Cool Oz Productions

07/29/2026

If you find yourself in Newark, Delaware on Thursday, August 13th at 4:00 PM; come check out The Interrogation at the Newark Independent Film Festival. It’s happening at Chapel Street Players Theater, 643 Creek View Rd, Newark, DE 19711. Bring your curiosity; The Interrogation will bring the thrills!

Newark Independent Film Festival

07/21/2026

Live Broadcast!

Come behind the scenes as we film the final scenes of our short film, 7th Ave Beauty, on Wednesday, July 22nd, at 11:50 AM EST.

The live broadcast will open after 11:50 AM EST, so jump in whenever you’re ready by clicking the link below.
https://youtube.com/live/tM4cbw9UosE?feature=share

07/20/2026

Come behind the scenes as we film the final scenes of our short film, 7th Ave Beauty, on Wednesday, July 22nd, at 11:50 AM.

The live broadcast will open after 11:50 AM, so jump in whenever you’re ready by clicking the link below.

https://youtube.com/live/tM4cbw9UosE?feature=share

06/15/2026

All weekend long; I’ve been hearing it: “I’ve been a Knicks fan all my life.”

I heard the same thing in ’86 when the Mets won the World Series. Suddenly, everyone wanted in on the hysteria that had taken over the city. And with all the transplants in New York, how many people have really been Knicks fans their whole lives?
Me? I’ve drunk so much Knicks Kool-Aid I should be in a diabetic coma. I grew up in a household that rooted for the Knicks, Mets, Rangers, and Giants. No other fandom was permitted. I don’t remember the ’73 championship, but I do remember the 8-by-10 black-and-white autographed photo of Walt Frazier my mother kept on her dresser.

My earliest Knicks memory is hearing they traded Frazier to Cleveland in ’77. And that’s where my Knicks journey begins; a journey built on promises that never quite materialized. The promise that Ray Williams and Michael Ray Richardson would be the greatest backcourt since Frazier and Monroe. The promise that Patrick Ewing would lead us to the promised land, maybe with a little help from Bernard King. (I still daydream about what it would’ve looked like if Patrick and Bernard had really gotten to run together.)

Then came Rick Pitino and the Bomb Squad. I was there for the height of that two-year dynasty-that-wasn’t. Me and my two best friends, Vinny Iula and Reggie Mitchell, were at Game 2 of the first round when the Knicks came back from 11 down in the final two minutes to beat the Sixers. We swept Philly; then got bounced by the Bulls in the second round. Pitino left for Kentucky, and the Knicks dropped right back into the basement like they had a reserved parking spot there.

Then came the ultimate promise: Pat Riley. Just like with the Lakers, he was supposed to bring a championship to New York. There was just one small problem: Michael Jordan. And even when Jordan took a baseball vacation, we still couldn’t grab the ring. I knew John Starks’ shot in Game 6 against Houston was going in. I knew it. Then Hakeem Olajuwon got just enough of it to ruin the arc, and the ball fell short—along with all of our hopes. Boom. Another heartbreak. Another summer ruined.

Then came the dark years: twenty years of basketball purgatory, with just enough flashes of hope to keep me drinking the Kool-Aid. The Knicks became the punchline of the league. Isiah Thomas helped bury us in salary cap hell, and every front office seemed determined to chase stars who clearly had no interest in playing in New York.

Then finally, there was a little light at the Garden. A man named Leon Rose started building a team the right way; through the draft, smart trades, chemistry, and culture. He found a point guard who actually wanted to be in New York. A point guard all the “experts” doubled. And now? Well, you all know what happened this weekend.

The New York Knicks: World Champions.

That’s my journey as a Knicks fan. So I’ll ask again: are you really a Knicks fan?

06/10/2026

We’re keeping this project rolling and getting ready to shoot the final scene, which we’ll stream live. Keep an eye out for the link. Until then, here are a few behind-the-scenes shots from earlier in the process.

Stick with us to see what’s next.

06/09/2026

The Adventures of Indie Filmmaking

This was right before we got kicked out of the subway station. I’m guessing someone complained, because we’ve been filming for two hours and the station manager appeared out of nowhere like he’d been summoned.

He asked what we were doing, and I told him we were filming some social media content. Then he asked if we had a permit. I said, “Wait, we need a permit?” and he gave me a very firm nod.
I asked if I could get this last shot, and he said, “You can try, but I have to call this in.” I asked who he was calling, and he said, “The cops.”

And that’s a wrap!

06/08/2026

I posted this image of my neighborhood movie theater, the Melba from when I was growing up in the Bronx a few weeks ago, and I just noticed that on the left side of the image is Jerry’s Pizza. That was my pizza shop back in the day, and it’s still there! After watching a double feature and 100s of coming attractions, I had just enough money for a slice and a fountain soda, which of course meant a small paper cup.

