By Allie Bombz

You heard about Jon Palardis? Living the dream. He’s making movies in Los Angeles. Directing, producing, writing, he’s doing it all, making it happen, in Tinsel Town… and , believe it or not, his career started right here in Worcester. Jon’s short films “Aftermath” and “Gothgirl and the Inevitable Stare” were both featured in the Los Angeles Short Film Festival in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Both films were screened in prime time slots, and both were quite well received. Catch a look at “Gothgirl” on Jon’s website www.jonpalardis.com and you see the work of a director with great vision and proficient command of the camera. The stark black and white 16 millimeter film draws you in immediately… the story line gives a quirky twist…I’m not going to spoil it for you, you’ve got to tune in and watch it ~ the film is hosted on his site in decent resolution. Check it out.

Jon’s the type of person who knew what he wanted to do from the get-go. Make movies. He started out with an interest in special effects, building models after school in the 7th grade, all the way through his 4 years at St. John’s. He attended Fitchburg College, a great media school, located, in my opinion, in one of our Commonwealth’s most overlooked regions – a climate which seemed to have had a positive influence on Jon’s artistic integrity.

In 1997, Jon started focusing on the lens, working on commercials at Greater Media in Worcester. He made mad commercials for local businesses and wrote his first short screenplay. All the folks at Greater Media supported his passion and helped him make his film. Shot at Leo’s Restaurant in Worcester, Crystal Caves in Auburn, and on Worcester State’s campus, “Treading On Life” was screened at several film festivals, and the ball was rolling.

Jon moved to L.A. and immediately started attending filmmaking workshops at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. It was there that he got the idea for 30 to 1 Films ~ a filmmaking cooperative made up of his contemporaries. “You got better odds for cinematic greatness putting the energy of 30 filmmakers together in concentrated effort.” 30 to 1 was born, and the company started pumping out films. They currently have a host of projects in various stages of production.

Worcester was an influential place for Jon, and will feature in some of his upcoming projects. He is currently writing collaboratively on a feature with the 1970s Red Sox set as a story backdrop. He loves Worcester ~ our unique accent, the camaraderie of Pats and Sox fans, Ralph’s (where he played with his band NE Hostility), triple deckers, Elm Park… I bet he can really bring Worcester out in true form. “I miss all that stuff. If I could be bi-coastal, I would be.” Maybe, if Worcester is lucky (Do you feel lucky, Worcester?),maybe Jon will bring some more cred to our city with his writing and directorial skills. Check him out at jonpalardis.com.

Photos: Jon Palardis & Aftermath screening