Becoming an A-list Hollywood director doesn’t happen overnight, but Drexel’s Film and Video department is buzzing with ambitious student filmmakers working hard to make their marks in the film industry. Meet Demetri Tzamaras, a senior film major from Rockville, MD, who is a co-supervising producer on the Drexel Television Program’s television show “OFF CAMPUS.”
“OFF CAMPUS” is a student-run sitcom that revolves around a group of post-graduates living off campus in Philadelphia, coping with entering the real world. What’s brilliant about “OFF CAMPUS” is that students complete each aspect of the production process, from directing to screenwriting. Andrew Susskind, the executive producer and program director of TV Production and Media Management, oversees the project. “[He] is a real guiding light for the whole production,” Tzamaras said.
So how did Tzamaras get involved? He was approached by fellow film major Josh Brede to team up as co-supervising producers, and the rest is history. Tzamaras and Brede are at the helm of the show’s production, making major creative and logistical decisions such as casting and choosing storylines.
“It’s the closest thing we have to a real, sustained production at Drexel,” Tzamaras praised. And of course, a group that works together plays together. Tzamaras has nothing but good things to say about the cast and crew of “OFF CAMPUS,” and considers them to be an extended family of sorts.
“You’ve got all these different personalities – punks, nerds, jocks, hip-hop heads – but everybody gets along and respects each other in a way that you don’t really see very often,” Tzamaras said. “I think that’s my favorite part of the whole thing.”
Tzamaras attributes his dream to join the film scene to when he watched “The Man From Snowy River” in his high school television production class. If you’ve ever watched something that completely takes your breath away and inspires you, you understand how he felt. “I’d say seeing that for the first time was probably the moment that I was like ‘Woah, I have to do this,’” Tzamaras said. “It was also the moment my parents realized I’d never be a professional athlete or a doctor or some sort of real job.” Being a film director beats a nine-to-five cubicle job any day, so he’s definitely on the right track.
Tzamaras has never been interested in an “average” job. Before discovering his passion for directing, he wanted to be a comic book artist and writer. Creativity is just something that comes naturally to him, and he praises the king of comics Stan Lee. “It just seems kind of crazy that half of the biggest and most famous and beloved characters came from the mind of one guy,” Tzamaras said. “That always felt like an achievement of the creative mind that I’d like to accomplish.”
When looking for film inspiration, Tzamaras looks up to none other than director Spike Jonze, whose most recent film “Her” has become a cinematic phenomenon and is nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. But don’t worry, Tzamaras was a fan of Jonze before it was cool. He also admires director Nicolas Winding Refn, director of “Drive,” which Tzamaras considers his third favorite film of all time, the first two being “Chinatown” and “Raging Bull.”
In addition to “OFF CAMPUS”, Tzamaras has worked on some projects of his own, including short films (like his thrilling short “Don’t Sleep”) and several music videos. “I just recently produced a music video for the band Modern Baseball’s new album ‘You’re Gonna Miss It All.’ That was a lot of fun. Cool guys, great music. The video is going to be great,” Tzamaras said. He also got a taste of Hollywood when he spent his summer co-op in Los Angeles both as a development intern at production companies and a production assistant for commercials and short films. He even got to be a production assistant on the set of “Kitchen Nightmares.”
When he’s not re-watching every episode of “Scrubs” or imagining combining creative forces with his dream team Spike Jonze, Kanye West, Stan Lee and Optimus Prime, you’ll most likely find Tzamaras out shooting his upcoming short comedy “Pat and Julian Deal Some Drugs.” “I made the decision to focus on comedy, so this is like an exciting beginning to my career in that genre,” Tzamaras said. “The ‘will it be good?’ suspense is really fun and scary to think about.”
If you are an aspiring filmmaker, Tzamaras advises you to get out there and make it happen, because there are no free handouts in this business. “Success in any field requires an immeasurable amount of hard work. Put the work in. Film school can only teach so much…Lastly be nice.”
Tzamaras’ ultimate goal is to make movies that are “maybe a little twisted or weird,” but that people can connect to on some level, because that is what filmmaking is all about. “I want to build a career off being a good guy who makes good movies.” If you’re looking to play with the big dogs in Hollywood, hit up Demetri Tzamaras because he’s definitely going places.