Adventures with B Movie Man, Nic Brown!

Every so often you encounter individuals in the indie film world who are talented, genuinely supportive of indie film and filmmakers, and who are straight-shooters. Nic Brown, mastermind of the popular indie film site B Movie Man, is one of these uncommon individuals.

In addition to running the rapidly growing B Movie Man site, which has articles, reviews, interviews, trailers, and much more covering the world of independent film and b-films, Nic is also a very talented author, photographer, martial artist, and has even made a foray into talent representation.

Indie Movie Masters is proud to spotlight Nic Brown in all of these areas, from the world of B-Movie Man, to his excellent book Blood Curse, to his work with actress Tucky Williams. We hope that you get a little idea about Nic, a guy who everyone involved in indie films can count as an ally and friend. The good reputation that he enjoys among a great number of individuals within the indie film community is indeed well-earned.

-Stephen Zimmer, for Indie Movie Masters, June 17, 2009

SZ: First, tell us a little about Nic Brown, your background, main interests, etc.

NB: Well I've been into movies for as long as long as I can remember. I got interested in B-Movies back in the 80's when grew up watching COMMANDER USA'S GROOVY MOVIES every Saturday afternoon on the USA Network. I also put myself through college working at a movie theater. I was a projectionist and finally a manager before I quit to go teach English in Japan for three years. While in Japan I was able to pursue my interest in writing and was regularly featured in several English language publications put out over there. That's also where I met my wife, although she's British, not Japanese. She was another English teacher. After we got back to the States I went to work for a Japanese trading company and I'm still there. I love the writing and the B-Movies, but I have to pay the bills too.

As for my hobbies and interests, I love traveling, especially to other countries. Reading, I'm always reading a book of some kind. Here's a shocker, I love movies! I also do yoga, kung-fu, I'm an avid skier (not the easiest hobby to have living in Kentucky).

SZ: Obviously, you like indie films, B-Films, and that kind of thing. So what are some of your favorite films?

NB: That’s a tough question. It depends on my mood. For mainstream films: ALIENS, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, John Woo's HARD BOILED, LE PACTE DE LOUPS (BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF), L.A. STORY, EUROTRIP, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN and LEON (THE PROFESSIONAL). From the independent film side: TROMEO & JULIET, TREK, BRAIN DEAD, THE CELLAR DOOR, UNDER THE RAVEN’S WING, DEAD MOON RISING and BONNIE & CLYDE VS. DRACULA. Of course there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind right away.

SZ:What are some of the things/qualities that you look for in a good independent film/B-Movie?

NB: For a good independent film I’m looking for originality, a good story and believable performances from the cast. Things like special effects and expensive sets are just extras. One more thing that is extremely important for a good independent film, which unfortunately is often overlooked, is the sound. I’m very forgiving of most of things when it comes to independent film, but if I can’t hear the dialogue, whether due to poor sound recording or the soundtrack music playing over it, I can’t enjoy the film.

As for a good B-Movie, that’s easy: is it entertaining? If it is, then it’s a good B-Movie.


SZ: Tell us about the original idea/concept for B Movie Man, and when was the site launched.

NB: In mid-August 2006 I had the opportunity to meet two of my favorite authors, John Ringo and Dr. Travis S. Taylor (Google them if you don't know who they are). It was a small book signing in a mall in Tennessee and since it wasn't very busy we talked a lot. The publisher had a contest to win dinner with them and I lost, but they were nice enough to take me anyway! So I got to really know a couple of authors I admire and after that I felt inspired.

I've always enjoyed writing but since my return from Japan, other than email I hadn't had much chance to write. Now I had the urge to finally write a book! I decided that for me, writing a book from a cold start would be like trying to run a marathon without ever training for it. It can be done by some people, but not me. So I started writing movie, book and television show reviews. Not wanting them to just sit on my computer I decided to start a website. I wanted Nicsflicks.com but it wasn't available at the time, so I went with a name that I'd been called by a friend of mine once after we discussed a number of obscure horror films that I like "B Movie Man".

SZ: How has it evolved since its inception from your original vision for it?

