* Director's Notes
* Message from Mia
* Pencil Me In:
NY EVENTS
- Harvardwood Presents: HOW TO LISTEN TO JAZZ, Wed., Oct. 3
- Harvardwood Presents: BOHEMIAN ARTISTS OF NYC Walking Tour, Sun., Oct. 14
- The OPC/Harvardwood Connection: DEADLINES & DISRUPTION - Stephen Shepard on the Future of News, Mon., Oct. 15
- Harvardwood Presents: ROSA ANTONELLI Plays Classics of Spain and Latin America, Wed., Oct. 24
LA EVENTS
- Harvardwood Heads To...FREE matinee screening of CAST ME IF YOU CAN, Wed., Oct. 3
- C.L.A. invites Harvardwood to...Merchandising, Commercial Tie-Ins, Product Placement & Sponsorships, Sat., Oct. 6
- HCSC invites Harvardwood to Recent Grads Mixer at the Village Idiot - Welcome to Your City! Thurs., Oct. 11
- C.L.A. invites Harvardwood to...Self-Defense for Writers & Filmmakers, Sat., Oct. 20
- HAA invites Harvardwood to: A Conversation with Provost Alan Garber, Wed., Oct. 24
- SAVE THE DATE(S): Harvardwood Mixer with Northwestern, NYU-Tisch, and Brown, Tues. or Thurs., Oct. 23 or 25
PLAN AHEAD...
- Harvardwood Film Festival & the LA Film School present: Screening of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES w/ Q&A, Thurs., Nov. 1
* Join the Harvardwood Features Program - LA (Deadline - Oct. 7th)
* Seeking company hosts and J-termship providers for Harvardwood 101
* Announcing the 2012 Harvardwood Writers' Competition winners!
* Now accepting applications for Harvardwood 101! (Deadline Oct. 23)
* Seeking marketing contacts at IMDb and/or AFI
* Tip to ensure receipt of all Harvardwood email
* Industry Successes
* And speaking of industry success...Harvardwood TV Writers' Program Announces This Season’s Staffings!
* DEAL OF THE MONTH!
* Featured Member Posting: Assistant Editor - Boston (paid)
* Member Profile: Valerie Weiss PhD '01
Director's Notes
I'm excited to welcome a slew of new members to the Harvardwood ranks this month - thanks to all that joined me last week at "Taking the First Steps in Your Arts, Entertainment, and Media Career!" Much more learning to do this month as New Yorkers get the chance to learn "HOW TO LISTEN TO JAZZ," get a bohemian eye's view of the city, and learn all about the future of news as we know it. In LA we are thankful to our partners at the California Lawyers for the Arts for inviting us to their next crop of informative and helpful workshops this month. And undergraduate members DON'T FORGET - the deadline for Harvardwood 101 apps will be here before you know it. Get all of those shiny applications in by midnight PT on October 23!
-- Kelley
Message from Mia
A big Mazel Tov to all of our Harvardwood Writers Competition winners and runners-up! This year's crop of submissions was perhaps our most impressive to date -- for all you screenwriters out there, you can get a jump on your entry for next year's edition by signing up for the Harvardwood Writers Program features module. Keep reading to find out about the HWP, contest results and much, much more...
-- Mia
Pencil Me In...
NY - Harvardwood Presents: HOW TO LISTEN TO JAZZ, Wed., Oct. 3
Quite a few Harvardwood members attending our jazz evenings have let us know that while they enjoy jazz, they wish that they understood jazz better. Well, here's the perfect solution--a lecture/performance by Lewis Porter and his Trio on HOW TO LISTEN TO JAZZ. Porter will guide the audience through the intricacies of jazz improvisation, teaching you what to listen for and how to listen for it. Lewis Porter is at once a leading jazz educator, a distinguished jazz scholar, and a superb performer. Professor of Music at Rutgers/Newark, he was from 2006 to 2009 the organizer and host of the Jazz Talk series of discussions at Jazz at Lincoln Center, where he spoke with such guests as Billy Taylor, Jimmy Heath, Nat Hentoff, and many more…As a performer, Porter's been called "A helluva piano player" by Jazz Times. Midwest Record wrote that he "plays up a storm", and JazzReview.com hailed his "mix of high energy and dexterity!" He was performed with Dave Liebman, Ravi Coltrane, Joe Lovano, Wycliffe Gordon, and many others, as well as with his own groups and the Indian-influenced jazz group Dharma Jazz. As a scholar, he is the author of six books, including the authoritative biography of John Coltrane…Joining Porter will be drummer Chad Taylor ("Wonderfully warm work!"--AllAboutJazz) and bassist Brad Jones, who has performed with Ornette Coleman, Elvis Costello, David Byrne, Sheryl Crow, Deborah Harry, John Zorn and many others…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=254756
NY - Harvardwood Presents: BOHEMIAN ARTISTS OF NYC Walking Tour, Sun., Oct. 14
Come walk the paths of the Bohemian artists of New York City. Your licensed tour guide will take you through the streets of Greenwich Village where poets wrote, artists painted, and musicians sang. Then, via subway, you will find yourselves in Times Square, the heart of the Broadway Theatre District where the history of some of the greatest writers, directors, and actors is recounted a stone's throw from the very venues where it took place. Our tour guide, Matthew Baker, is a DCA licensed New York City sightseeing guide, editor of the tourism newsletter, Guidelines, and Vice President of the Guides Association of New York City. A New Yorker for 20 years, he has also worked as an actor, director, pianist, and magician…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=255495
NY - The OPC/Harvardwood Connection: DEADLINES & DISRUPTION - Stephen Shepard on the Future of News, Mon., Oct. 15
The story of Steve Shepard's career is the story of the news industry. Five decades ago he joined BusinessWeek as a reporter and then rose to the top editorial post as editor-in-chief for more than 20 years. After his departure, he saw the magazine collapse, another victim of the digital age. He rode journalism's ups and downs and now has written a memoir titled DEADLINES AND DISRUPTIONS: MY TURBULENT PATH FROM PRINT TO DIGITAL, a story of upheaval, transition, and the future of news…Walter Isaacson describes DEADLINES AND DISRUPTIONS as "a personal and insightful book about one of the most important questions of our time: how will journalism make the transition to the digital age?" …To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=265380
NY - Harvardwood Presents: ROSA ANTONELLI Plays Classics of Spain and Latin America, Wed., Oct. 24
When Rosa Antonelli performed last October in Carnegie Hall's 2,800-seat Stern Auditorium, Joe Franklin said, "On October 15 at Carnegie Hall, a star was born. Her name is Rosa Antonelli . . . Rosa's performance was riveting. The sound was rich and emotionally powerful. Ms. Antonelli's artistry on stage was absolutely stunning!" …Widely recognized as one of Latin America's leading pianists, Rosa Antonelli's artistry has been acclaimed in countries including Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Holland, Netherlands, Israel, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Russia, Romania, Yugoslavia, Greece, Egypt, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, and the United States. Rosa Antonelli is a Steinway Artist. Ms. Antonelli will perform a program of music from Spain and Latin America…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=260149
LA - Harvardwood Heads To...FREE matinee screening of CAST ME IF YOU CAN, Wed., Oct. 3
Join us as Harvardwood heads to a free matinee screening of the award-winning film CAST ME IF YOU CAN, a charming romantic comedy set in Tokyo, written and directed by Harvardwood member Atsushi Ogata (hosted by Japan Foundation Los Angeles at its new location in the Wilshire Courtyard, Miracle Mile). CAST ME IF YOU CAN tells the story of Hiroshi, a perpetual supporting actor, who lives in the shadow of his famous playwright father. Often mistaken for someone else, even occasionally for a kidnapper, Hiroshi struggles daily with his marginalized existence. But one day, luck changes. Hiroshi gets cast in a Woody Allen remake. He meets his muse Aya, an energetic aspiring actress, who doesn’t mistake him for anyone else. Hiroshi falls for Aya head over heals, but Hiroshi is his own worst enemy for getting a date, or keeping the lead role… A sweet, subtle romantic comedy for all generations that will leave you smiling…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/event/castOct2012
LA - C.L.A. invites Harvardwood to...Merchandising, Commercial Tie-Ins, Product Placement & Sponsorships, Sat., Oct. 6
