Waide Aaron Riddle

Waide Aaron Riddle was born in Kingsville, Texas on August 15 1963 and raised in Houston. He also spent a great deal of time in Austin and Denver, Colorado. During his childhood, his teachers urged him into writing, since his strength was in Creative Writing and Poetry. In 1982 he moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico and studied Cosmetology. His mother, Gloria Riddle, was an award winning classical musician, artist, painter, sculptor and dancer. She attended the University of Texas at Austin with a major in Music. His father, Walter Riddle, was a labor-man and telephone repair technician for the city of Houston. Walter also attended classes at UTA and that's where he met Gloria. His brother, Wesley Riddle, is retired military, Army, and is a graduate of West Point Military Academy and Oxford University in England. He majored in Political Science and History. After graduating from Beauty School in 1982, Waide headed back to Houston for a short time. In September of 1984, Waide moved to Hollywood to pursue acting. He quickly realized his teachers were right, he was a Writer, but he just didn't know how to pursue it. He was cast in bit parts, including the 1987 cult horror classic, The Necromancer, which was reissued by Vinegar Syndrome in 2020. He also did local theatre (Dream Boy/1985), and worked in high profile salons; Saks 5th Avenue, Neiman Marcus & Jose Eber, for the rest of the 1980s. Disenchanted and questioning Los Angeles, he moved to Denver in the summer of 1993. He went back to Beauty School where he apprenticed for master hair stylist Paul Garcia. While working under Mr. Garcia, Waide studied at the prestigious Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy and the American Crew Academy. In the summer of 1995, restless in Denver, and against his mother's wishes, he chose to move back to familiar territory: Los Angeles. He secured Licensing in Cosmetology in California and New York State. Again, cast in bit parts, and doing theatre, he stayed in the game throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. In 1996, he won his first major poetry award from the prestigious National Author's Registry for his poem Two Men Kissing. This was followed-up by the President's Award in 1997. He credits the trade magazine Poets & Writers for inspiring him in poetry. In 2002, Waide wrote the long-form poem, The Chocolate Man: A Children's Horror Tale, which would go on to be reviewed by Cleveland State University as 'a children's classic!' His poems Something Wicked Dwells, A Haunting in Arkansas, Dark Circus, Grandmother's Roses, Timing is Everything, Two Men Kissing, 31 October Street, Auschwitz & The Green That is Ireland are award-winners, published and in audio-book form. In 2007, his mother, Gloria, passed away from a Glioblastoma grade-four brain tumor. This specific event changed his life and put him on a completely different emotional path. In 2008, he produced and directed the short film Two Men Kissing. It premiered at Cannes Short Film Corner, Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival, North Carolina LGBT Film Festival, Palm Springs ShortFest and over 20 other international film fests. In 2010, he produced and directed the short film Washington Park. He admits, it wasn't his best effort, but he tried. It did, however, teach him what NOT to do when producing film. And, in the end, it screened at the SAG Short Film Showcase in NYC. In 2011, Waide produced and directed the short film Lost Hills, Ca. based on his award-winning poem. This visual experimental film included graphic sexuality and male nudity. He credits actor Raphael Mihopoulos for trusting him and having no hesitation with the explicit nudity. The film went on to Palm Springs ShortFest, Fort Lauderdale International, Austin LGBT International Film Festival & North Carolina LGBT Film Festival. In 2012, he produced and directed the short film Something Wicked Dwells. Sadly, on the final day of shooting, the acting co-producer in charge of the set, stole the film's hard drive containing the entire film. This would lead to a bitter and ugly legal fight that cost Waide thousands. The actors Bill Oberst, Jr., Troy Mittleider, CJ Brady & Fabian Alomar never got to see their performances. Based on legal advice, Mr. Riddle chose to 'leave the thief holding the baby.' In 2014, Waide received an anonymous tip regarding the location & whereabouts of his property. He immediately reported this information to the Los Angeles FBI, where her name and vital stats were logged into the FBI's international data base. In 2013, his grandmother, Paula Wagner, passed away at the age of 93. In 2014, Waide produced and directed the short films A Haunting in Arkansas and The Lines in Their Faces. Both were experimental films which would go on to be included in the short film market at Palm Springs ShortFest. In 2015, his grandfather, Keith Wagner, passed away at age 89. In 2016, his father, Walter Riddle, passed away at age 82. He also began producing his poems and short stories into audio books. In 2017, he wrote the award winning screenplay, Dear Tom Hardy: I Love You. In 2018, he wrote the award winning screenplay, Meet Me at 3rd & Fairfax!, and the short award winning scripts, One Night. In A Diner. By Chance. and The Web. In 2019, Waide wrote the award winning screenplay, What Boyfriends & Girlfriends Do! In 2020, he wrote the well reviewed poetry chap book The Power of Summer! Also, in 2020, Waide wrote the award winning screenplay A Grieving Man; A tragic drama he wrote with actor Thomas Jane in mind. Let's hope Mr. Jane gets wind of this amazing screenplay and gives it a nod. 2020 was kind to the memories of Waide's mother, Gloria Riddle-Roe, and his grandfather, Max Longnecker. The Houston Symphony officially archived Gloria's musical history into their museum. The Houston Fire Museum officially archived Max's service history into their museum.