In New York City, your neighborhood is defined by its pizza shop. For most people, you don’t switch unless you move out of the neighborhood. Jerry’s was my place until I started middle school at I.S. 144. Having to leave my neighborhood to go to school, I discovered Nick’s Pizza on Gun Hill Road, and that became my new spot. If you lived in Baychester in the Bronx, there were two versions of Nick’s: Nick’s before the fire and Nick’s after the fire. The pizza was the same, but for old-school heads like me, we like to think Nick’s before the fire was better. Probably tasted the same, but memory always adds extra cheese.

Nick’s was my spot up until junior year in high school, when I got my driver’s license. Me and one of my best friends, Silas, argued constantly about who had the best pizza shop. Silas swore Three Boys from Italy on Burke Ave was the best. One night, it all came to a head. Because Silas was driving, he chose where we ate, and I ended up with a slice from Three Boys from Italy. I hate to admit it, but Silas was right.

Regardless, the Bronx has the best pizza. I’ve lived in Brooklyn for over 20 years and have yet to find a pizza shop that matches anything in the Bronx. Forget the brick-oven nonsense; I’m talking about a good slice you can get after 2:00 in the morning, coming home from a club or from the last show at the Whitestone Multiplex (the Melba was closed by then). Two slices and a can of orange Sunkist to go. Then I’d watch MTV (back when they actually showed music videos) while I ate. Good memories.

Discover how our films are crafted from concept to final cut. Explore exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, gain real insight into our creative process, and experience the energy of production day with live access to the video village on select shoots.

06/02/2026

Thank you so much to everyone following Cool Oz Productions; we truly appreciate your support.

In a few weeks, we’ll be going live as we film the final scene of a short film we’re currently working on. We’re excited to share a behind-the-scenes look at the filmmaking process with the people who’ve been cheering us on.

This livestream is also a preview of the kind of experience potential investors can expect when we move into production on our feature film. We’re not just looking for financial support; we want our investors to feel like part of the team.

If you sign up for our newsletter below, we’ll send you the date, time, and link for the live broadcast, along with details on how to invest in our feature. And if you’d rather not share your email, we completely understand. Thanks so much for taking the time to read this and consider joining us.

Discover how our films are crafted from concept to final cut. Explore exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, gain real insight into our creative process, and experience the energy of production day with live access to the video village on select shoots.

06/01/2026

We’re currently shooting a short film called Seventh Ave Beauty, and we have one final scene left to capture. In the spirit of transparency, we’re going to broadcast that final shoot live; because we want you to see the real process, not just the polished end result. Filmmaking is exciting, collaborative, occasionally chaotic, and rarely as glamorous as the finished frame suggests. This is a chance to get an honest, behind-the-scenes look at what being on set actually feels like; without having to haul lights, move cables, or survive on cold coffee. For potential investors in our feature film, this offers a preview of the virtual set access you’ll have during production and a chance to watch the work unfold in real time.

Later this month, we’ll share the date, time, and link to the live broadcast. You’ll be able to choose from three camera views: the video village, where you can watch performances from the director’s perspective; a production view, where you can follow the AC (Assistant Camera) and cinematographer as they shoot the scene; and a direct feed, focused on the performance as it happens. You can switch between views anytime, so you can take in the full experience without anyone asking you to be quiet on set.

06/01/2026

My love of film began on Saturday afternoons at the Melba, a neighborhood theater in Baychester in the Northeast Bronx. Those afternoons were devoted to Blaxploitation films; a subgenre made from the scraps Hollywood offered an audience it never fully valued. Still, those movies put people who looked like me on screen, and that mattered. I didn’t need American Graffiti; I had Cooley High, a story I connected with as a Black kid from the inner city, one that let me imagine my own high school years as full of joy and possibility as Preach and Cochise’s.

By the time I reached high school in the 1980s, those films had mostly vanished. Where full Black stories had once existed, I was now expected to settle for Black characters in minor roles or, at best, as comic sidekicks. Now and then, a film had a Black lead, but it rarely filled the gap those earlier movies left behind.

Now, however, the cinematic landscape is changing. As viewing platforms multiply, the moment is right for a new wave of Black cinema to deepen cultural conversation. Just as Melvin van Peebles and Gordon Parks once sparked my imagination, I hope to inspire the next generation of Black moviegoers and emerging Black filmmakers, while also giving those less familiar with Black life a vivid entry point into its rich storytelling traditions.

To that end, I founded Cool Oz Productions, a Brooklyn-based film production company dedicated to developing character-driven sci-fi and suspense films rooted in Black folklore told against an urban backdrop. We are currently developing our first feature, Gabriel’s Horn. As its writer, I envisioned a Black Heaven, one where all its occupants are Black and an archangel who, struggling with his faith, abandons Heaven in search of a new foundation. In parts of this country, portraying Heaven as Black is considered blasphemous, no matter how thoughtfully realized. But for the kid who grew up in Baychester, it fulfills a promise he made to himself more than forty years ago, sitting in a darkened theater on countless Saturday afternoons.

Discover how our films are crafted from concept to final cut. Explore exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, gain real insight into our creative process, and experience the energy of production day with live access to the video village on select shoots.