Nicholas Checker

Since 2000, Nicholas Checker has written independent films (produced through Nightshade Productions) that have been shown in cinemas and film festival across the country. "Shedim" -- an eerie supernatural piece directed by Checker was the first. It premiered at Niantic Cinemas in Niantic CT and followed with impressive festival appearances that included Yale University and the Channel Island Film Fest in Los Angeles. "The Snowman" -- a tale of a disenfranchised school teacher -- was next. It was directed by Kato McNickle, premiered at Niantic Cinemas and also had an active film fest romp. "Radio Rage" -- Checker's 2004 stab at hate radio talk shows -- was directed by SJ Williams & Becca Atkins and made a solid festival trek too, being shown at the Historic Fargo Theatre in North Dakota as the B-movie to the venerable "Doctor Strangelove" during a week of classic political films.

Mr. Checker's background also includes a published one-act play, "Kangaroo Court" (Eldridge Publishing, Florida) -- a dark satire where animals put humans on trial. It has seen many productions throughout the country. In 1993 he wrote a controversial historical play on the Pequot War: "Elegy For An Icon" -- directed by Arthur A. Pignatro via the Local Playwrights' Festival at the prestigious Eugene O'Neill Theatrer in Waterford, CT. "Elegy" was later adapted for use in an Emmy Award winning documentary, "Mystic Voices."

Another of Checker's stage plays, "Run To Elysia" -- co-authored with songwriter Rick Spencer of Mystic, CT -- was a musical that also premiered at the Eugene O'Neill Theater. "Elysia" tells the legendary tale of the fabled Greek runner Pheidippides who ran the very first marathon on a mission to help save the city of Athens. The Avery Point Playhouse followed with a full-scale production of "Elysia" directed by Kato McNickle. Checker has crafted a screen version of that play, "The Elysians" he hopes to one day see in production.

In 2005 Checker wrote & directed "Trashed" -- a blend of documentary & drama regarding eminent domain and homelessness. As with his other films, "Trashed" premiered at Niantic Cinemas. It had major festival screenings in Connecticut and New York. A screening at the Garde Arts Center in New London, CT was sponsored by the Washington DC based Institute For Justice that defended plaintiffs in the heated 2005 US Supreme Court case, Kelo vs New London.

More recently Mr. Checker wrote the screenplay for a film based on an old historic legend, "The Curse Of Micah Rood" directed by Ale Asten and starring Ron Palillo (formerly of the "Welcome Back Kotter" TV series), and a rising new talent Brian Ellsworth. The film won a number of Best Film awards at festivals throughout the country and continues to do so. Included here is a link to a YouTube trailer for this work. It can be viewed by turning up the speaker volume and going to the link. It is a three-minute cut regarding an 18th century recluse whose fell deed results in a bizarre haunting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaqJlo1tdNQ

Nicholas Checker has also done a number of written works-for-hire for independent producers and still takes on assignments for those with stories to tell. He credits his learning the craft of writing-for-film to Hollywood screenwriter Peter Filardi and Filardi's brother Jason -- both highly successful writers who still assist Checker in reviewing and evaluating his new works. (Other frequent test readers for Checker's works include Steven Loyd and Tim Valliere.) Several of Checker's original feature-length screenplays are currently under review by film producers, agents and managers ... while another film, "Wisp, premiered to a packed house in Niantic Cinemas in March of 2013, and currently is making the film fest circuit..

"Scratch" is Checker's first published novel(364 pages). He considers it his most important work to date for what it conveys regarding animal & human relations -- and ultimately how we all wind up treating each other. Checker's ultimate goal is to see this novel succeed well enough to generate a movement toward an animated film (a notion reinforced often by one of "Scratch's first readers, Eileen Morehouse). That concept was picked up by animator William Burke who made a movie trailer of a short screenplay Checker crafted from part of the "Scratch" novel. Checker hopes to see Burke on board as one of the animators should a film version of "Scratch" ever come to fruition. He would also like those who purchase the novel to take note of the wonderful cover design done by artist Katie Loyd.

Above all, Nicholas Checker hopes those who purchase and read his novel will recognize animals for the magnificent beings they truly are and treat them so.

Nicholas Checker can be reached via Facebook or at nickchecker@aol.com