UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Most days Penn State alumnus Justin Vesci spends his time searching for something elusive — something so hard to find that good days are rare and, even then, a potentially great find represents just the beginning of what could be, might be, special … someday.
Vesci, the senior director of development for Silver Lion Films, scours articles, books and submissions seeking characters and stories that are compelling enough to resonate with viewers.
“If you’re reading a book or a script, you can tell if you care about the characters. If their interactions are deep and make you want to know what happens next, it’s probably something we can work with,” Vesci said. “Maybe it has enough meat to be a film or a series. Again, that’s just the start. It’s a long process.”
After Vesci, potential projects move to the company’s president of development, Veronica Hool. If they spark an interest with her, the move closer to reality.
Still, an idea provides just the initial seed. It needs to get nurtured successfully through other stages, including script writing, financing, location scouting, casting, distribution and more.
Vesci, who earned his bachelor’s degree in film-video from Penn State in 2005, has been with Santa Monica, California-based Silver Lion Films since December 2008, starting as an assistant to company president Lance Hool. Vesci has earned growing levels of responsibility during his 12 years with the company, and has enjoyed many successful searches for characters and stories.
One of those successes — the result of more than four years of work — was released as a feature film in 2020. The film, “2 Hearts,” focused on two couples in different decades and different places that shared a hidden connection. View the film's trailer, here.
Along with his development role with the company, Vesci served as an associate producer for the film. Those duties put him on set during shooting in Hawaii, working in and around the production office and helping with the second unit.
While the feeling of success can be hard to find when slogging through books and scripts, it’s more tangible when shooting a film.