Aaron Dalla Villa is no stranger to the entertainment industry. As an actor and performer, he knows the work necessary to make a production move forward.
He created his company, One Man Army Productions, with, as the name suggests, just him running every aspect of the organization.
“One Man Army started as a joke. I was working with my friends Daniel Robbins and Zachary Weiner, and I was doing all these things for them like casting extras, etc., and was like, ‘Yeah, I’m a one-man army,’” said Dalla Villa.
Though the joke of the name stuck, One Man Army Productions started to grow, now utilizing a team to get the job done. The company, via Alexandra Warrick, who now leads One Man Army’s creative direction, connected the company with downtown underground venue Sovereign House, which has since hosted One Man Army’s past and future events. The group continues to grow so Dalla Villa and his team can bring their projects to life. Team members now include Jennesy Herrera (development), Kelly Andersen (programming), Megan Gilman (commercial), and Glenna Schoeler (media).
“What started as a joke turned into a real vehicle to create something of our own so we didn’t have to rely on other projects to fulfill our artistic desires,” said Dalla Villa.
One Man Army Productions aims to be a full one-stop shop for creating media. From scouting out talent to greenlighting and producing content, the company looks for those underground projects that may not usually see the light of day.
Dalla Villa says that he is especially on the lookout for projects on the weirder side.
“I want to find that person who’s got 300 views on a YouTube video but has that special something idea, and they’re just out there kind of the black sheep,” said Dalla Villa. “A lot of the times what happens is the artistry starts to be stripped away in favor of commercial, so it’s finding that fine balance of stuff that’s weird but still accessible. I want to make some weird stuff because I think people are ready to get weird.”
There is no limit to what One Man Army can and will do, having been a part of everything from short films and feature-length productions to staged readings and screenings. One of the company’s biggest productions, a movie titled “Citizen Weiner,” is slated to make its world premiere on Oct. 22 in New York City. Tickets can be purchased here.
One place where One Man Army has carved out a niche is in the short film category. One Man Army has hosted a handful of events showcasing short films created by local filmmakers and artists, highlighting a myriad of topics and genres, even within the same screenings, with Dalla Villa often going with his gut to curate the films.
Though all of the films may not exist in the same genre, Dalla Villa says that the shorts they showcase during these events have similar vibes while also fostering a sense of community within these filmmakers and the public. The events have become so popular that One Man Army has officially launched their FilmFreeway, Paradise SHREDition, a bi-monthly short film festival at Sovereign House.
“My job is to entertain at the end of the day. I’m not necessarily married to scouting a particular genre of work, but I find that the things that the filmmakers and voices I like do tend to lean more genre and comedy,” said Dalla Villa. “We cut the credits off of each short film, and we clump it together with an intro, and then it feels like an episodic, 30 to 35-minute program that we can put a real studio audience in front of and have a great night. It’s like capturing lightning in a bottle. That’s what we’re trying to do, to cultivate that energy.”
That said, One Man Army’s focus is creating feature films. For “Citizen Weiner,” the project was built from the ground up with One Man Army, and Dalla Villa wants to continue to be able to do that with the company as it grows.
“I can’t tell you how many auditions I go on, and I don’t get the job or how many close calls I’ve had. Anytime I can be involved in a project from the ground up and have some actual creative influence in it, I’m so down,” said Dalla Villa. “After the idea was conceptualized by Zack Weiner and Joe Gallagher and Manhattan Movie Studio, we just picked up a camera, and under the brilliant direction of Daniel Robbins, who is one to watch, we shot this cool, unique thing, and then my heart kind of grew larger.”
Dalla Villa continues to use One Man Army to elevate the voices in the entertainment industry that may not have had a shot otherwise.
“I’m trying to access that deeper sense of purpose, meaning we’re trying to access the soul,” said Dalla Villa.
For more information, visit onemanarmyproductions.com or follow @onemanarmy.nyc on Instagram.
