St. Pete Filmmaker’s Horror Comedy Set for Halloween Release on Amazon Prime

Barry Baker: Aspiring Serial Killer Premieres Oct. 31 on Amazon Prime

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Film writer and director Tony Ahedo, a St. Petersburg native and Ringling College of Art and Design graduate, is set to release the pilot for his horror comedy series, Barry Baker: Aspiring Serial Killer, on Amazon Prime streaming just in time for Halloween. An independently-produced episodic series, the 24-minute pilot’s official release date is October 31, 2016. The pilot made its regional, pre-release debut in April as an Official Selection of the St. Petersburg’s 2016 Sunscreen Film Festival, and has upcoming screenings scheduled for October 20 at the 2016 Orlando Film Festival, and November 6 at Tampa’s 2016 Florida Horror Film Festival.

Barry Baker is a six-episode, limited series about a lonely, 40-year old office worker who learns his destiny from a fortune cookie: the message inside says Barry’s life calling is to end the lives of other people — as a serial killer. The dark comedy follows Barry as he dedicates himself to following his fate with bloody and amateurish attempts at murder. While his inept efforts are more hilarious than they are horrifying, the film has more than enough gore and guts to satisfy die-hard fans of the horror genre.

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Barry Baker’s story line and tone is a stark departure from Ahedo’s earlier works, but not a departure from his interests as a filmmaker. “I like telling visual stories no matter what the genre,” said Ahedo. ” Barry Baker is tonally different than anything I’ve ever done before, but I was attracted to the idea because of the real-world obsession right now with serial killers and morally conflicted characters. Horror is a fascinating genre to explore, and mixing a comedic atmosphere with such dark material is what really makes this series special.”

“The tone of Barry Baker is purely comedic,” said Ahedo. “We poke fun at the horror tropes and clichés of the psycho-slasher genre, drawing inspiration from television shows such as Dexter, and feature films like Halloween and Psycho.”

Filming for Barry Baker was done on location in St. Petersburg and Sarasota, in cooperation with the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission and the Sarasota Film Commission. Many members of the film’s crew are Ringling College Film Department alumni, including producer Nichole Fermandez, cinematographer Natasha Thornton, and production designer Nick Lennon. Other alumni traveled from L.A., New York, Chicago, and across the U.S., to be a part of the project. The title role of Barry Baker is played by local actor Peter Konowicz. Episodes 2 and 3 of the series are in post-production; and Ahedo is currently securing financing for the final three episodes.

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Ahedo, 23, earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Filmmaking in 2015 from the Ringling College of Art and Design. His narrative drama about fatherhood, ICON, was screened during the 2016 Sarasota Film Festival and 2015 Orlando Film Festival. ICON won Ringling College’s “Best of Ringling” film award in 2015, and was nominated for Best Student Short in the Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival that same year. The film is still being screened on the national festival circuit, including St. Petersburg’s Et Cultura Film Festival this November.

As a student at Ringling, Ahedo was already earning his filmmaking chops. While a sophomore, he directed his first short documentary, The Finest, which premiered at the 2013 Gasparilla International Film Festival and also screened at the Orlando Film Festival. The Finest garnered Ahedo his first “Best of Ringling” award. That same year, he wrote, was cinematographer, and led the creative team behind Untitled Zombie Documentary, an entry in the 48-Hour Film Project Tampa/St. Petersburg, which won Best Film, Best Actor, Best Writing, and the Audience Award. Untitled Zombie went on to pick up numerous other festival awards that year.

Trailers for the film may be viewed at Vimeo.com/BBASK or www.bbask.tv. Follow the series at Facebook.com/BarryBakerSeries.

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