Tesla Poster

TESLA to Premiere April 23, 2021

My short film Tesla will have its World Premiere at the 51st annual USA Film Festival, where it is both an Official Selection and a finalist in the International Short Film and Video Competition.

Tesla will screen as part of the Comedic Short Films program on Friday, April 23rd, at 7:00pm in the Angelika Film Center in Dallas, Texas. Tickets are *free* and the public may reserve tickets beginning Friday, April 16th by calling 214-821-6300. Walk-up tickets are not available.

For more information see usafilmfestival.com and facebook.com/usafilmfestival.

Synopsis: Tesla is a comedy about listening. It’s the colorful tale of an earnest engineering student forced to take desperate action in order to make herself heard by her agonizingly masculine downstairs neighbor…who may or may not be playing the loud music that’s keeping her awake at night. The film is an ironic look at what happens when men refuse to listen to women and ultimately makes an appeal for us all to stop assuming and just listen. Starring Christy St. John, Nick Theurer, and Kimia Behpoornia.

Spread the word!

America: It's your time to shine.

AMERICA: IT’S YOUR TIME TO SHINE — Get Your Free Poster

America: It’s Your Time To Shine is the new poster from Rick Ross. And just in time for the 2016 Presidential debates! Download your free copy below and share it online or print it out and share it in person.

Why have I made this poster, you may ask?

Well, over the last year, I’ve spoken to many friends and family members about the political climate of our country. Across the board, from conservative to progressive, the vast majority are astounded that someone like Donald Trump could ever have become the Republican nominee for president.

Given his provocative and outlandish remarks, his waffling, his outright lies, most still can’t believe he remains a viable candidate. And as a result, a number of lifelong Republicans I know won’t even vote in this election and feel helpless about the state of their party. Many progressives I know see his dangerous demagoguery as a threat to our freedoms and feel helpless about the state of our country.

It has been the responsibility of artists throughout the ages to search for truth–in nature, in humanity, in art itself–and to represent that truth back to their own age and culture. Sometimes the effort is met with acclaim, sometimes with hostility. But an artist, to be true to their calling, must speak.

As such, I can no longer stand by while a demagogue seeks to undermine our country. So I’ve re-imagined the poster I originally created to shed light on the injustices committed against the poor and vulnerable, and have given it a more pointed message, to wit:

We are all vulnerable if Donald Trump rises to the office of President!

If you agree that a Trump presidency would be disastrous and no longer feel you can remain silent, then I urge you to share this poster online.

If you want to print it out, here are links to posters in 9″x12″ and 18″x24″ (right-click the image that comes up to save to your computer). Put it on your fridge. Put it in your windows. Put it up in your yard. But for heaven’s sake, do not remain silent.

Because one way or another, it’s your time to shine!

Explorers Guild Show

Begovich Gallery: The Explorers Guild: Rick Ross and Explorations in Graphic Fiction

Rick’s recent exhibition, The Explorers Guild: Rick Ross and Explorations in Graphic Fiction, ran from August 27 through December 15, 2016, at the Nicholas & Lee Begovich Gallery of California State University, Fullerton.

The Explorers Guild: Rick Ross and Explorations in Graphic Fiction  featured Rick’s most recent paintings, which combine the triumphalist iconography of the super-hero with subversive surrealist double imagery–together both reifying and scrutinizing the mythos of American consumer culture–along with examples from his nearly two decades working in comics, multimedia, and films.

Also included were a selection of illustrations from the New York Times Best Seller, The Explorers Guild: Volume One: A Passage to Shambhala (Atria Books/Simon & Schuster), a four-year collaboration with Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Costner and acclaimed novelist Jon Baird. For this sprawling 770-page part-novel, part-graphic novel, Rick created over 600 pages of illustrations and graphic storytelling, along with six full color oil paintings.

Also shown was his award winning film, Backslide, starring Felicia Day, which has screened at more than twenty film festivals around the world and was named one of the ten best comedy shorts of the year by the American Cinematheque.

Explorers Guild Talent Search

The Great Explorers Guild  Talent Search

Can you draw in the style of The Explorers Guild?

Are you an already established or up-and-coming comics professional?

Can you produce superlative work on deadline without fuss?

If so, we might just be looking for you to work with us on future projects.

To find out, join Rick at the San Diego Comic-Con for two days only, as he conducts a talent search for comics pencilers and inkers.

When

Friday, July 22, 2016, 2:30pm – 7:00pm

Saturday, July 23, 2016, 10am – 2:30pm

Where

The Portfolio Area of Sails Pavilion at the San Diego Convention Center (consult your SDCC Events Guide for directions).

What to Bring

Pencilers should bring penciled pages that display a command of sequential storytelling, a mastery of figure drawing, and, ideally, the ability to work comfortably in the style of The Explorers Guild. A sample page of pencils from The Explorers Guild can be seen here for reference.

Inkers should bring inked pages, preferably done with traditional dip pens, that display an understanding of figure drawing and a command of line and its use in creating form. An original page of pencils in blueline form from The Explorers Guild can be downloaded here if you wish to have a template to ink over.

How

Consult the San Diego Comic-Con Portfoiio Review procedures here.

Hope to see you there!

UPDATE

September 18, 2016

Thanks to everyone who came out! But the search continues… For more information, please see our Submissions page here.

Explorers Guild Inking

See Rick Inking a Page from The Explorers Guild

How did I go about creating the art for The Explorers Guild?

I’ve been asked this question many times, and it got me thinking: Maybe there was a way to actually demonstrate the process I used on The Explorers Guild.

So I consulted with Mark Gillard of Black Shirt Creative, and we decided to film an entire day of my inking a page from the book, start to finish.

Mark and his buddy, Gary Rifat, expertly filmed the whole enterprise. Then they cut it together and condensed the entire four hour process into a compact 3:17.

I added a bit of narration to explain my working process, and voila: A video journey explaining how I ink a page of the The Explorers Guild.

Enjoy!

 

Wall Street Says: AMERICA it's your time to shine

I Found a Man Eating From the Garbage — This Was My Response

Walking home from the grocery store this week, I found a man in a wheelchair eating from a garbage can on a busy street. Horrified in the face of such misery, I shared my food with the man and walked on, overcome by anger and guilt.

I chastised myself for not doing more, and I wondered: How could a man in a country as rich as ours come to this? And what else could I–one lone individual–do?

For a problem as complex as homelessness, the answers can be difficult to see. But I saw without question one thing I can do:

VOTE.

In this election year, I will be voting for representatives who pledge to reclaim our country from those who have bent it for their own greed.

So I created this poster as an expression of my anger…but also of my hope that together we can take steps to alleviate the suffering caused to so many by so few.

Rick Portrait

Welcome to Rick Ross’ AGITAINMENT

Agitainment is the official website of artist, writer, and filmmaker, Rick Ross. It’s the digital hub for all things Rick Ross. From here you can quickly find out about current and past projects I’ve worked on, view my digital comics anthology, Agitainment Comics, read my thoughts on the blog, or shop in my online store for cool stuff (coming soon). Have a look around and feel free to leave comments below.

Ex animo!