ready. In today’s world of endless notifications, emails, and life itself, it’s easy to get distracted and fall off a schedule. We’ve all heard people say, “I was too busy this year, I’ll get to it next.” But then next year comes and—well, you get the point.

Two events in 2025 were milestones of sorts. First, I turned 60 this past June. I honestly can’t believe that six decades have passed, and so quickly. While I’ve always just looked at age as a number, we are only as young as we feel and participate in life. To celebrate, I traveled for a few days to Ticonderoga, NY, where I enjoyed my second visit to the Star Trek: Original Series Set Tour and Fort Ticonderoga. Less than a four-hour drive from central Massachusetts, I find the Ticonderoga area wonderfully quiet and beautiful, with just enough activities to keep one busy. It’s a great location when you’re both a science fiction and history enthusiast!

But it was the second milestone that I’ll remember for years to come. That was the world premiere of Stonegate where I played Father Clayton. From the screening events to the reviews to the camaraderie with the actors and crew, it was a production that just worked from start to finish. Now available on a wide variety of streaming platforms, including Amazon and Tubi, Stonegate is a good reminder of what’s possible in the independent film world. My experience with Stonegate reminded me of First Signal and Justice Is Mind. When talented creatives come together on both sides of the camera and unite around a project, anything is possible.   

Of course, it was my visit to the World Figure Skating Championships in March that brought me back to a familiar world that I find myself occasionally visiting. While the athletics on the ice have certainly changed (quads and more quads!), it was nice to see so many familiar faces behind the scenes. There were moments when I felt like I never left, then reality set in when the figure skating world I operated in was over 20 years ago! It was during this reflection that the idea for a new media organization in the sport came to mind. We shall see what, if anything, comes of it. But one thing I have learned over the years is not to get stuck in the past. We learn from it, appreciate it for what it was, but thinking forward is the only way to move forward.

That being said, the business plan for this new venture is being reworked on the recommendation of a couple of venture capitalists. One thing that I had redesigned was the poster for Serpentine with some updates to the script. I’ll be releasing the new poster soon, and then I will present the screenplay to the film festival community. With the 2026 Winter Olympics just around the corner, perhaps that will give Serpentine the impetus to move forward. Although there was a time when I wanted to move away from figure skating, the sport has always held a special place in my heart. As I’ve learned, it’s OK to take a break from something just to appreciate it more when you return.  

But it was In Mind We Trust, the sequel to Justice Is Mind, that yielded a tremendous number of wins, honors, and acceptance by the film festival community. Might this be the next project that goes into production? That I don’t know. But what I do know is the advice I received years ago from a producer. And that was to always have multiple projects in development and ready to go. Today, it could be a mind-reading psychological thriller (In Mind We Trust), tomorrow it could be a science fiction adventure (First Launch), the day after it could be a political thriller (SOS United States).

Whenever I reflect on a year, I always wonder if I could have done more. When you’re a creative person, it’s natural to wonder about the possibilities. But looking back, I couldn’t be more grateful for the opportunities I’ve had. I never thought I would be cast in another Oxygen TV series or in a commercial for a financial services firm. But opportunities like this only come because I keep presenting and submitting. Opportunities rarely find you, you have to find them.

What I do believe is important is to surround yourself with positive, like-minded people. While we all have things going on in our lives that may not be the best, it’s how we handle them that matters the most. Nothing is more debilitating than having constant negative energy around you. I know when that happens to me, I just navigate away from it. The adage that “life is short” could not be more applicable in those scenarios. My late business partner Tom McGinnis would often quote from the movie Auntie Mame when Mame says, “Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!” So, eat up and enjoy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!