Nice to Meet Me
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Nice to Meet Me tells the story of Louie, a thirty-something-year-old slacker and boyband has-been, as he faces the highs and lows of managing an indie band, his struggles with depression, and his new-found determination to grow up and find his purpose.
The script is loosely based on Louie's life and draws inspiration from his ongoing battle with depression – as well as the extraordinary encounter that prevented him from ending his life.
The incredible true story behind Nice to Meet Me:
"A few years ago, I had reached rock bottom and thought the only solution was to kill myself. One night, I started walking to the George Washington Bridge with the intention of jumping when a stranger stopped me and pointed a gun at my face. He said he’d kill me if I didn’t give him money. I thought to myself: This is it. I can fight this guy and he’ll shoot me… But instead, I cried and told him about my plan. He dropped his gun and started crying too, telling me he was desperate for money to feed his kids. We hugged, I treated him to some Dunkin Donuts, and we bonded over coffee and our issues with depression. We literally saved each other that night.
Since then, I have been dedicated to bringing this story to life. So thank you all for helping and being a part of this beautiful journey." - Louie
Meet The Team:
Louie Salazar was born in New Jersey and raised by Cuban-immigrant parents, Indiana Jones, and Marty McFly. Louie’s earliest and fondest memories are of watching movies like Back to the Future, The Goonies, and Night of the Living Dead, and spending his time dreaming of making his own films one day.
Like his Nice to Meet Me namesake, Louie had a brief stint as an aspiring teen heartthrob, performing with various local boybands and making many bad fashion choices along the way. (Red pants and too-tight pleather jackets.)
Ready for a change after high school, Louie took an interest in broadcast media and attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, where he met his long-time creative partner Michael Billy. Louie and Michael have collaborated on several projects over the last decade, from The NEXT American Gay, a reality modeling competition show, to Hola Hermano: My Adoption Telenovela, an upcoming documentary following Michael’s journey to reconnect with his birth family in Colombia. Nice to Meet Me was co-written with Alina Soler, his long-time girlfriend and writing partner.
Christian A. Morán is an award winning filmmaker that has been working on feature films, shorts, music videos and in documentaries.
As a Production Manager and Senior Editor at Media Blasters Inc., he has worked on and revived numerous Cult and Horror titles such as Lucio Fulci’s Zombie 2, Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer and One Missed Call.
He also worked on post-production for Fever Dreams’ feature, “Shadow: Dead Riot”, starring Tony Todd of Candyman and worked
on “Death Trance” directed by Yuji Shimomura and starring Versus’ Tak Sakaguchi. Christian has also worked on animated titles including Invader Zim, Berserk, Giant Robo, Samurai Deeper Kyo, 12 Kingdoms and Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
He also produced and edited a promotion video for a branch of The United Nations called Alliance of Civilizations which featured President Barack Obama.
Currently, he is working with legendary producer Roger Corman and Code Red DVD, who handle titles from MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). At this time he is producing and directing his own films such as Silentious (2013), Flawed God (2014), Halloween Treat (2014) and the award winning Let’s Play Dead Girl (2016) in which he has received the BEST PICTURE (MFSPFF), BEST FILM (GFF), BEST HORROR FILM (OLSFF), BEST HORROR/SCIENCE FICTION (RMFF), BEST NJ DRAMA (HOYSFF), AUDIENCE (OLSFF), DISTINCTION (CSFF), BEST DIRECTOR (MFSPFF), BEST DIRECTOR-HORROR (BTSFF) and BEST SCREENPLAY (NJHCFF) awards. In 2017, Christian became recipient of the JERSEY CITY HONORARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in the ART of FILMMAKING (BTSFF).
In 2018 Moran became Chief Executive Producer of the Hudson River International Film Festival as well as a Latino Advisory Committee Member for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Alina Soler began her writing career on her parents’ clunky typewriter, crafting original fairy tales and overly dramatic poems before bedtime. She continued her love of writing at Fordham University, where she studied journalism and sociology.
Alina has been published in People magazine, AM New York, NYmag.com, and Parenting.com, and has served as a copywriter, editor, and social media consultant. She a her first stab at writing screenplays while studying sketch comedy at the UCB Theater in New York City. As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, she is fiercely passionate about Latinx representation in Hollywood. Nice to Meet Me is her first feature-length film.
Carlos Miranda began his acting career in 2007, when he starred in several short films. His first major appearance was in the 2011 film Warrior, where he played the character Tito. In 2013, he starred in Sofia Coppola’s film, The Bling Ring.
His TV credits include NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, TNT’s Dallas, Wisdom of the Crowd, Legit, NBC’s Chicago P.D. ,and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. He can currently be seen in the critically-acclaimed Starz series Vida.
