Meet Jeff Knite

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Knite. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jeff, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

During Covid I was in a bank and I thought how easy it would be to rob the bank, being as how everyone was already wearing masks. They wouldn’t even know you were coming or robbing the place till you were gone. I thought to myself.. That would make a great film.. “THE COVID HEIST”. But then I came back down to Earth and realized that a film like that would be too expensive to film independently. So I reworked the idea so that it was a killer wearing the covid mask, and the cops couldn’t catch him because everyone is wearing a mask, so he blended in and couldn’t be identified. He could also roam free with the mask on and no one could stop him. I called it THE COVID KILLER, and filmed the movie with my cell phone, because no one wanted to work during Covid, so the film looks cheap, and to be honest, it was supposed to be a one and done film, but then fate intervened and in a weird and f-cked up way, gave me a purpose. You see, since I couldn’t find a camera man to shoot my project, and I was low on funds, I had to partner with this douchebag friend of mine named Mike Benz to make the film. So not only did I have to sacrifice not having a major role in the film, but I had to work with one of the biggest a–holes who ever lived. He took what little of a script I had so far and threw it out the window. He claimed that we didn’t need a script and we were going to freestyle the film, except little by little, the film went from my film to our film to his film. I know what you’re thinking.. This doesn’t sound like as inspirational story, but like every good story, there’s a twist. So after I spent 8 days of hell living and filming with Mike Benz in the Bronx, I had a long ride home to think about the film. In the 3 hour trip I spent driving home, I came up with a way to salvage some of the footage we shot. I created a character called The Copycat Covid Killer. To make a long story short. I eventually hired Mike Benz’s real life mortal enemy Paugh Shadow to play The Copycat Covid Killer, we shot and implemented his scenes into the film, we told Mike Benz to go f-ck himself, and we made a decent film that built a cult following. We then went on to make the excellent sequel THE OMICRON KILLER, with a budget more than 100 times the first film had. I now had full control, a better script, or a script I should say, and a wonderful cast & crew, except for a few jerk’s & prima donna’s on set. But that is a story for another time.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

So the THE OMICRON KILLER film we worked on is finally being released by BayView Entertainment on June 25th on Apple TV and FANDANGO AT HOME. Here is a synopsis of the film and the people involved:

He thought he was done. He was wrong.

The notorious Omicron Killer, a copycat inspired by a notorious original, planned to retire after claiming his final victim. Fate has other plans. Brutalized by attackers, he lays wounded and vengeful in a hospital bed. This near-death experience ignites a fierce inferno within him. And he is propelled back onto the path of bloodshed in the aptly named horror thriller The Omicron Killer.

Featuring international star Bai Ling (The Crow, Dumplings), “scream queen” Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp, Terrifier 2), and Lynn Lowry (Geoge Romero’s The Crazies, David Cronenberg’s Shivers). The film also features Impractical Jokers’ Rob Emmer.

Co-written by Knite with Paugh Shadow, who also plays the title character, the film is executed produced by Richard Bernstein and Stream producer Chris Guttadaro, along with Chris Lazzaro, former producer at Fuzz On The Lens productions (Stream, Terrifier 2, Terrifier 3).

Knite, Guttadaro, Lazzaro, and Bernstein also appear in the cast, alongside Gabriel Ricardez (My Mexican Brother), Larissa Dali (A Gettysburg Christmas), and Tony Diaz (The Covid Killer).

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Patience is number one, because in this business you have to deal with a lot of different personalities, so you need patience to learn how to deal with them individually.

Perseverance is also needed because this is also a business of constant rejection. For every approval or acceptance, you will be rejected a hundred times.

Durability is a must. You have to be able to get hit hard mentally, emotionally, sometimes physically, and always financially.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

There are 2 women that I absolutely must work with before I die. The first one is Cassandra Peterson AKA Elvira. I’ve been in talks with her manager/agent for over 2 years now. He keeps giving me the run around, but I will keep trying to get her in one of my films. The second one is Kristy Swanson AKA Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I actually met her at a Horror convention that we both were a part of. She was one of the most pleasant human beings, real down to Earth, and still beautiful. She gave me her manager’s number, who actually called me. We had a great conversation, unlike Elvira’s manager, and he told me she wanted to be in THE OMICRON KILLER. The problem was we were already over budget on the film and simply could not afford her at that time. But mark my words, I will get them in one of my films, if it’s the last thing I do.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jeff Knite & Paugh Shadow

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