The Kerri Edelman Show presents Film Maker Thomas Bentey

They say...Write what you know. That's just what 31-year-old actor Tom Bentey did when he turned writer-director for his first feature film, At the Jersey Shore. Every summer of Bentey's life was spent at the Jersey Shore in Seaside Heights, the same town where MTV's Jersey Shore hangs out. But long before those potty-mouth slackers became household names, Bentey knew there was a story to be told-a tale that focused on “the scene” but got past the clichés and underscored the dichotomy of the crazy club nightlife, followed by beautiful, calm beach days. Bentey who worked with Greg Rhem, Director of Documentary Programming for HBO, started writing the script in 2005 and, by early 2009, months before the MTV reality show gobsmacked TV viewers, his “At the Jersey Shore” was in production--a scripted film with the look and feel of a slice-of-life documentary. The film follows a New Jersey newspaper guy doing an exposé on the Shore's stereotypical, sex-drugs-alcohol-nightclub scene. In the process, he's struck by the sheer beauty of the place, discovers the meaning of friendship, and finds truelove with a real Jersey Shore, nightclub princess. The film premiered at the 2011 Sonoma California International Film Festival, winning the  “Viewer's Pick” award. At the 2011 Jersey Shore Film Festival, it won “Jersey's Best Feature” and the “Audience Award.” On April 27, 2012, the film will be available on Cable Video on Demand, iTunes and Amazon. To view the trailer, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPRxaCmvSMc