Suit & Stubble Productions: THE STORY OF HOW we Created THE CHALLENGER

 

     THE STORY OF HOW ‘Suit & Stubble’ Created and made THE CHALLENGER

In June 2006, Andrew Di Pardo and Aramis Pacitto began their journey toward becoming filmmakers. Andrew was in elementary school while Aramis was starting high school. Together, they developed an interest in screenwriting and created a comedic TV series called “Life Is Hell,” based on real-life events. From 2006 to 2009, they wrote three seasons of material.

A few years later, they connected with a production company called New Show Studios, which showed interest in the project. After months of negotiations, however, the deal fell through, leaving Andrew and Aramis without a company and their screenwriting dreams in limbo.

During this time, Aramis developed a rough drama concept called “City of Angles,” about a detective named Sledge who repeatedly broke the law in order to stop criminals. He brought the idea to Andrew, and after months of reworking it, they created a new concept and title: THE CHALLENGER.

“Imagine Dirty Harry had an alter-ego, only he was his own worst enemy.”

With a strong concept but no industry connections, they struggled to get anyone to read their material. In December 2012, Andrew came up with a solution: create short films to prove the concept.

Despite Aramis’s initial hesitation, they moved forward and produced a mini web series called “The Challenger” under their newly created production company, Suit & Stubble Productions.

What followed was a three-year run featuring several completed films and numerous ideas that never reached production. Among those was YEAR ONE, an origin story for The Challenger written by Andrew Di Pardo.

After The Challenger 5: Dark Triad was filmed in 2014, Andrew and Aramis agreed that the character needed an origin story. However, filming in Toronto and dealing with an inconsistent climate caused the project to be shelved. Instead, they decided to film portions of the story and incorporate them into Films 6 and 7 through flashbacks.

The idea worked particularly well and became a major part of The Challenger 7: Broken Hope, the final installment of the original series. Following its release in 2015, the creators discussed rebooting the franchise. After several scripts, they settled on DEAD END, written by Andrew Di Pardo, Aramis Pacitto, and Jen Icabino. The project entered pre-production, but Aramis eventually withdrew, delaying the film and ultimately leading to its cancellation and the official end of Suit & Stubble Productions in 2016.

In 2017, Andrew and Aramis briefly discussed another reboot. Ultimately, they agreed it was best not to pursue it, having both moved on. However, they believed a newly edited version of The Challenger’s origin story could still work. Andrew created a concept video for what YEAR ONE could have been under his company, Sharp Shooter Productions, though it remained unreleased for several years.

In 2022, Andrew and Aramis brought Suit & Stubble Productions back to release another shelved film, MJ-12. This opened the door for the rough cut of YEAR ONE to finally be released in 2023.

The release sparked a new conversation: not only about completing YEAR ONE, but also about making a brand-new reunion film.

In 2024, Andrew began an early draft of the reunion project and received story notes from his Decades Apart co-writer, Gilbert Laberge. The film was initially titled THE CHALLENGER: City of Sacrifice before becoming THE CHALLENGER: Redemption following further involvement from Aramis Pacitto. Filming took place in 2025, with the film released later that year, shortly after the Final Cut of YEAR ONE.

Then came 2026.

Andrew developed one final idea based on a concept Aramis had previously discussed: exploring Sledge’s life before the war, before he became The Challenger. If YEAR ONE represented his first year, then this story would have to be YEAR ZERO.

Andrew compiled the existing flashback material into a final project, THE CHALLENGER: YEAR ZERO, which was released in September 2026.

After two decades of ideas, films, setbacks, cancellations, reunions, and unfinished stories, YEAR ZERO officially closes the book on The Challenger, Suit & Stubble Productions and the Creators time in the FILM INDUSTRY.

- Posted originally on Suit & Stubble Productions YouTube Channel

PHOTOSHOP SPOOF: Avengers Doomsday | THE CHALLENGER returns

With DOOMSDAY being released very soon… it’s time to watch a spoof trailer we made that imagines ‘what if’ THE CHALLENGER were to crossover into the MCU!

https://youtu.be/aRrdWkFCLLk?is=40vnJ_OYDaDbR-Ez

These photos take it one step further showing how in the multi-verse anything is possible ! Including bringing characters back to life !