This workshop will provide an overview of how corporate America, and others outside the film industry, are participating in and supporting the financing and marketing of films (and other entertainment projects) via merchandising, commercial tie-ins, product placement, and sponsorships. We will examine the factors driving changes in these areas, the impact of those changes, and most importantly, how creative participants can adapt to and take advantage of these developments. We will discuss differences among the various deals being made, some of the important deal points, and where lines need to be drawn in order to protect the creative integrity of a project. Examples will be given of recent deals that worked well, and not so well. Time permitting, we will discuss participants’ concerns, issues, and ideas…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=264749
LA - HCSC invites Harvardwood to Recent Grads Mixer at the Village Idiot - Welcome to Your City! Thurs., Oct. 11
Make new friends or reconnect with old ones! It'll be a great chance to meet up and hang out with everyone from the Classes of 2006-2011 who has recently made the move from Harvard Square to Hollywood. Graduates from all schools welcome! Please join us in welcoming our newest class of young alumni, the Class of 2012, to Los Angeles! It will also be a fun way for recent graduates who are moving to LA to connect with Harvard alumni in the area…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=260903
LA - C.L.A. invites Harvardwood to...Self-Defense for Writers & Filmmakers, Sat., Oct. 20
Writers and filmmakers need to understand their legal rights and how to defend themselves from those who may seek to exploit them. Production companies and distributors often know all the tricks of the trade, while writers and filmmakers know little about how to protect themselves. This seminar explains how writers and filmmakers can prevent problems from arising by properly securing underlying rights, and by encouraging the other party to live up to agreements by adding performance incentives, default penalties, and alternative dispute resolution clauses. In the event of a dispute, participants learn what remedies are available to enforce their rights…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=264754
LA - HAA invites Harvardwood to: A Conversation with Provost Alan Garber, Wed., Oct. 24
Join Harvard Provost Alan M. Garber for a night of interactive conversation about edX, Harvard’s new online education initiative; the role of the Arts at Harvard, including the renovations to the Art Museums; the strategic direction of the Harvard Library; ongoing efforts to make the University more collaborative for faculty and students, and much more. Help us welcome Provost Garber in his very first alumni event for what promises to be a stimulating and engaging evening! To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=267205
LA - SAVE THE DATE(S): Harvardwood Mixer with Northwestern, NYU-Tisch, and Brown, Tues. or Thurs., Oct. 23 or 25
Join Harvardwood as we mix and mingle with alums from Northwestern, NYU-Tisch, and Brown! Details for this event will be forthcoming, in the mean time, SAVE THE DATE(S)!
PLAN AHEAD: LA - Harvardwood Film Festival & the LA Film School present: Screening of THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES w/ Q&A, Thurs., Nov. 1
Harvardwood is excited to support the critically lauded Sundance documentary, THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES, directed by acclaimed filmmaker and photographer Lauren Greenfield '87 - who won Best Director at Sundance 2012 for this work. With the epic dimensions of a Shakespearean tragedy, THE QUEEN OF VERSAILLES follows billionaires Jackie and David’s rags-to-riches story to uncover the innate virtues and flaws of the American dream. We open on the triumphant construction of the biggest house in America, a sprawling, 90,000-square-foot mansion inspired by Versailles. Since a booming time-share business built on the real-estate bubble is financing it, the economic crisis brings progress to a halt and seals the fate of its owners. We witness the impact of this turn of fortune over the next two years in a riveting film fraught with delusion, denial, and self-effacing humor...Join us for a Q&A following the screening...To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/events/event_details.asp?id=251037
Join the Harvardwood Features Program - LA (Deadline - Oct. 7th)
We are happy to announce that the HARVARDWOOD FEATURES PROGRAM is now accepting applications (LA). The program will run from October to March and meet on alternate Tuesday evenings. Each member will work on one of their own feature scripts and set their own goal (turning a treatment into a draft, turning a draft into a polished script, etc). Each meeting, several writers' work will be chosen, read in advance, and workshopped in the group. Depending on the preferences of the group, there may be a guest speaker or two, but the main focus will be the writing itself. The life of a writer can be frustrating and solitary, and thoughtful feedback hard to find; our goal is to build a supportive and engaged community to help us move our work ahead…To view full posting and to apply, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/news/103541/Join-the-Harvardwood-Features-Program---LA.htm
Seeking company hosts and J-termship providers for Harvardwood 101
Harvardwood invites all Harvard alums and friends to get involved in the 11th annual Harvardwood 101 career exploration program, co-sponsored by Harvard’s Office of Career Services and Office for the Arts. Harvardwood 101 brings a group of Harvard undergraduates to Los Angeles during the January term (or "J-term”) and provides various career-related activities in an attempt to demystify "the biz" and educate current students about opportunities in the arts/media/entertainment industries.
