Premiere!

If you've never written a screenplay, then spent a summer filming it, then spent close to two years finishing it, I highly recommend it. Okay, well maybe not the two years of post-production, but writing, directing and producing The Friends' Guide to Beer & Sex was one of the most amazing accomplishments of my life. And watching a film I made play on a theater screen was an amazing feeling.

A lot of my friends are musicians, and for the first time in my life, I got a sense of what it must feel like to be on stage playing your own music. We screened our film in front of over 200 invited guests, including our family and closest friends. It was terrifying because when you're that close to a project, it's really hard to gauge whether it's any good. It's also exciting because you know you've accomplished this huge thing that required a lot of work and dedication and you're proud of it. It's like standing naked in front of everyone. And, in a way, you are.

Fortunately, our film was very well-received. It was gratifying to sit in the audience and watch the people around us genuinely react to the film. People laughed where we wanted them to laugh, got mad at the characters we wanted them to get mad at, and sympathized with the characters who were struggling. I sat between Alan and my good friend Mike. It was an amazing feeling seeing them react to the film and genuinely enjoy it.

Alan was beaming at me the entire time. He revealed to me afterward that he was completely blown away as he did not expect to be as engaged in the story as he was. That was really nice to hear.

Afterward, we went to a local brewery with friends, family and the cast to celebrate. It was great to see everyone again, and the cast was very excited and pleased with the way the film turned out. Having seen early screenings, I think they were really surprised that it turned out as well as it did. Those early screenings really helped us trim the fat though and, ultimately, produce something that is highly watchable.

We're going to be entering it into some film festivals soon, so I hope everyone that missed the premiere will have an opportunity to see it on a theater screen in the near future.

To check out more photos from the premiere, visit the photo gallery on the film's website. Also, watch the site for upcoming screening dates.