Sammy Sarzoza

Writer, Photographer, Producer, Director & Runner

WRITING

Select writing works in various media.

Sun Gods
Director: Nial Nelson-Hopkins
Award: Best Short Script - Minneapolis College Excellence Award

Your Mother's a Hunt
Director: John Karsko

Assassinations: Rasputin Pt. 1 & 2
Production Company: Parcast

Part 1: Prince Felix Yusupov

Part 2: The Man Who Wouldn't Die

Assassinations: Caligula Pt. 1& 2
Production Company: Parcast

Part 1: Cassius Chaera

Part 2: Royal Lineage

Haunted Places: Monte Cristo Homestead
Production Company: Parcast

Conspiracy Theories: Vaccines Pt. 1 & 2
Production Company: Parcast

Part 1

Part 2

Ghost Stories Ink Presents: Night Visions
Story: "The Ride"
Publisher: Red Sofa Literary

PHOTOS

While photography is my profession, it's also a way for me to express myself artistically. My interest is in capturing people. Faces fascinate me because they tell the story of not just the person, but of the people who came before them.

For more: SarzozaPhoto.com

Films

A selection of my short films and other works.

The Red Dress
Screenplay: David W. Pollard
Official Selection: Twin Cities Film Fest
Award: Best Actress at the LA Neo Noir II Film Festival
For more: RedDressFilm.com

Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man
Screenplay: Ruth Tjornholm
Offical Selection: Gen Con Film Festival
Award: Best Comedic Short at the On The Line Film Festival
For more: GeekyPheebs.com

Distant Lover
Screenplay: John Karsko & Sammy Sarzoza

Day and Night
Screenplay: Kelly Glass

Final Moments
Screenplay: John Karsko & Sammy Sarzoza

Danza con Migo by Rani

The Feeling by Toki Wright ft. Brother Ali

Academia Cesar Chavez

NIDEC

Awards

- Film Festival Awards -
2012 Mpls. Community & Tech. College
Excellence Award, Best Screenplay
2013 Twin Cities Film Fest
Audience Award, The First Date, Associate Producer
2014 L.A. Neo Noir II Film Fest
Best Actor & Best Actress, The Red Dress, Director
2015 On the Line Film Fest
Best Comedy Short, Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man, Director
2015 On the Line Film Fest
Best Romantic Comedy, The First Date, Associate Producer

- Film Festival Selections -
2011 South Dakota Film Festival
Love Notes, Co-Producer
2012 Mpls. Saint Paul Int. Film Festival
Sun Gods, Screenwriter
2012 Hwy 61 Film Festival
Your Mother's a Hunt, Screenwriter
2013 Twin Cities Film Fest
The First Date, Associate Producer
2013 Twin Cities Film Fest
Panhandler, Associate Producer
2013 Twin Cities Film Fest
The Red Dress, Director
2014 L.A. Neo Noir II Film Fest
The Red Dress, Director
2014 Gen Con Film Fest
Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man, Director
2015 On the Line Film Fest
Geeky Pheebs: An Ideal Man, Director
2015 On the Line Film Fest
The Red Dress, Director
2015 On the Line Film Fest

- Screenwriting Placements -
2014 Austin Film Festival - Half Hour Spec Competition
Brooklyn Nine Nine: Chicken? - Second Rounder
2014 Austin Film Festival - One Hour Spec Competition
Arrow: Oliver's a Deadman - Second Rounder
2015 Austin Film Festival - Digital Series Competition
Geeky Pheebs: Gets Schooled: Press Start {Pilot} - Semifinalist
2015 Final Draft Big Break Contest - Half Hour Pilot
The Treehouse: Pilot - Quarter-Finalist
2017 Austin Film Festival - Drama Feature Competition
Manos - Second Rounder
2019 Final Draft Big Break - Half-Hour Pilot Competition
Doggone - Top 10 Finalist

Oats & Dreams Podcast

The Oats & Dreams podcast was a pandemic-era project where I interviewed folks from all walks of life about their passion for oat milk. It was 11 episodes total. All episodes can be enjoyed on Spotify.

Roller Derby

For a time, I was the world's premier videographer of women's roller derby under the moniker Samreye. You can find my video work on YouTube.

Here is a brief timeline of my Roller Derby journey.

2008 North Star Roller Girls

This is where I got my start. It was my first year in film school, and I responded to an email that went out to our entire class. The email was from someone in the league looking for someone to video their bouts. I still have the email somewhere, but I remember the last line was "--so if you want to tape girls in short skirts, hitting the crap out of each other, write us back." I guess I'm the only one who that appealed to, as I was the only one who responded out of around 300 people. Needless to say, I got the job and it has been a wild ride ever since. I produced DVD's of all their bouts that season, including the 2009-2010 & 2010-2011 seasons. Sadly, most have been lost or deleted. I am currently working to collect past DVD's to add to my archives. I left the North Star Roller Girls media team in 2011.

