What to know if you want to be an independent filmmaker.

C.J. began his career in the entertainment business while in the U.S. Navy, having been discovered by a casting director while stationed in Miami, FL in the mid-1980s. From there, he began appearing in commercials, on television, and in print. Upon his return to Chicago, he re-started his theatrical career, performing with a variety of companies. The culmination of his theater work was when he established Theatre-on-the-Hill in Bolingbrook, Illinois as a premium destination for actors who wanted to perform in rarely staged productions, such as Stephen Adly Guirgis' "The Last Days of Judas Iscariot" and "Den of Thieves", "A Flea in Her Ear!", "God of Carnage", "End Days", and the world premiere of the musical "Zenobia", written by Lorrisa Julianus. During his tenure as President and Artistic Director at Theatre-on-the-Hill, he wrote, produced, and directed numerous corporate videos and movie shorts, skills that have translated directly to producing and directing features.