Friends,
The "Humboldt County" casting train continues to pick up speed. In the past week we had the incredible fortune of finding and casting the actor we have long been seeking to play Peter, our protagonist.
Though we considered many recognized film actors, it has always been our hope to "discover" someone unknown for this role. We have been auditioning actors for months now, and nobody -- no matter how many or few films they had made -- seemed right. Then a few weeks ago, we spoke to a well-regarded casting director in New York and asked her if she knew of anyone who might be right for the film. We told her we were looking for the equivalent to Dustin Hoffman before he made "The Graduate."
She replied, "I know exactly the guy for you. His name is Jeremy Strong."
Jeremy read the script and loved it. He auditioned for us on tape from his agency in NYC, and we had never seen someone so ideal. Last week we flew him out from New York. He impressed us to no end with his knowledge, talent, and passion.
Jeremy is a theater actor who trained at the Yale Drama School and has been making a growing impact on the New York theater scene since arriving there. His recent performances have been described as "excellent" (New York Magazine), "memorable" (The Hollywood Reporter) and "close to perfect" (The New York Times). His reputation in the film world is rapidly increasing as several casting directors have seen him in action and want to put him in something soon, so we feel as if we found not only a spectacular actor but also someone with a lot of momentum.
We are certain that, once you have a chance to see him perform, you will be as excited about him as we are.
More to come.
Jason
July 7, 2006
July 3, 2006
HC Newsletter - July 3, 2006
Friends,
The holiday weekend and July's seemingly early arrival have led to a slightly delayed "Humboldt County" newsletter. For that, I apologize.
As expected, June has been a momentous month for us. We made some significant progress with casting and are now in late stage negotiations with several of our lead actors. We also generated interest from a few film financiers and distributors who are interested in helping make this project a reality.
With respect to cast, we should have some formal announcements in the next week or so. Though their deals are not yet finalized, we're thrilled about two actors who have recently signaled that they want to join the project:
- Teri Garr (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Tootsie, Mr. Mom) is an Oscar-nominated actress who has worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman, will likely be playing "Rosie" in our her film. To date, the films in which she has appeared have earned over $1B in worldwide box office gross. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000414/
- Peter Bogdanovich is a legendary auteur who has directed such classics as The Last Picture Show, What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, and Mask. He has also had a long career as a character actor, most recently in the HBO hit series "The Sopranos." We are hammering out the details of Peter coming on board "Humboldt County" as "Barton Hadley," Peter's father, and as a consultant to the directors. His involvement promises to be invaluable to us. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000953/
We continue to search for the final few actors for our ensemble cast. As I've mentioned before, please keep in mind that our attached elements could change at any point. Until we start filming, there are no certainties in the world of filmmaking.
All that good news aside, we are now at a critical juncture. Because of increasing weather uncertainties come fall, we must initiate production of this film by late August or early September, which are only a handful of weeks away. If we are unable to raise the remainder of our required financing in the very near future, our production may be delayed indefinitely. We are confident we will make a magnificent film, but it looks like it is going to come down to the wire. As always, we appreciate your ongoing support.
Regards,
Jason
The holiday weekend and July's seemingly early arrival have led to a slightly delayed "Humboldt County" newsletter. For that, I apologize.
As expected, June has been a momentous month for us. We made some significant progress with casting and are now in late stage negotiations with several of our lead actors. We also generated interest from a few film financiers and distributors who are interested in helping make this project a reality.
With respect to cast, we should have some formal announcements in the next week or so. Though their deals are not yet finalized, we're thrilled about two actors who have recently signaled that they want to join the project:
- Teri Garr (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Tootsie, Mr. Mom) is an Oscar-nominated actress who has worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, and Robert Altman, will likely be playing "Rosie" in our her film. To date, the films in which she has appeared have earned over $1B in worldwide box office gross. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000414/
- Peter Bogdanovich is a legendary auteur who has directed such classics as The Last Picture Show, What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, and Mask. He has also had a long career as a character actor, most recently in the HBO hit series "The Sopranos." We are hammering out the details of Peter coming on board "Humboldt County" as "Barton Hadley," Peter's father, and as a consultant to the directors. His involvement promises to be invaluable to us. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000953/
We continue to search for the final few actors for our ensemble cast. As I've mentioned before, please keep in mind that our attached elements could change at any point. Until we start filming, there are no certainties in the world of filmmaking.
All that good news aside, we are now at a critical juncture. Because of increasing weather uncertainties come fall, we must initiate production of this film by late August or early September, which are only a handful of weeks away. If we are unable to raise the remainder of our required financing in the very near future, our production may be delayed indefinitely. We are confident we will make a magnificent film, but it looks like it is going to come down to the wire. As always, we appreciate your ongoing support.