2010 North Star Supernovas

Around 2010 I started going on the road with the North Star Roller Girls all-star team the Supernovas. The first road bout I tagged along on was the North Star Supernovas vs. the Sioux Falls Roller Dollz in Sioux Falls, ND.

2010 East Coast Derby Extravaganza (ECDX)

Later in the summer of 2010, I begged and pleaded with the powers that be at the Philly Roller Girls to be able to shoot at ECDX with the North Star Supernovas. They eventually said okay as the Supernovas put a good word in for me (thanks, Black Sunshine!). Getting the all clear, I hit the road with some fellow photog friends, Wijadi & Ger, and I returned home with an epic video that went viral. I think PRG made the right decision.

2010 Uproar on the Lakeshore: WFTDA Championship

Having caused a stir among the roller derby community, I was granted access by the Windy City Rollers to shoot the WFTDA championship (Thanks, Varla Vendetta!). A lovely skater from the North Star Roller Girls Wake'o Standoff helped secure a sponsor in Roller Revolution, and I made it down to Chicago to shoot every bout. The biggest hit has over 100,000 views.

2010 Red Bull Banked Jam

Being a bit of an expert at shooting roller derby, I was invited by Red Bull to shoot their first and only banked track battle between the Windy City Rollers and the LA Derby Dolls. I'm proud to have contributed to a video with over 500k views.

2011 Spring Roll

This was my first venture into shooting men's roller derby. I really don't have much to say about it. DNN asked me to shoot it, I thought, "Why not?"

2011 Junior Con

This event was being held right in Saint Paul, MN, and DNN asked if I would cover it for them, so I stopped by and got footage that always makes me laugh whenever I watch it.

2011-2012 Hiatus

Having been locked out of WFTDA championship series events starting in 2011 due to copyright restrictions, I took a hiatus from roller derby as I finished my education. Sadly, the restrictions remained in effect for all independent media.

2012 Minnesota Roller Girls

Continuing to be locked out of WFTDA events due to copyright restrictions, I decided to shoot home bouts of the Minnesota Roller Girls All-Star team. Fate, it would seem, has a sense of humor. Just by happenstance, I showed up to shoot the MNRG All-Stars vs. the Windy City Rollers All-Stars a bout that would end up being the only tie in WFTDA history.

2013 Semi-Retired

As video access to playoff-tier WFTDA roller derby events continued to fade due to copyright restrictions and without a home league, I have, for the most part, stopped shooting roller derby. At this time, I also decided to focus all of my time on my career as a screenwriter and filmmaker. I have backed up all my footage in case it's ever needed for a historical record.

2014 L.A. Derby Dolls

A move to Los Angeles opened a re-entry into roller derby with the Los Angeles Derby Dolls. It found me covering banked track roller derby, a new challenge for me. My first project with LADD was to direct the webcast of Battle on the Bank VII, which was held between June 6-8 in San Diego. Since the move of LADD from the Doll House in 2015, I've retired from all things roller derby.

Roller Derby Commercial Work

Select works from roller derby brands and companies produced by me.

About

Sammy Sarzoza was raised in the snow-ridden city of St. Paul, Minnesota, and credits that cold-weather upbringing for his strong work ethic.Sammy spent his childhood in search of wormholes and chupacabras, which he believed to be lurking in the surrounding suburbs of the Twin Cities. Today, he still seeks out the mysteries of the universe by studying all things supernatural in his free time.He graduated from the Cinema program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, where he acquired degrees in shouting (Directing), highlighting (Producing), and coffee drinking (Screenwriting).Before pursuing a creative career, he worked in a wide range of jobs including: delivery driver, wedding DJ, school teacher, hand massager, and women's roller derby videographer -- all of which inform his passion for writing about blue-collar families and the life experiences of the everyday people desperate to escape their working-class lives.He's produced and directed many short films that have screened around the world and been a second-rounder, quarter-finalist, semifinalist and finalist for many writing competitions and fellowships including the Sundance Institute, the Austin Film Festival, Nickelodeon Writing Program, NBC's Writers on the Verge, Disney|ABC TV Writing Fellowship, and Universal Pictures Feature Fellowship.In 2016, he was selected for the National Hispanic Media Coalition's TV Writing Fellowship, where he was able to hone his skills in a simulated writers' room.Sammy doesn't just limit his writing for the screen, as he's been published in a short story horror anthology and penned tales for his own audio play series, The Hidden Pages, with Aaron Goold. He has also freelanced as a writer for Parcast Network podcast shows: Haunted Places, Conspiracy Theories, and Assassinations.After working in post-production for Hollywood's biggest post house for nearly a decade and gaining membership in the Motion Picture Editors' Guild, he uses his experience to help content creators. He started Looks Quality Consulting in 2024 and since then has been advising creators to elevate their YouTube Channels.Sammy lives in sunny Los Angeles, where he frequently engages in running and street photography.To work with Sammy:
[LooksQuality.com]
Content Consulting
or
[SarzozaPhoto.com]
Event Photography

My Frist 50 Mile Ultra Marathon

Contact

Want to chat?

[email protected]