There are two segments of the Harvardwood 101 program:
- The Harvardwood 101 "Boot Camp" program takes place during the first full week of J-term, this year from January 7th - 11th, 2013. The entire group of about two dozen students participates in office visits, panels, tours, and other activities sponsored by alums and friends working in the arts/media/entertainment industries.
- The Harvardwood 101 "J-Term-Ship" program provides opportunities for the duration of the J-term (this year from Jan. 12th - 27th, or a portion thereof) for individual students to further explore their area(s) of professional interest. J-term-ship opportunities might include such experiences as shadowing an alum, doing an intensive 2-week "internship” at one or more companies, observing on a film or TV set, assisting with project research, etc. PLEASE NOTE: "J-term-ship" opportunities do not have to be LA-based.
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have questions or are interested in any/all of the following:
- Providing a "J-term-ship” opportunity for an individual student (or students)
- Hosting all of the students for an office/set visit and/or participating in a panel discussion
For more information on Harvardwood 101, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/?Harvardwood101
Thanks for your support!
Announcing the 2012 Harvardwood Writers' Competition Winners!
After working through over 100 scripts and 3 rounds of judging, the RESULTS of the 2012 Harvardwood Screenwriting Competition are finally in! The winner in the Feature Screenplay Category is: A SITUATION (Comedy) by Sean Presant (runner-up is TREASURE ROAD by Lauri Donahue)…The winner in the TV Pilot Category is SECOND ACTS (Half-Hour Comedy) by Dorothy Fortenberry (runner up is BLOOD MONEY by Rory Kozoll)…Winner in the one-act play category is THE ORPHANSE OF PANEL 516 (Drama) by Ryan Slattery… In addition to the cash prizes, Harvardwood will help set up meetings for our winners with managers, agents, other screenwriters and/or development execs around Hollywood (tailored to their individual career needs)…To view full posting with loglines, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/news/101733/Announcing-the-2012-Harvardwood-Writers-Competition-Winners-.htm
Now accepting applications for Harvardwood 101! (Deadline Oct. 23)
Harvardwood is pleased to announce our 11th annual Harvardwood 101 career exploration program, cosponsored by the Office of Career Services and Office for the Arts. The program brings a group of Harvard undergraduates to Los Angeles during the first full week of the January term (this year it will be JAN. 7-13, 2013) and provides various career-related activities in an attempt to demystify Hollywood and educate current students about opportunities in the arts, media and entertainment. Past activities have included a studio lot tour, a visit to a working film set, a discussion of film development and production hosted by a major production company, a visit to a scoring stage, a panel on breaking into TV writing, an agency visit, lunches with alumni in various facets of the industry, and an info session and tour of the USC film school facilities…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/?Harvardwood101
Seeking marketing contacts at IMDb and/or AFI
Harvardwood is seeking marketing contacts at IMDb or AFI. We are interested to form mutually beneficial relationships with either of these companies. If you know anyone you can connect us to please be in touch with Kelley Purcell, [email protected].
Tip to ensure receipt of all Harvardwood email
It has come to our attention that Harvardwood emails are having trouble pushing through the @post system. To ensure timely receipt of all Harvardwood information, we recommend that you make your @post.harvard.edu an alternate email, and place the email to which it forwards (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) as your PRIMARY address. You can update your account email by logging in and going to the "My Profile" menu on the right. When you are there click on "Manage Profile" then click on the "Edit Bio” icon. Place your primary email under the "Account Information" section (you will have to confirm it by entering it twice). Then scroll down and place your alternate email (in this case, your @post.harvard.edu address) in the "Alternate Email" field under the "Personal Information" section. When these steps are complete, scroll down and click "Save Changes."
Industry Successes...
