Sam Longoria is a filmmaking jack-of-all-trades -- a producer, writer, director, editor and cinematographer whose work has appeared in eight Academy Award-nominated films.

He's responsible for camera work and visual effects in a long list of films, among them Ghostbusters, 2010: The Year We Make Contact, James Cameron's The Abyss, Die Hard, and Dante's Peak.

"Mostly, I have worked on visual effects and built cameras and equipment," he said. "I wasn't nominated, the movies I worked for were nominated."

Longoria co-wrote and produced Surreal West, a Western starring the Firesign Theatre comedy troupe, and has worked on the group's comedy albums.

Politically, Longoria told Everett (WA) Herald Columnist Julie Muhlstein that he's "a very rare type in Hollywood" -- a libertarian.

"In Hollywood, once you're in, it's expected you'll toe the liberal line," he said.

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