photo: D. Yee

Preface
In the early Spring of 1951, Willard J. Strandberg was born.

The Inception
How they met, no one knows. Where, it’s now steeped in myth. But Michael Rizzo and Brian Strandberg, 11 and 9, respectively, hatched out a plan to ruin the world along with everyone in it. It wasn’t long until their brothers met and joined them on their gruesomely comic crusade. Brian, Rizz, Jay Liquori, and Mike Strandberg together formed Paxen, an interstellar unit of combustible gases and detonative energy. A teenage Denny Mui – himself is a problematic Asian – rounded out the wild crew of, shall we say, provincially low-end dirt bags.

The Early Years
Armed with two VCRs, loads of urine-oriented gags, and mouthfuls of saliva, the boys made homemade short films, impressing yet worrying family members. Rizz then got his hands on the hot new VideoWave editing software (a big deal to young Rizz, who wore out his mother’s VCR’s heads… boy was she pissed when she couldn’t tape All My Childs anymore).

Before you knew it, the boys survived high school and eventually wound up at The School of Visual Arts and Brooklyn College. The Strandberg brothers directed, and acted in many of these shorts – collaborating fully with Rizz and Jay in desperately trying to make people laugh.

On They Went
During the S.V.A. years and since graduation, Paxen’s produced many short films, music videos, and trailers. “Topo vs. Nelbo” (2003), “New York City Darwin” (2004) and “Charley Days” (2004) helped the boys gain an earnest local and regional fan base– while “The Apparent Situation In Which No One Expected Posed a Threat” (2006, 25min.), Rizz’s thesis film, had a number of screenings throughout the New York area and is currently being prepped for DVD release.

Paxen has always worked closely with bands on music videos – producing two for Brian Bonz, and in 2006, completing “Loser Crew” by the Brooklyn band Pablo. Both “Topo vs. Nelbo” and “Loser Crew” won the Brooklyn College Film Slam in April, and the latter screened before each feature film at the ImaginAsian Theater on 59th street in Manhattan. In July, Paxen won the MinuteFlick competition with their piece, “El Guava” (2006). In addition to “The Apparent Situation…” Paxen unleashed “Nosotros”, a four-episode sitcom about four college kids coping with existential angst, a guido landlord, and a nasty ghost. The episodes will be available serially on Paxen’s website and as downloadable podcasts!

For more on Paxen and the trash discussed, visit paxenfilms.com and myspace.com/paxenfilms

Thanks!
Paxen