Broderick Fox's ’96 documentary THE SKIN I'M IN won a Special Jury Prize at the Arizona International Film Festival this summer, and the score by Ronit Kirchman was a Best Score Finalist at the Park City Film Music Festival. The film has since played Out Takes New Zealand, and is now slated to play DMZ DOCS: Korean International Documentary Festival on Sept. 22 and 27, followed by the Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on September 30. Fox is next headed to Australia to screen THE SKIN I'M IN as part of Visible Evidence XIX, the world's leading academic conference on documentary media. Full details on upcoming screenings and how you can host a screening party can be found on the film's new interactive Web Initiative: http://www.skiniminmovie.com
Karen-Eileen Gordon is in production in Miami, filming Season 2 of the Starz Original Drama MAGIC CITY. Gordon reprises her role as FLORENCE: tough-smart-funny 1959 New York dame, long-time executive assistant to series lead Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The series, set in the fictitious glitzy Miramar Playa Hotel on Miami Beach, was renewed for a second season before the pilot aired, and returns to television in 2013.
And speaking of Industry Success...Harvardwood TV Writers' Program Announces This Season's Staffings!
Congratulations to the following Harvardwood TV Writers Program alumni who were staffed this season:
- Leonard Chang – Staff Writer, JUSTIFIED, FX
- Steve Harper – Staff Writer, COVERT AFFAIRS, USA
- Teresa Hsiao – Staff Writer, FAMILY GUY, Fox
- Warren Hsu Leonard – Staff Writer, PERCEPTION, TNT
- Adam Perlman – Staff Writer, THE NEWSROOM, HBO
DEAL OF THE MONTH!
Harvardwood's Deal of the Month features a product or service that one of our members would like to promote to the broader Harvardwood community. In addition to providing a special promotional discount or offer to our community, proceeds from this Deal will also support Harvardwood and other community service organizations of note.
Marcel L. Anderson, Esq. ’03 is a residential and commercial real estate broker with Keller Williams Realty Westside who focuses on the Westside and beach communities. After working for many years advising financial institutions and private equity funds on their investments in real estate and portfolio companies, Marcel decided to share his legal and financial knowledge with individuals in his hometown of Los Angeles. During the month of October, Marcel has offered to provide free consultations to those in the Harvardwood community to help them develop their real estate investment strategies. If he becomes your real estate adviser for the sale or purchase of your home or investment property, Marcel has offered to donate 7% of his sales commission to be split equally between Harvardwood and a charity of your choice. Whether you are thinking about buying, selling or if you just want more information about the real estate market, know that Marcel is available to answer your questions. To find out more about this deal, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/?page=dealofthemonth
Featured Member Posting - Assistant Editor - Boston (paid)
I am looking for an Assistant Editor to assist in editing "The Psalm of Howard Thurman” a feature length documentary on the spiritual giant, Howard Thurman (1899-1981). In telling Thurman’s remarkable story, we are combining historical photos and footage; stock and newly recorded images of nature; voice overs; sound effects; a moving music score; sound and footage excerpts of Howard Thurman’s meditation and sermons; excerpts from interviews with Thurman, and with those who knew him, knew of him, and of the times in which he lived. The assistant editor will organize the film project’s media files and Final Cut Pro media bins. The person will also refine an assembly cut that is within Final Cut Pro 7.0.3. I am looking for someone who is diligent, organized, responsible and takes pride in doing great work. I am seeking someone who has an artistic sensibility along with technical proficiency. I am also looking for someone who is proficient with Final Cut Pro 7.0.3 and GarageBand. Working familiarity with Microsoft Word, and other programs of Final Cut Suite is also helpful…To view full posting, please visit: http://www.harvardwood.org/networking/opening.asp?id=138115
Member Profile: Valerie Weiss PhD '01
by Dayna Wilkinson
Writer/Director Valerie Weiss: "I decided to go to Harvard Medical School. If at the end of my PhD I was more in love with science than the arts, then great. But if I wasn’t and still wanted to do film, then I’d never have any regrets.”
After graduating with a PhD in biochemistry, Valerie hung up her lab coat and never doubted her career choice. Still, it’s appropriate that her movie, LOSING CONTROL, is about a female scientist, and that it was filmed in part at the medical school.
Her film also reflects her early influences. "I loved Pedro Almodovar’s WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN, which I saw in my 10th grade Spanish class,” Valerie says. "Everything that happens in the film is very real to the characters, even when it’s absurd.” Valerie had started acting lessons at 9, and she continued to act through her high school years.
