Hollywood at Home
Shawn Flanagan is a one-man movie mogul in Silicon Valley.

“Trying to make movies is like trying to go the distance in a boxing ring,” says Shawn Flanagan, founder of Flanagan Films in San Jose. Given that an early inspiration for the 43-year-old independent filmmaker was Rocky III, the analogy is appropriate. Almaden Films has produced eight films, including Cop Zone and The Friggin’ Mafia Movie, both of which are available at Amazon.com and Netflix. We caught up with the unflagging Flanagan to talk about what it’s like to make movies in Silicon Valley, and how technology has made Hollywood universal.

The Wave: Why did you decide to establish your production company in Silicon Valley, as opposed to L.A.?
Shawn Flanagan: Funny, I was born in Los Angeles. I have deep family roots there. My great-uncle was Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz. He helped form the California Highway Patrol in 1929. I hope to do a documentary about Eugene someday. I’ve lived in San Jose since I was four years old. I love it here, I’ll never leave. With this new digital technology, it’s easier to make films just about anywhere. I think one of the advantages of making films here is that it doesn’t happen all that often. People are really excited when a movie is being made here, and it’s the excitement and enthusiasm that’s really important for any independent film.

TW: How does tech make things easier, other than production? Do things like Netflix and YouTube help with distribution?
SF: Yes, tech advances are changing right now, before our very eyes. It’s incredible. Just four years ago, most of us couldn’t watch a one-minute movie trailer, much less a feature film, on a computer. Now, if you have a decent computer you’re able to watch trailers and features in one sitting. How cool is that? Getting distribution is not the hard part, as much as finding a distributor you can trust. While attending Cinequest one year, I found Echelon Entertainment. They picked up my films The Friggin’ Mafia Movie and Cop Zone, and they’re now available at Amazon.com and Netflix. [It’s a] very exciting time for us.

TW: What are you working on now?
SF: My producing partners, Anthony Santucci and Simon Sommerfeld, and I are in post-production on The Unwilling. People can see the trailer at www.theunwilling.com. We’re also working on a TV show especially geared for cellular phones. We’re shooting two of the pilots next week. The title of the show is Klownz. It’s a comedy, and each segment will be about four minutes long. 

TW: Do you have any stories about filming in Silicon Valley?
SF: So many stories, but that would take about a month. I just feel really fortunate to be making movies in a city that’s so instrumental in changing technology.