NB: Originally the site was just movie, book and television reviews. Then one day I started getting emails from indie filmmakers wanting me to check out their movies. So I started talking with indie filmmakers and that lead to doing interviews with them. From there I got the idea to start my “Women of Horror” series and that has become the most popular feature on my site.

My original vision for the site was that it would be a venue for me to talk about movies I enjoy and to have a chance to improve my writing skills. Now it is still that, but more. I feel like it’s a place where independent filmmakers are not treated like second class citizens to Hollywood. There are a lot of really talented people out there and nothing makes me happier than to give some of them the opportunity to spread the word about their work.

SZ: Do you use other contributors for the site? I imagine it is not an easy thing to develop as much content as you have on the site.

NB: I have a few people contributing to the site. My wife Fiona, and a few of my friends like Eric Brooks and Crystal Angela write pieces for me as well. Of course there is also the new video series with Tucky, and the folks from Imaginaut Studios have given me an exclusive trailer for their new documentary on filmmaker Jim Wynorski: POPATOPOLIS, but in the end about 90% or more of the site's content is my own. I’m open to more contributions, but it’s not a paying gig so I take what I can get.

SZ: Where do you see the site going in the future? Do you have any areas that you want to expand into?

NB: I’m not sure where the site will go in the future. I’m very pleased with the way it is right now. I am excited about my new video content and I’ve started work on a new series called “Women of Sci-Fi” as well (coming soon). As far as expanding goes, I may start a feature about some of the music I like. I’m a big fan of some of the lesser known artists like The Cruxshadows or the late Warren Zevon so if I could do something there it might be fun!

SZ: How many events do you attend? I’ve noticed you have been a panelist and an attendee at several conventions.

NB: So far this year I’ve been to six events, three of them as a guest, and three just for fun. I have another three lined up for later this year: The Fright Night Film Festival, The Scarefest 2009 and the 3rd Annual B Movie Celebration. I’m a guest at Fright Night, I’m helping the organizers of Scarefest and I’ll be covering the B Movie Celebration for my site. I will probably go to a few more events just for fun, we’ll see.

SZ: How is the feedback to the site? Do you get a lot of response to your reviews, articles, and interviews?

NB: I get some very good feedback through email and when I’m at shows and such. My site isn’t set up like a blog, so there isn’t a feature for comments to be posted directly to the articles. I’m sure I’m missing out on some feedback because of that, but at the same time I don’t consider my site a “blog” so I like it the way it is.

I also think the real feedback comes from the fact that a number of other websites carry my work. Roguecinema.com, Pretty-scary.net, Benevolentstreet.com and BMovieNation.com all carry some of my interviews and features. Plus, Vince Rotolo from BMovieCast.com invited me to be the regular guest host on his weekly B Movie Podcast. I’ve been doing that for over a year and half now and it’s a whole lot of fun.

SZ: You do a lot of work with the very talented actress/model Tucky Williams, who has appeared in many independent films in significant roles. Tell us about your work with her, her website, and the joint appearances that you make together at conventions?

NB: Tucky is a great lady and a good friend. I actually met her when I featured her in my “Women of Horror” series. I saw her film DEAD MOON RISING and contacted her about the feature. Since she lives in my home town we decided to do the interview at Café Jo Beth so my wife and I met her for dinner and then I did the interview. A couple of months later I was getting ready to do my first convention, the 2008 Scarefest, not as “B Movie Man” there to cover the event, but as Nic Brown, Author of “Blood Curse” and trying to sell a few books. I had an idea that I thought might be beneficial to me and Tucky. Since I had extra space at my booth, I invited Tucky to come share the booth with me. I even got the event organizers to promote her as a guest and the next thing you know, I had a line of people in front of booth and to date it has been my most successful show for sales. It was also Tucky’s first show and she found she really enjoyed getting to meet people and the whole convention atmosphere. So we decided to work together to promote her career as an actress and mine as an author.

Tucky was also looking for someone to build her a website and I took a stab at it. I’m not the greatest webmaster out there, but I’m not bad either. Plus, I know what to avoid in a website like “Hey let’s do black text on a dark purple background”. That may not sound like a serious problem, but you’d be amazed at how many sites are almost impossible to read just because of their color scheme.