#avengersdoomsday #marvel #avengers

You can watch the whole CHALLENGER series by Suit & Stubble Productions @ https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRP2JYMLvhzeaKlJZcBaUdyIibUqIs9fp&si=aY33BUW8SUsnD2lg

THE END OF A JOURNEY

PRESS RELEASE from Sharp Shooter Productions YOUTUBE Channel 

______________________________________________ 

 With our founders latest 2026 releases, his filmmaking journey officially comes to an end!

Andrew Di Pardo began writing scripts in 2006 and made his first film in 2012 — THE CHALLENGER (co-created by Aramis Pacitto) — which started a series. That 10-part film series then spawned a whole career in the USA with companies such as Disney and his own companies.

This career allowed him to work as a Producer, Actor, Writer, Director, Health & Safety, Location Manager, and more!

Di Pardo left in 2022 to pursue a better work-life balance.

His most notable films he directed were: 

DECADES APART (both cuts), DEEP TROUBLE, VIOLATORS, UNDER THE GUN & THE CHALLENGER: Film Series.

See more of his credits on IMDb!

TOP FILMS (IMDB)

 With all the archival footage from my time in the film industry (2012–2022) plus the brief reunion with Aramis in 2025 now officially out of the vault and the door closed, here’s a look back at my top-rated films (per IMDb) where I served as director!

These are some of my best films and the ones that got the most attention — especially Decades Apart, which had over 100 million views on Amazon (during the Prime run). All of them are available on the Sharp Shooter Productions and Suit and Stubble Productions YouTube channels!

I’d also like to give an honorable mention to The Challenger: Film Series (9 films, 2012–2025). It ranked up almost as many views and recognition on IMDb as these five other projects combined.

As I say goodbye I’d like to extend a final thank you to everyone who has been watching and supporting my work over the years — your encouragement meant the world to me! 

Sincerely,

Andrew Di Pardo

Ps : expect one last post from me regarding ‘Suit & Stubble Productions’ to come in December 

WHY I LEFT THE FILM INDUSTRY

 Winter 2012 in Toronto, Ontario… I started my filmmaking journey alongside my good friend and cousin, Aramis Pacitto, as we formed an independent film production company originally called A + N Productions (later becoming Suit & Stubble Productions in late 2013).

Our first film, The Challenger, was made by just the two of us along with a couple of family members and friends. Our one goal was to build a portfolio to showcase our TV series concept of the same name. We spent the next three years building and improving from project to project (16 films in total). We wrote, acted, directed, and Aramis edited every single project. It was a small team… but a great one.

The experience with Suit & Stubble eventually led me to the United States, where I directed and worked on various projects—from the well-received Decades Apart to the indie comedy feature The Rush Chairman, on which I was hired as both cinematographer and director. Indie project after indie project pushed me closer to my lifelong goal: working full-time in the film industry.

You see, even though my original motive was to get my own TV series made, it became about so much more. It became about working in an industry I loved in any capacity. By 2019, I no longer cared about directing or writing (even though I had a degree in it). I only cared about filmmaking and being on set. I spent over a year cold-calling and emailing producers in Hollywood until one day a woman named Laura Hall gave me a call. This was during the height of COVID in 2020. She offered me a job on the FOX hit series The Resident.

The position was brand new to me (not that I cared—I just wanted to be on set). It was a new department and a new role called Set Monitor, which basically involved enforcing COVID protocols. I eventually became the Key Set Monitor (essentially a junior manager). I was happy to take the job, fully aware of the struggles that would come with such a controversial position.

My teammates and I were not treated well at all, as expected during the height of the pandemic. We were constantly jeered at—called “COVID police” and asked things like, “How does it feel to do a job where everyone hates you?” But I was just happy to be there. A kid in a candy store. It was also exciting to work on a set with DP Bart from Burn Notice. I was willing to take the abuse for the experience.

That experience eventually led to a job offer in the locations department as an assistant.

I enjoyed the position a lot and expected that once I was out of the COVID unit, I would be treated better. Boy, was I wrong. If anything, it was worse. It was a smaller team on a hit show with a massive amount of ground to cover. Putting down mats on wires and controlling A/C and heating units is a lot of work for just two people. Yup—only two people on set at a time. I don’t know if that’s an industry-wide budget issue, but it felt like it, especially when other teams (including the COVID team I had been on) had three times the number of people.

Being told to “hurry the fuck up” and being called other names (I’d rather not get into it) was a daily occurrence. Even when I did PA work, it wasn’t any better. I had gone from a kid in a candy store to someone slowly getting tired of the daily bullying from people in power who couldn’t be fired because of union rules. These individuals could say whatever they wanted to anyone, whenever they wanted, with zero consequences.