In addition to his acting, he is known for having worked as a writer, director, and producer on the short film End Trip.
Yani Marin is from North Bergen, NJ, and a proud daughter of Cuban immigrants. She began her professional career at the age of nine, dancing with the New York City Ballet and later going on to graduate from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
She toured the world with Beyoncé as a backup dancer in The Beyoncé Experience, and soon after landed her first Broadway show, West Side Story, where she had the opportunity to understudy and perform the role of Anita, awakening her passion for acting. Other Broadway credits include: Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Wicked, and one season at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Most recently Yani had a recurring role in season two of the hit Fox TV series Empire. Other TV credits include NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, One Bad Choice, and Smash. Look out for Yani in the new Amazon series Jack Ryan set to release in early 2018!
Casting director, producer and director Jules Cortez came into the film business in 2006
as a casting assistant on Be Kind Rewind.
His film credits include Brooklyn’s Finest, Crown Heights, Vampire in the Bronx, and TigerTail.
He has worked on music videos for artists like Jay –Z, Beyonce, Bon Jovi, Rob Thomas, 2 Chainz, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface, Jason Derulo, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Luis Fonsi, Jon Z, Nicky Jam, and many more.
As a producer, he traveled the country creating shows like Man vs Food Nation, Best Sandwich in America, Fandemonium, and Man Finds Food for the Travel Channel.
Recently, he produced videos for Chairman’s “Intent for Action Bronson” and “El Farsante” for Ozuna featuring Romeo Santos.
He is currently producing a documentary on heart disease entitled Paula’s Story, which documents the life of a female heart disease survivor in order to raise awareness on the disease.
Jules also produced and directed La Calle, which is a soon-to-be-released series based on surviving Latino siblings in the streets of the Bronx / Dyckman area after their parents were brutally murdered.
Diana Matos is an award-winning cinematographer and a Local 600 Camera Operator.
Her credits include: The Good Fight, See You Yesterday, The Amazing Spider Man, A Most Violent Year, and The Bourne Legacy.
She began her career as a technician at Panavision New York, then moved on to working in the camera department alongside top cinematographers who provided mentorship, such as Bradford Young, ASC and Matthew Libatique, ASC.
She has shot with a variety of formats, such as ARRIRAW, Super 35mm film, S16mm, REDRAW, and HDV on several films, including some award-winning films, like The Farewell and Clams Casino.
She is of Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican descent and is on the road to being a leading female cinematographer.
The script is loosely based on Louie's life and draws inspiration from his ongoing battle with depression – as well as the extraordinary encounter that prevented him from ending his life.
The incredible true story behind Nice to Meet Me:
"A few years ago, I had reached rock bottom and thought the only solution was to kill myself. One night, I started walking to the George Washington Bridge with the intention of jumping when a stranger stopped me and pointed a gun at my face. He said he’d kill me if I didn’t give him money. I thought to myself: This is it. I can fight this guy and he’ll shoot me… But instead, I cried and told him about my plan. He dropped his gun and started crying too, telling me he was desperate for money to feed his kids. We hugged, I treated him to some Dunkin Donuts, and we bonded over coffee and our issues with depression. We literally saved each other that night.
Since then, I have been dedicated to bringing this story to life. So thank you all for helping and being a part of this beautiful journey." - Louie
Meet The Team:
Louie Salazar was born in New Jersey and raised by Cuban-immigrant parents, Indiana Jones, and Marty McFly. Louie’s earliest and fondest memories are of watching movies like Back to the Future, The Goonies, and Night of the Living Dead, and spending his time dreaming of making his own films one day.
Like his Nice to Meet Me namesake, Louie had a brief stint as an aspiring teen heartthrob, performing with various local boybands and making many bad fashion choices along the way. (Red pants and too-tight pleather jackets.)
Ready for a change after high school, Louie took an interest in broadcast media and attended the Connecticut School of Broadcasting, where he met his long-time creative partner Michael Billy. Louie and Michael have collaborated on several projects over the last decade, from The NEXT American Gay, a reality modeling competition show, to Hola Hermano: My Adoption Telenovela, an upcoming documentary following Michael’s journey to reconnect with his birth family in Colombia. Nice to Meet Me was co-written with Alina Soler, his long-time girlfriend and writing partner.
Christian A. Morán is an award winning filmmaker that has been working on feature films, shorts, music videos and in documentaries.
As a Production Manager and Senior Editor at Media Blasters Inc., he has worked on and revived numerous Cult and Horror titles such as Lucio Fulci’s Zombie 2, Takashi Miike’s Ichi the Killer and One Missed Call.
