The Creative Team
FRANKIE TARTAGLIA
Writer / Director
(1977-2022)
Sadly, Frankie passed away suddenly in November, 2022. We carry on with the film, as he would want, but his absence is deeply felt by all of us who love and miss him dearly. This obituary describes well how his warm and creative approach to life touched so many.
Frankie is a multi-talented artist with a wild imagination. He discovered a love for the stage while attending a local dancing school at age 5. He became a working stand-up comedian at age eleven after winning HBO’s young “young” comedian’s contest; a national competiton.
He and a friend sold a comedy show to MTV while in highschool which made it nearly impossible for him not to continue pursuing a career in show business for the rest of his life.
In 1997, Frankie and his brother shot a film together entitled Punctuality. Frankie starred, and co-wrote this DroneHead Production. The film went on to win numerous awards at festivals around the country.
Frankie went on to become a writer/field producer for several televison programs over the years. He was an assistant editor on Morgan Spreelock’s SUPER SIZE ME and more recently helped develop the hit American Comedy TV Show: BROOKLYN 99. He has written over a dozen feature length screenplays.
For the past 14 years Frankie has been the creative director and one of the owners of a local music venue in South Philadelphia called Connie’s Ric Rac. Now, he and his partner Pete Pelullo are officially retiring from the local live music business and entering the global independent movie market.
Tim Dowlin
Writer / Director
Tim Dowlin grew up studying theater and film in Philadelphia and New York City. In 2003 he became the youngest recipient of the Oppenheimer Award, given to the best new playwright, for his first play CORNER WARS about drug corners in Philly’s rough and tumble Kensington neighborhood.
After a decade of writing, producing and performing in independent theater and film projects on the east coast, Dowlin went west. In Los Angeles he produced countless episodes, commercials, and documentaries for The Berrics, Street League, and ETN Media. Tim then produced a trilogy of feature documentaries called the MOTIVATION series, which premiered at the 2013 TriBeCa Film Festival.
Dowlin collaborated with director Mark Webber to produce FLESH AND BLOOD which takes place in the heart of North Philly, and premiered at SXSW in 2017. Dowlin and Webber teamed up again for THE PLACE WITH NO WORDS which is currently available.
Tim is excited to collaborate with co-writer and co-director Frank Tartaglia and again with Webber on NOT FOR NOTHING. The three met in performing arts high school in South Philadelphia 20 years ago and have always wanted to make a film like this together.
Statement from the filmmakers
NOT FOR NOTHING resonates with a diverse audience because it deals with several universal issues and features a riveting ensemble cast.
Moreover, the opioid crisis is tearing apart families and communities everywhere, but we’ve yet to see an iconic narrative about it.
Not for nothing, but now is the time for this story.
The Experience
Check out THE EXPERIENCE, a short film Frank & Tim made in 2019 featuring Ego Nwodim from Saturday Night Live!
Accolades for the latest film from NOT FOR NOTHING Producer, Mark Webber.
A PLACE OF NO WORDS
Written, Directed and Produced by Mark Webber
Mark Webber
Producer
Mark Webber has appeared in over 50 films as an actor, working with notable directors such as Woody Allen, Todd Solondz, Jim Jarmusch, Thomas Vinterberg, Lars von Trier and Edgar Wright.
His directorial debut, EXPLICIT ILLS, won the Audience Award and Best Cinematography Award at 2008 SXSW Film Festival. His second film, THE END OF LOVE, was a Grand Jury Prize nominee at 2010 Sundance Film Festival. For his third film, THE EVER AFTER, Webber took a big leap into what he sees as the future of independent film and successfully distributed the film himself after its world premiere at the L.A. Film Festival.
FLESH AND BLOOD marked his return to SXSW in 2017 where the film was nominated for the Adam Yauch Visionary Award. Webber’s latest film, THE PLACE OF NO WORDS, premiered at 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and was nominated for Best Picture; went to the Munich Film Festival and was nominated in the Cinemasters Section for Best Picture; and recently took home the Best Film Award at the 49th Giffoni Film Festival in Italy.
Mike brillstien
Producer
Los Angeles native Mike Brillstein was born into the entertainment business having spent much of his childhood on the sets of films and TV shows with his father, Bernie Brillstein. High School summer jobs included stints in the mail-room at Brillstein-Grey Entertainment as well as Madonna’s Maverick Records, before attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in Film and Television Production.
Notable work includes the HBO cult classic MR. SHOW WITH BOB AND DAVID, Snoop Dogg’s FATHERHOOD (E! 2008), the 2006 acclaimed documentary BLACK & BLUE: LEGEND OF THE HIP-HOP COP as well as television pilots for MTV, UPN and more.
He currently resides in Los Angeles and is a well-respected DJ and music producer.
Michael Regalbuto
Producer / Cinematographer
Michael Regalbuto is an award winning director and still photographer born and raised in sunny Southern California. In recent years he has lived in the Netherlands working as a resident director for Lukkien Pictures, where he completed over forty international television commercials and captured dozens of still images for international brands around the world. His collaborators, Pepsi, Philips, Hue and Mashable among them, have grown to rely on Michael’s consistent high quality level, elevated production value and project sophistication.
In Santa Monica , Michael heads Loaded Sky as lead director and senior photographer with a drive and conviction to capture modern and thought provoking content. His natural sense for luxury and sophistication echoes throughout all of his work.
Brandon E. Brooks
Producer
Director / Writer / Producer Brandon E. Brooks has over twenty years of experience in front of and behind the camera. He’s written over sixty scripts for feature films, short films, TV pilots and TV commercials. He also assisted in casting for films such as SIGNS (Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix), KILLING EMMETT YOUNG (Tim Roth, Scott Wolf), and MIAMI VICE (Colin Farrell, Jamie Foxx).
Brandon assistant directed the television pilot FRANKLIN CHARTER and the apocalyptic thriller AFTERMATH, starring Edward Furlong and Monica Keena.
As producer, his credits include the indie horror thriller DEER CROSSING, the psychological thriller THE QUIET ONES, and the psychological drama A MAN POSSESSED, which is available now on Amazon Prime and TubiTV.
He wrote, directed & produced the horror short series SICKNESS and the horror thriller ILL, currently in post-production.
Recently, Brandon directed 10-31-01, a segment of Subsoil Films' horror anthology film SEASONS. He’s currently prepping to co-direct the Arlyn Entertainment film project BLIND DATE.
John DeStefano Jr.
Producer
John DeStefano Jr. is an American actor and filmmaker originally from Philadelphia, Pa.
He began his career shortly after graduating from Temple University, with a degree in business management, giving himself a level of professionalism and integrity.
In an attempt to gain traction, John began creating his own films to star in. While doing so, he discovered a remarkable aptitude for producing.
In his work, no matter what film genre, you will be sure to notice a unique creative vision and insight. John’s stylistic and detailed approach, whether through comedic timing, action packed sequences, or thought-provoking storytelling, will always leave you thoroughly entertained and wanting more.
