Experiences that sum up my coverage of film and culture for the alternative newspapers “Everybody’s News” and “Cincinnati CityBeat” include Alec Baldwin burning a hole in my forehead with a piercing death stare over questions about his political views. I’ve watched Hugh Grant abandon his interview due to questions about his 1995 arrest involving a prostitute and Nick Nolte, looking more disheveled than ever, simply disappear. More often, the experiences have been wonderful. Up-and-comer directors like David Gordon Green and Phil Morrison and veterans Mike Hodges, Steven Soderbergh and John Boorman took part in passionate conversations. I downed beers with Tim Roth, watched Pedro Almodóvar try on clothes in preparation for an upcoming party and spied on an apartment with Keira Knightley. As a freelance writer, my work has recently appeared in “The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel” and “indiewire.” I’m the winner of numerous journalism awards from regional, statewide and national contests including First Place in Film Criticism from the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio proof that if film is an international beat, a writer can reside anywhere.