V.S. native's movie airs on Showtime

A comedy directed by a Valley Stream man is airing on Showtime through February. “The Newest Pledge,” a film about a fraternity that initiates a baby, will air 12 times and be available On Demand through February 24.

Jason Brescia, 28, wrote and directed the movie, which he shot in 2010. He said he let the news come as a surprise to his family.

“When I saw it on Showtime I was thrilled,” said his mother, Lisa Batterbee-Brescia. “It was right up there with Homeland and Shameless.”

Brescia has written and directed one other film, Bridge and Tunnel, which was released last year and follows a group of twenty-somethings living in the suburbs of New York City. He said he prefers to film on Long Island because it’s what he knows. He called his success a mixture of determination and the right connections.

“It’s just one of those careers where if you want it, you really have to go for it,” said Brescia. He said he pushed his idea to its financers as something that would happen no matter what. “I told people, ‘I’m going to make this movie.’”

A graduate of the James Dever School who went on to North High School before transferring to Kellenberg Memorial High School in Uniondale, Brescia said his interest in film started early and became an aspiration as early as the first grade.

“He loved taking pictures on vacations,” said his mom. “Then he got into film.”

She called her son a hard worker who will wake up in the wee hours of the morning to jot down ideas. “He’s always writing, he’s always thinking.”