I’ve witnessed sexual harassment on set, and when I brought it up as Key of my team, the production team told me that if I pursued it on behalf of my teammates, we would all be fired because we were non-union and therefore disposable.

I apologize if I’m being vague—I’m not going to name names. Hollywood is a dangerous place, and defamation cases are something I’d like to avoid.

Continuing…

The sexual harassment, the verbal abuse, and—how can I forget—the illegal working hours for non-union members. You could start a shift at 5 a.m. and work until midnight, only to be expected back at 5 a.m. the next day. PA wages ranged from $8 an hour to $13–15 an hour. There was no guarantee of more work once your current season’s contract ended.

These working conditions are inhumane and unfair to everyone involved. Even union members often only got 10-hour turnaround times—not as bad as non-union, but still far from ideal.

One of the worst things ever said to me on set happened when I returned after a week-long leave of absence following a death in my family (also not typically allowed, but my boss Laura was very kind and understanding). Someone in a position of power asked what had happened to me, as if I had just disappeared for fun. When I told her, her response was something like, “Oh, that’s it? I’ve had several people die and I still came to work.”

The irony? A week later, her house burned down and we were all told to be extra nice to her because she was going through a rough time. Apparently losing a family member didn’t qualify as a rough time, and I received no such grace or respect.

In retrospect, the indie feature I directed, The Rush Chairman (which had a $100K budget), should have been a warning sign. The producers had to fire a crew member for his hostile attitude toward me and other young crew members. He even had his name removed from the credits. But I told myself it was just a low-budget indie project and that things like that wouldn’t happen on bigger productions. Looking back, that level of ignorance is embarrassing—especially since I was the director and still faced that treatment. I should have realized it would only be worse in a lower position. But you live and you learn.

This is just a small sample of the reasons that led me to leave the industry in 2022. There are many more, but that could fill a book on its own.

I am grateful for these experiences. For a while, I was living the dream I had always wanted. But that dream eventually became a living nightmare, and I’m glad the nightmare is finally over.

— Andrew Di Pardo

SUIT & STUBBLE PRODUCTIONS: The end of an era

Press Release from “Decades Apart: the Noir Cut” on Facebook

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Our Director, Andrew Di Pardo’s original company from Toronto, named ‘Suit and Stubble Productions,’ announced the official end of their film company today via YouTube.

Andrew wrote, co-wrote, directed, co-directed, and co-produced over 20 projects alongside his then-business partner, friend, and cousin, Aramis Pacitto.

This is the second time this company has come to an end. The first closure occurred in 2015, before they announced a return in 2022—shortly after Andrew had publicly stated that same year that he was leaving the film industry.

“This return was always meant to be temporary,” Di Pardo says. “We intended to finalize and release unseen projects of ours, such as directors’ cuts, alternate cuts, and—most importantly at the time—our shelved film titled MJ-12.”

“I couldn’t have imagined that we’d even add a small chapter to the Challenger series with THE CHALLENGER: Redemption in 2025. That’s just unbelievable and a perfect way to end our time in the film industry,” Di Pardo concluded.

Di Pardo now turns his full attention to a life outside the movie industry. He still has his other company, Sharp Shooter Productions, which remains active despite his absence from filmmaking. This company—once responsible for his most successful film, Decades Apart (alongside Falls Park Entertainment), and most recently a couple of AI short films—continues to produce fan productions from events he attends.

Di Pardo hasn’t completely closed the door on AI filmmaking, but at this time he has no plans to make any more films—long, short, or otherwise.

Catch “Suit and Stubble Productions” official announcement videos below:

•  The short: https://youtube.com/shorts/QkKbxpk-X9g?si=sWXGBn-OW2RcjUNV

•  The full video: https://youtu.be/Yu19dj7lYBs?si=OLA_OoIl6pnZHVZj

THE MINDS EYE : Season 2 (2026)

 A surprise NEW season of the 2022 series titled THE MINDS EYE!

Featuring additional footage of @NadiaVaeh‬  & Jon Pierce Fashions

See the links below:

THE STAGE (S2 E1)

https://youtu.be/W1UyZMTK4V0?si=eZM4b9UmAVQpgWBQ

THE INTERVIEW (S2 E2)

https://youtu.be/kVss0G7z1vs?si=JTpLBtZU-gcNrnmW

JON PIERCE FASHIONS REVISITED (S2 E3)

https://youtu.be/jKjEUGsuzfg?si=IhhnFvBsD6XOIeid

THE CHALLENGER: the complete SERIES (2012-2015 + 2025)

 

Press release from DECADES APART: NOIR CUT

 (Facebook Page)

The first film series our Co-Writer/ Director, Andrew Di Pardo worked on (Co-Created) with Aramis Pacitto is now on YouTube in one long 5 hour EPIC video! 

