It only took one episode of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” for actor, producer and former Saluki Seth Kozak to realize his true calling.

Kozak arrived at SIU in 1996 after a stint in the U.S. Navy. He entered the College of Business with the intent of earning his bachelor’s degree in business management to help him develop the skills necessary to become an entrepreneur as well as further his career in the Navy.

But one fateful evening, he happened to catch actor and director Edward Burns’ interview on “The Tonight Show”.

Most famous for playing a soldier in Saving Private Ryan, Burns was on the show to plug the independent film “The Brothers McMullen.”

Kozak was enamored with Burns as the director explained the nuances of bringing a small-budget independent film to life. Kozak said he was surprised at the possibility of making a small-budget film.

“Wow, you can do that?,” he said. “I never really thought of how you got into making movies before.”

After a night of reflection, Kozak knew what wanted to do with the rest of his life.

By noon the next day, he was officially enrolled as a cinema and photography major with the desire to be a film director.

“Within a matter of hours I was signed up for film school,” he said. “There was no other option. I knew this is what I need to be doing with my life.”

Kozak said the one professor who kept adding fuel to his fire was his screenwriting professor, Jean Stawarz.

She taught three of the classes he attended during his time in the program and exposed him to more knowledge and encouragement than any of his other professors, he said.

Kozak said her classes were the most enjoyable. He said he attributes much of his developed interest in screenwriting to her.

“She definitely influenced me a lot in terms of screenwriting,” he said. “The three classes I took with her really helped me enjoy the art.”

Stawarz is currently teaching screenwriting at Emerson College in Boston. She co-wrote the 1989 film “Powwow Highway.”

After graduating in 1999, Kozak went on to earn a master of public administration degree at the University of Oklahoma.

He has appeared in several television commercials and worked on short films in various capacities, including acting, directing and writing.

His most recent project is a short suspense-thriller film titled “Rendezvous.”

“Rendezvous” started as a script Kozak sent around the independent film circuit.

It received positive feedback, including the award for Best Short Film Screenplay at the Houston International Film Festival and Best Short Script – Suspense Thriller at the 2013 Indie Gathering Film Festival and Convention in Hudson, Ohio.

After the positive response, Kozak decided to pursue the production of the film. He said his first order of business was making sure he had the correct team.

“It’s too easy for filmmakers to focus on only a few links in the chain,” he said. “You want everyone in your chain to be strong.”

The film stars Emmy Award-winner David Lago from “The Young and The Restless.”

“I knew David from another film I worked on,” Kozak said. “I showed him the script and he loved it; he wanted in.”

“Rendezvous” also stars international film actress and model Katarina Morhacova and features Emmy Award-nominated composer Howard Pearl.

Kozak is also one of the main producers of the film. He is currently trying to get the film funded via Kickstarter, a website where anyone can post a creative project and give people incentives to pledge funds to sponsor the project.

The site sponsors any project that reaches its target amount within an established time period. Kozak’s project has currently raised over $2,500 from over 30 different backers.

The goal of $6,500 must be reached by Feb. 28 at 1:59 a.m. for the project to receive the pledged funding. The amounts people have pledged thus far range from $5 to $100.

Kozak said after the film has completed production, it will be submitted to several festivals including the Big Muddy Film Festival, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, Aspen Shortfest, Palm Springs International Festival of Short Film and the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. The film will also play at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin.

Film is not Kozak’s only endeavor. He is currently stationed in Bucharest as a diplomatic officer with the U.S. embassy.

“The city out here is really nice,” he said. “Bucharest tries to always emulate Paris with rich architecture. There are world class restaurants and modern malls that are 2-3 times better than the malls in the states.”

After years in the film industry, Kozak said he is just happy to be in the business.

“I love all aspects of filmmaking and I take advantage of what I can when I can.”

Zach McGinnis can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter at @ZaqMac87 or at 536-3311 ext. 268.