AFM 2017: Day 4 Recap and Karaoking One of the Greatest Songs of All Time

Jonathan Barkan |

Nov 6, 2017

Setting: Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel
Time: 8:30am
Mood: “We’re all ready to party tonight, right?”
Smell: Overwhelming amounts of cologne

Another early morning in Santa Monica and everyone seems terribly excited that it’s Saturday. For most of these people, that means it’s time to party it up, in some way, shape, or form. Drinks with colleagues, expensive dinners, or, in the case of Epic Pictures Group, a 10-year anniversary soirée that included karaoke, an open bar with themed drinks, and even a burlesque dancer. But let’s get to that in a bit, alright?

While I had meetings with some filmmakers, distribution companies, and production offices, the majority of my day was actually spent with Jon Condit, co-founder/President/CEO of Dread Central. We spent a lot of the day working on ways to make Dread Central even more awesome, none of which I can talk about yet but that I hope you will enjoy in the coming months! Time was also spent with our Director of Sales, BJ Colangelo, who is an absolute wizard. To all who want to make Dread pimp your product, hit us up.

In the early evening, BJ and myself went to a horror filmmaker’s get-together to chat with writers, producers, directors, and the like. While it was most certainly a place to do some networking, it was also a chance for a bunch of horror nerds to basically geek out and gush about everything they’re working on or even have completed. We would’ve stayed longer but we had to make our way to the Epic 10th Anniversary Party!

I can’t really describe the feeling of being able to go to the front of a long line, having the manager of the guest list point to me, and then be let in ahead of everyone else. That being said, it’s pretty incredible. Now I know why people work so hard to become known in Los Angeles. Y’know, because it’s not about money or fame or anything. Nope, just the power to get into clubs ahead of everyone else!

For the next five hours or so, it was nothing but hanging out with people like Joseph Bishara, composer of Insidious and The Conjuring, Darren Lynn Bousman, director of Saw II through Saw IV, Spooky Dan Walker, Brian Collins (who totally sang Meat Loaf’s “I Would Do Anything For Love” at karaoke), Brea Grant, and much more. It was also, and get ready for this, the first time that I met our illustrious leader Steve “Uncle Creepy” Barton in person, along with his significant other, Debi. When you live on the opposite side of the country, getting to meet up for a work lunch isn’t exactly a possibility, so this was a rather momentous occasion. LA, you really do make magic happen!

After 2-3 cocktails affectionately called “The Dread” (a hefty pour of dark rum, some pineapple juice, and a splash of grenadine), I was mingling, dancing, and partying it up, which included doing some karaoke. Songs included were Backstreet Boys’ “I Want it That Way”, The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”, and, what is in my opinion one of the greatest songs ever recorded in the history of music, Seal’s “Kiss From a Rose”. What you know about that Batman Forever soundtrack?

To be sentimental for a moment, it was pretty heartwarming to see all the Epic Pictures Group people, pretty much all of whom I’d met just a few days prior to the party, celebrate their 10 year anniversary. Who can blame them? With movies like Nina Forever, Tales of Halloween, The Lodgers, The Monster Project, and, my favorite, Turbo Kid (not to mention all their non-horror-centric fare), they’ve really brought forth some amazing titles for our community. Yes, I know that Dread Central and Epic Pictures Group has a business relationship but this is just me letting you know my own personal thoughts.

Anyways, the night ended, we all went home, and it I suddenly realized that I had to get up in just a few hours because there were many more meetings to be had.

Caffeine, you sound more and more appealing with each passing day…