Also in 10th grade, science came into her life. "I got into biology because of a great teacher, Mr. Charambura,” she says. "He showed me that a tremendous amount of creativity goes into picking what experiments you’re going to do to figure out a problem.” At 15, she learned lab techniques in a program at the University of Pennsylvania. With an eye to an acting career, Valerie considered going to college in California, but her parents had impressed upon her that "acting is great and we support the arts, but you need to have a real job.” Instead of California, she chose Princeton. "I had a lot of cousins who went to Princeton, and from the time I entered high school they’d taken me up there for football games and reunions. It didn’t really occur to me to apply to Harvard,” she notes.
It was a fateful choice. Freshman year, she met Rob Johnson, HLS ’99, a fellow cast member in CYRANO de BERGERAC--and her future husband. As a sophomore, she directed her first play. "I realized that I preferred directing to acting because I could think about more aspects of the production. I directed five plays in college and took every class in theatre that Princeton had to offer,” earning a degree in molecular and cellular biology and a certificate in theater and dance.
"I loved directing theater but you invest all this energy and it’s up a few times then it’s over,” Valerie says. "I wanted to make something that lasts past closing night, something that everyone can see.”
Valerie created this opportunity for herself at Harvard in her second year as a Dudley House theater fellow. On top of her PhD studies and theater work, she offered to create and run a film program if Dudley House gave her a Macintosh and a digital camera.
"It was an offer they couldn’t refuse,” Valerie says. "I brought in industry professionals to teach everything from screenwriting and directing to editing and distribution, and along the way I received a full film education.”
She supervised the students' production of 10-minute films, and ultimately collaborated with six co-writers on a mini-feature film, DANCE BY DESIGN, which she directed. "It’s kind of impressive,” she notes, "considering our budget ($5,000) and that it was made by grad students who weren’t studying film. Two weeks after we wrapped production I defended my med school thesis.” (For the record, Valerie solved the X-ray crystal structure of an arginine methyltransferase involved in nuclear transport.)
"In science, you don’t get credit for trying to make a discovery, you learn to keep going,” she says. "My adviser Jim Hogle taught me that how you finish is just as important as what you do along the way. I never thought about leaving my PhD even when I wanted to do film. I wanted to finish my degree and finish it well. Having done a PhD, I understand persistence.”
Equipped to go in either direction, Valerie made her choice between science and the arts. "The processes are pretty similar the way I pursue them,” she says. "I loved being a scientist, but with science, the kinds and numbers of questions I could ask were limited. With film, I can think about anything and work with all kinds of people anywhere. Life is short and I don’t want to be limited.”
LOSING CONTROL has more than a touch of Crimson. "It was inspired by my time at Harvard Medical School,” Valerie says. "I met so many wonderful and quirky people there who made their way on-screen in different ways.” In addition, Bitsie Tulloch, ’03 is in the film, as is Rob Johnson who is also a producer. Jeff Loeb, HLS ’04, is the executive producer. "I’ve also worked with lots of interns from the Harvard community—you’re automatically getting people who are really bright and have an amazing work ethic,” Valerie notes. "It’s great knowing they’ll be as committed to getting things across the finish line as you are.”
LOSING CONTROL premiered at the Vail Film Festival as the closing night film. "The 400-seat theater was totally sold out, and we got a distribution deal that night,” Valerie says. "Even better, the distributor offered us a theatrical release which is rare for independents without big stars or the imprimatur of a Sundance or Tribeca.” On October 9th, LOSING CONTROL has a major release on Video On Demand on Time Warner, Comcast, Cox, and 30 other cable carriers, putting it in 100 million homes. Overseas the movie is called PROOF OF LOVE and has sold to the UK (premiering this month), Australian, Brazil, Russia, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Czech Republic and several other countries so far.
Valerie is now focused on three new projects: a feature about estranged siblings who move back in with their hoarder father called OVERSTUFFED; a film for Troika Pictures; and an indie called BREAD AND BUTTER which will shoot in the fall.
She has this advice for aspiring filmmakers: "Becoming a filmmaker is like developing your body as an athlete—you have to train every day, it takes real commitment. Every free moment you have you should be writing and not judging yourself. Start it, nurture it, work at it all the time.”
Valerie can be reached at [email protected]. The LOSING CONTROL trailer can be viewed at www.losingcontrolmovie.com, and the DVD is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other stores.
Dayna Wilkinson is a proud New Yorker currently living, working and writing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.
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