He also worked on post-production for Fever Dreams’ feature, “Shadow: Dead Riot”, starring Tony Todd of Candyman and worked
on “Death Trance” directed by Yuji Shimomura and starring Versus’ Tak Sakaguchi. Christian has also worked on animated titles including Invader Zim, Berserk, Giant Robo, Samurai Deeper Kyo, 12 Kingdoms and Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
He also produced and edited a promotion video for a branch of The United Nations called Alliance of Civilizations which featured President Barack Obama.
Currently, he is working with legendary producer Roger Corman and Code Red DVD, who handle titles from MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). At this time he is producing and directing his own films such as Silentious (2013), Flawed God (2014), Halloween Treat (2014) and the award winning Let’s Play Dead Girl (2016) in which he has received the BEST PICTURE (MFSPFF), BEST FILM (GFF), BEST HORROR FILM (OLSFF), BEST HORROR/SCIENCE FICTION (RMFF), BEST NJ DRAMA (HOYSFF), AUDIENCE (OLSFF), DISTINCTION (CSFF), BEST DIRECTOR (MFSPFF), BEST DIRECTOR-HORROR (BTSFF) and BEST SCREENPLAY (NJHCFF) awards. In 2017, Christian became recipient of the JERSEY CITY HONORARY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD in the ART of FILMMAKING (BTSFF).
In 2018 Moran became Chief Executive Producer of the Hudson River International Film Festival as well as a Latino Advisory Committee Member for the New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
Alina Soler began her writing career on her parents’ clunky typewriter, crafting original fairy tales and overly dramatic poems before bedtime. She continued her love of writing at Fordham University, where she studied journalism and sociology.
Alina has been published in People magazine, AM New York, NYmag.com, and Parenting.com, and has served as a copywriter, editor, and social media consultant. She a her first stab at writing screenplays while studying sketch comedy at the UCB Theater in New York City. As the daughter of Cuban immigrants, she is fiercely passionate about Latinx representation in Hollywood. Nice to Meet Me is her first feature-length film.
Carlos Miranda began his acting career in 2007, when he starred in several short films. His first major appearance was in the 2011 film Warrior, where he played the character Tito. In 2013, he starred in Sofia Coppola’s film, The Bling Ring.
His TV credits include NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, TNT’s Dallas, Wisdom of the Crowd, Legit, NBC’s Chicago P.D. ,and ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder. He can currently be seen in the critically-acclaimed Starz series Vida.
In addition to his acting, he is known for having worked as a writer, director, and producer on the short film End Trip.
Yani Marin is from North Bergen, NJ, and a proud daughter of Cuban immigrants. She began her professional career at the age of nine, dancing with the New York City Ballet and later going on to graduate from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
She toured the world with Beyoncé as a backup dancer in The Beyoncé Experience, and soon after landed her first Broadway show, West Side Story, where she had the opportunity to understudy and perform the role of Anita, awakening her passion for acting. Other Broadway credits include: Women On The Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Wicked, and one season at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Most recently Yani had a recurring role in season two of the hit Fox TV series Empire. Other TV credits include NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, One Bad Choice, and Smash. Look out for Yani in the new Amazon series Jack Ryan set to release in early 2018!
Casting director, producer and director Jules Cortez came into the film business in 2006
as a casting assistant on Be Kind Rewind.
His film credits include Brooklyn’s Finest, Crown Heights, Vampire in the Bronx, and TigerTail.
He has worked on music videos for artists like Jay –Z, Beyonce, Bon Jovi, Rob Thomas, 2 Chainz, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface, Jason Derulo, Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Luis Fonsi, Jon Z, Nicky Jam, and many more.
As a producer, he traveled the country creating shows like Man vs Food Nation, Best Sandwich in America, Fandemonium, and Man Finds Food for the Travel Channel.
Recently, he produced videos for Chairman’s “Intent for Action Bronson” and “El Farsante” for Ozuna featuring Romeo Santos.
He is currently producing a documentary on heart disease entitled Paula’s Story, which documents the life of a female heart disease survivor in order to raise awareness on the disease.
Jules also produced and directed La Calle, which is a soon-to-be-released series based on surviving Latino siblings in the streets of the Bronx / Dyckman area after their parents were brutally murdered.
Diana Matos is an award-winning cinematographer and a Local 600 Camera Operator.
Her credits include: The Good Fight, See You Yesterday, The Amazing Spider Man, A Most Violent Year, and The Bourne Legacy.
She began her career as a technician at Panavision New York, then moved on to working in the camera department alongside top cinematographers who provided mentorship, such as Bradford Young, ASC and Matthew Libatique, ASC.
She has shot with a variety of formats, such as ARRIRAW, Super 35mm film, S16mm, REDRAW, and HDV on several films, including some award-winning films, like The Farewell and Clams Casino.
She is of Nicaraguan and Puerto Rican descent and is on the road to being a leading female cinematographer.
Organizer
Louie Salazar
Organizer
Fairview, NJ