The series is called THE CHALLENGER !

The video (posted on both Sharp Shooter Productions + Suit & Stubble Productions YouTube Channels) features all 9 films in order of their release.

Watch it now via the links below!

Suit & Stubble Productions Link:

https://youtu.be/BKPTUbgNgnI?si=cgn1Kj4B-KFsMPYc

Sharp Shooter Productions link:

https://youtu.be/l0u1W8QV2CY?si=FPrRWBnpZay9gegO

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THE CHALLENGER

(Filmography 2012-2015 + 2023-2025)

Comedic Prologue:

1. THE CHALLENGER (2012)

Film Series (Soft Reboot):

2. THE CHALLENGER: Unlimited (2013)

3. THE CHALLENGER: Urban Outlaw (2013)

4. THE CHALLENGER: Urban Legend (2014)

5. THE CHALLENGER: Dark Triad (2014)

6. THE CHALLENGER: Born to Kill (2014)

7. THE CHALLENGER: Broken Hope (2015)

Concept Film:

8. THE CHALLENGER: Year One 

- Version 1  {Unfinished} (2023) 

- Version 2: {Finished Extended Cut} (2025) 

EPILOGUE (Reunion):

9. THE CHALLENGER: Redemption

THE ANGRY COOK: Revisited (2026) | Short Film

 “THE ANGRY COOK: Revisited” 

~ Don’t cross his path or you will face his wrath~

Early in 2026, Di Pardo decided to re-create a film he made a few years ago titled THE ANGRY COOK using modern AI to improve on the original version to bring it closer to the original 2018 concept (which would have included traditional animation).

This has resulted in short film you are seeing today titled “THE ANGRY COOK: Revisited”

FILM Credits:

Written, Directed & Edited by Andrew Di Pardo

Concept by Andrew Di Pardo & Jon Pierce

Artwork by Matthew Quran-Yin & Kyron Miller 

Starring AI as the characters of the film

Producer:  Andrew Di Pardo (Sharp Shooter Productions)

AI animation - Gen 2 Runway ML + SORA

Music by Power Music Factory  

 

THE HISTORY OF “The Angry Cook”: 

- Concept developed by Andrew Di Pardo & Jon Pierce in 2018 based on their restaurant experiences

- Originally meant to debut in 2020 with animation by Matthew Quan Yin and Kyron Miller, COVID delayed the film in March that year and it was later cancelled.

-2022 Andrew Di Pardo left the film industry to pursue a work life balance.

- 2023, throughout Andrew’s spare time he revived some lost projects he worked on including this one!

- October 2023 inspired by Duran Duran’s Halloween album Danse Macabre, Andrew decided to bring “The Angry Cook” back to life. 

- Andrew found an AI software which helped bring this project from a concept to a finished film.  Andrew plugged in the artwork by Matthew and Kyron and with some editing it was ready for release! All done within 3 hours !

- October 30th 2023 “The Angry Cook: Deli Nightmares” was released on Youtube for Halloween 🎃

- January 12th 2026, Di Pardo decided to re-create a film he made a few years ago titled THE ANGRY COOK using modern AI to improve on the original version to bring it closer to the original 2018 concept (which would have included traditional animation)

- January 13th 2026, the film is released on Youtube with the title “The Angry Cook: Revisited”

DINO LIFE | AI Short Film (2025)

 

Press release from DECADES APART: NOIR CUT

 (Facebook Page)

Premiering now! 

One day early! Andrew Di Pardo’s surprising film release! 

https://youtu.be/nAquUdMYVQo?si=Ao1QTUI8uSOm0EVG

With the power of technology this may or may not be Andrew’s final film project! 

He had left the industry in 2022 but has since revived old projects (and some new) to be released with the intent to close the book on his film life… That being said, technology has made it easier for Andrew to stay creative from time to time. Not just with film projects but with concert and sports FAN coverage.

All this is to say that even though Andrew Di Pardo has left the film world behind, it’s possible that he may return from time to time to make some small projects with the power of AI. If he chooses to do so! Nothing is confirmed but Andrew has opened that door.

Catch DINO LIFE now!