In addition to handling Tucky’s website, I’m also working as her agent. I’m the first to admit that I’m not a professional agent, but Tucky wanted someone she could trust to help her with that aspect of her career. So I try my best. By the way, if any filmmakers are reading this check out http://www.tuckywilliams.com/ for a full resume, demo reel and photos!

At the end of the day Tucky has become a really good friend to both me and my wife and that is what’s really important.

SZ: Speaking of Tucky, I noticed that you have a new video interview series with Tucky on the B Movie Man site. Tell us a little about it.

NB: We’re both really excited about this feature of the site. The series is called “Getting Lucky With Tucky” and in it Tucky interviews filmmakers, actors, and folks in the entertainment industry. Tucky has worked in television news and has a really great interviewing style. We’ve only done a couple of interviews so far, but we have plans to do a lot more, especially at some of the up coming conventions. Having new, original video content for my site is fantastic and Tucky loves doing the interviews so it’s a winner for both of us. The hardest part for me has been learning to edit video. We try to break the features down into five minute segments, plus I have to cut out all the parts where I start laughing at something funny she says.

(SZ: here's one of the Getting Lucky With Tucky segments that are carried at the B Movie Man Site:




SZ: Not everyone may know that you are an author. Tell us about Blood Curse: Werewolf For Hire Book One.

NB: “Blood Curse” is my first novel. It’s an adventure/fantasy/mystery about a werewolf detective named Michael Warren. Michael’s world is one where the supernatural exists just outside of the public eye and he makes a living working with his partners Tabitha and her husband Sam who he describes by saying “She’s a witch and he’s my I.T. guy.” The first novel finds Michael traveling to Kentucky to investigate a disappearance that is related to a local horse farm owned by a wealthy sheik with a mysterious past.

I like to think of “Blood Curse” as a B- Movie book. It’s got action, magic, werewolves, witches, and enough sex to keep it interesting. I wrote it because it is the kind of book I’d like to read. Also I was tired of all the moody vampires! Everywhere you look there’s another bloody vampire novel!



SZ: I know you have studied martial arts. Did your martial arts background help lot with the plot development, characters, and fight scenes in Blood Curse?

NB: Definitely. I spent ten years studying Shaolin Kung Fu and that has had a profound influence on most aspects of my life. With regards to my writing it has helped me have discipline. Writing a novel is not something most people do overnight, it takes hard work and dedication and those are traits that seriously studying the martial arts will help you develop. My study of Shaolin also helped me write the fight scenes. Knowing how to fight, what happens to someone if you twist their arm one way or kick them in another; that makes writing the fights both more realistic and more fun.

SZ: When is the next book in the series coming out? And where can people order/buy the current one? (list all editions it is available in as well)

NB: I’m still working on the second book in the series, but it’s almost finished! It will be called “Blood Sacrifice” and this time Michael must travel to England to find Tabitha’s niece. The first chapter of “Blood Sacrifice” is available for free download at http://www.werewolfforhire.com/, that’s my official site for the series. I hope to finish it this summer so it may be available this fall.

You can also order copies of “Blood Curse” through that site. It’s available in paperback and hard cover editions or you can download the e-book as well. The paperback and hardcover editions are also available through Amazon.com and all the other online book retailers.

SZ: Are there other ways to connect with B-Movie Man, such as social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook? If so, let us know!

NB: I'm on myspace: www.myspace.com/nicholsbrown, Twitter: Bmovieman, look me up, I tweet about once a month! Facebook: look up Nic Brown you should find me. You can also reach me through The B Movie Cast: http://www.bmoviecast.com/, by the way, stop by podcastalley.com and vote for the B Movie Cast, we're #2 in entertainment and I'd love to see that go to #1!

SZ: Is there anything else that you would like the indie film community to know about B Movie Man?

NB: I’m always happy to check out new indie films so if you’ve got one you want me to look at, drop me a line! Now as Commander USA way say: "Until next time amigos, keep your nose in the wind, and your tail to yourself!"