Alpesh Patel
Encyclopedia
Alpesh Patel is an Indian-American film director, screenwriter, producer and editor. His films include Graduation Night (2003), Blind Ambition (2006), and Touch Wood (2009). Patel produces and directs episodes of the reality TV show Ghost Hunters International
and also serves as an editor for the franchise's flagship program, Ghost Hunters
.
. Even at a very young age he loved to go to Bollywood
with his father. He immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of 7 in 1979. He continues to be fascinated by movies.
After graduating from Penn State’s film program, Patel worked for Cerebellum Corporation shooting and directing Standard Deviants
videos. After a year at Cerebellum, he moved to Los Angeles
, where he runs VisionStorm Entertainment as a vehicle to make his films.
. The film played at several notable film festivals under the titles Party On and Truth or Dare, and it is now in distribution in the US as Graduation Night. The film stars Adrian R'Mante
, Abigail Spencer
, Kevin Alejandro
, and Playboy
Playmate
Irina Voronina
.
In 2006, Patel's award-winning screenplay, Blind Ambition was produced and won several awards in the festival circuit. The film stars Vanessa Angel
, Christopher Atkins
, and Bollywood
screen star Gulshan Grover
.
In 2007, Patel's mockumentary
Touch Wood went into production as a comical behind-the-scenes
look at the adult film industry told in mock documentary style. Touch Wood was Patel's second feature film as a director. It stars Gerry Bednob
and Tony Sano
.
Patel has also worked in post-production
as film editor for numerous TV shows, including The 5th Wheel
, Ghost Hunters
, Southern Steel
, Dirty Jobs
, Bounty Girls: Miami
, Ghost Hunters International
, Unsolved Mysteries
, BattleBots
, Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, and The Ultimate Fighter
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
and also serves as an editor for the franchise's flagship program, Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
.
Background
Patel was born in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Even at a very young age he loved to go to Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
with his father. He immigrated to the United States with his parents at the age of 7 in 1979. He continues to be fascinated by movies.
After graduating from Penn State’s film program, Patel worked for Cerebellum Corporation shooting and directing Standard Deviants
Standard Deviants
Standard Deviants is a series of edutainment videos produced in the United States dealing with educational subjects such as math, science, politics, English, social studies, foreign language, and SAT Test Prep created for elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, high schoolers, college students, and...
videos. After a year at Cerebellum, he moved to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, where he runs VisionStorm Entertainment as a vehicle to make his films.
Career
In 2003 Patel wrote, directed and produced the feature film, Graduation Night as a coming-of-age romantic comedyRomantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
. The film played at several notable film festivals under the titles Party On and Truth or Dare, and it is now in distribution in the US as Graduation Night. The film stars Adrian R'Mante
Adrian R'Mante
Adrian R'Mante is an American actor best known for his role as Esteban Ramírez on the Disney Channel Original Series, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody....
, Abigail Spencer
Abigail Spencer
Abigail Leigh Spencer is an American actress. Her first major acting role was playing Rebecca "Becca" Tyree on All My Children. She later starred in Lifetime Television's original series Angela's Eyes, which was cancelled on December 1, 2006...
, Kevin Alejandro
Kevin Alejandro
Kevin Michael Alejandro is an American actor. Alejandro may be best known for his roles as Nate Moretta in the series Southland and as Jesus Velasquez in the series True Blood.-Early life:...
, and Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Playmate
Playmate
A Playmate is a female model featured in the centerfold/gatefold of Playboy magazine as Playmate of the Month . The PMOM's pictorial includes nude photographs and a centerfold poster, as well as a short biography and the "Playmate Data Sheet", which lists her birthdate, measurements, turn-ons, and...
Irina Voronina
Irina Voronina
Irina Voronina is a Russian model and Playboy Playmate for January 2001.- Biography :...
.
In 2006, Patel's award-winning screenplay, Blind Ambition was produced and won several awards in the festival circuit. The film stars Vanessa Angel
Vanessa Angel
- External links :...
