That’s Keith Sharp in the photo posing with Chris Kattan. He’s been a volunteer at every South By Siouthwest Film Festival, which has me beat. I started covering the fest in 1997, when I first transformed myself from movie extra to film writer. Since then I’ve covered the fest for four major Texas newspapers–the last two three years for The Austin Chronicle. I do it because I like movies. Lots and lots of movies. I stuff myself then collapse somewhere and sleep it off.
Keith and I met 10 years ago on the set of The Newton Boys. It was writing about that Richard Linklater experience that resulted in my first SXSW coverage gig. Since them I run into Keith whenever there’s a film event going on around town, and we all know that’s a lot. I keep promising him a copy of the article I wrote about that life-changing extra gig (our scene ended up on the cutting room floor), and I keep letting him down. Maybe this photo taken after the midnight screening of Undead & Alive: A Zombedy will tide him over for another 10 years of waiiting.
This article appears in March 9 • 2007.