, Christopher Atkins
Christopher Atkins
Christopher Atkins is an American actor, who became famous with his costarring debut role in the 1980 film The Blue Lagoon.-Early life:...
, and Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
screen star Gulshan Grover
Gulshan Grover
Gulshan Grover is an Indian actor, who has acted in over 400 films through a career spanning over 30 years.Gulshan Grover is one of the first Indian actors to have made a successful transition from Bollywood into Hollywood and international Cinema....
.
In 2007, Patel's mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
Touch Wood went into production as a comical behind-the-scenes
Making-of
In cinema, a making-of, also known as behind-the-scenes, is a documentary film that features the production of a film or television program...
look at the adult film industry told in mock documentary style. Touch Wood was Patel's second feature film as a director. It stars Gerry Bednob
Gerry Bednob
-Career:Gerry currently appears as Bling Bling Shelton in Free Radio on Vh1. He had a role in the 2010 film Furry Vengeance, with Brendan Fraser and Brooke Shields, playing Mr. Gupta. He is also the uncle of Michelle Jhagroo.- Filmography :...
and Tony Sano
Tony Sano
Tony Sano, a Japanese-American born in Tokyo, was the host of ABC's I Survived a Japanese Game Show season 1. On the experience, Sano commented, "It was great to see people from different cultures coming together."...
.
Patel has also worked in post-production
Post-production
Post-production is part of filmmaking and the video production process. It occurs in the making of motion pictures, television programs, radio programs, advertising, audio recordings, photography, and digital art...
as film editor for numerous TV shows, including The 5th Wheel
The 5th Wheel
The 5th Wheel is an American dating reality series that aired in syndication from 2001 to 2004. The show was initially hosted by comedian Aisha Tyler, but when Tyler left after completing the first season, the remaining two seasons were hosted in narration by announcer Tom Gottlieb.The series'...
, Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...
, Southern Steel
Southern Steel
The Southern Steel are a New Zealand netball team based in Invercargill that compete in the trans-Tasman ANZ Championship. The franchise was formed as an amalgamation of two teams from the National Bank Cup, the Dunedin-based Otago Rebels and the Invercargill-based Southern Sting...
, Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs
Dirty Jobs is a program on the Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television, in which host Mike Rowe is shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting, or messy occupational duties alongside the typical employees. The show premiered with two pilot episodes in November 2003...
, Bounty Girls: Miami
Bounty Girls: Miami
Bounty Girls: Miami was a Court TV show that features licensed female bail bond agents that track down and apprehend local fugitives. The women work for Sunshine State Bail Bonds. The show aired on the former Court TV in 2007, with only 9 episodes...
, Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International
Ghost Hunters International is a spin-off series of Ghost Hunters that airs on Syfy. The series premiered on January 9, 2008...
, Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries is an American television program, hosted by Robert Stack, from 1987 until 2002, and later by Dennis Farina, starting in 2008...
, BattleBots
BattleBots
BattleBots is an American company that hosts robot competitions. BattleBots is also the name of the television show created from the competition footage. BattleBots Inc...
, Penn & Teller: Bullshit!, and The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter
The Ultimate Fighter is an American reality television series and mixed martial arts competition produced by Spike TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship , and soon to be shown on FX. The show features unknown, professional MMA fighters living together in Las Vegas, Nevada, and follows them as...
Partial flmography
- English Grammar: The Standard Deviants (1999) (V) (director)
- Graduation Night (aka Truth and Dare, Party On) (2003) (director & writer)
- Blind Ambition (2008) (written by)
- Touch Wood (2009) (director & writer)
Awards & nominations
- 2001, Audience Award, Party On, Slamdance Film FestivalSlamdance Film FestivalAs a year-round organization, Slamdance serves as a showcase for the discovery of new and emerging talent in the film industry; it is also the only major film festival fully programmed by filmmakers. Slamdance counts among its alumni many notable writers and directors who first gained notice at the...
- 2008, IFFF 'Spirit' Award, Blind Ambition, International Family Film Festival
- 2008, Festival Prize, Blind Ambition, Long Island International Film Expo
External links
- Alpesh Patel at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Official website