Regards,
Jason
June 1, 2006
HC Newsletter - June 1, 2006
Friends,
With the arrival of summer right around the corner, the "Humboldt County" project team, like the country as a whole, is feeling the heat. Our start date is fast approaching, and we have a veritable mountain of tasks to accomplish over the next few months. Luckily, our momentum is still growing, and the advancements we continue to make give us more confidence than ever in the potential of this film.
A few brief notes about our progress over the last month:
- Casting: As most of you know, Jeremy Davies signed on to play the role of "Max." Not only is Jeremy a tremendously talented actor, but he is also astoundingly passionate about the project and has been a big help to us in attracting other actors to it. He is working remarkably hard to make this film a success, making him an invaluable asset to our team. This month brought some frustrating news for us. Several of the actors we had targeted for major roles in the film -- and who wanted to play them -- had their TV "pilots" picked up for fall broadcast. While this is terrific news for them, it means they are unavailable to us this summer. Nevertheless, we will persevere and anticipate having another announcement or two in the next few weeks about additional cast members.
- Production: We decided to postpone our estimated start date by 5 weeks to August 14th. Much of the motivation behind our eagerness to start production in mid-July was to enable us to attract actors during the summer television hiatus, before TV shows began shooting their new fall seasons. However, many of these shows will begin shooting earlier than anticipated, thus preventing some actors from working with us. (Also, as mentioned above, a number of film actors who were eager to play roles in "Humboldt County" have been cast in television shows this fall as well.)
Because there is now less pressure to complete our production before the fall TV programs begin shooting, we have slipped our "go" date by slightly over a month. This has the added benefit of giving us more time to prepare. Part of this preparation includes our continual improvement of the screenplay. As always, if anyone would like to read the latest version, please let us know.
- Financing: We identified a number of new investors this month who seem intent on participating in the project. We are also engaged in early discussions with two film financiers/distributors who have expressed interest in funding the remainder of our budget. All the same, we still haven't reached our minimum capitalization and thus are not fully "greenlit"; this is a milestone that is not only required, but also now urgent. As always, we appreciate any and all introductions to individuals or groups who you believe might be interested in participating.
Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes high. June promises to be a monumental month.
Regards,
Jason
With the arrival of summer right around the corner, the "Humboldt County" project team, like the country as a whole, is feeling the heat. Our start date is fast approaching, and we have a veritable mountain of tasks to accomplish over the next few months. Luckily, our momentum is still growing, and the advancements we continue to make give us more confidence than ever in the potential of this film.
A few brief notes about our progress over the last month:
- Casting: As most of you know, Jeremy Davies signed on to play the role of "Max." Not only is Jeremy a tremendously talented actor, but he is also astoundingly passionate about the project and has been a big help to us in attracting other actors to it. He is working remarkably hard to make this film a success, making him an invaluable asset to our team. This month brought some frustrating news for us. Several of the actors we had targeted for major roles in the film -- and who wanted to play them -- had their TV "pilots" picked up for fall broadcast. While this is terrific news for them, it means they are unavailable to us this summer. Nevertheless, we will persevere and anticipate having another announcement or two in the next few weeks about additional cast members.
- Production: We decided to postpone our estimated start date by 5 weeks to August 14th. Much of the motivation behind our eagerness to start production in mid-July was to enable us to attract actors during the summer television hiatus, before TV shows began shooting their new fall seasons. However, many of these shows will begin shooting earlier than anticipated, thus preventing some actors from working with us. (Also, as mentioned above, a number of film actors who were eager to play roles in "Humboldt County" have been cast in television shows this fall as well.)
Because there is now less pressure to complete our production before the fall TV programs begin shooting, we have slipped our "go" date by slightly over a month. This has the added benefit of giving us more time to prepare. Part of this preparation includes our continual improvement of the screenplay. As always, if anyone would like to read the latest version, please let us know.
- Financing: We identified a number of new investors this month who seem intent on participating in the project. We are also engaged in early discussions with two film financiers/distributors who have expressed interest in funding the remainder of our budget. All the same, we still haven't reached our minimum capitalization and thus are not fully "greenlit"; this is a milestone that is not only required, but also now urgent. As always, we appreciate any and all introductions to individuals or groups who you believe might be interested in participating.
Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes high. June promises to be a monumental month.
Regards,
Jason
May 9, 2006
HC Newsletter - May 9, 2006
Friends,
We are pleased to announce that Jeremy Davies (Solaris, Secretary, Saving Private Ryan, Spanking the Monkey) is now officially attached to "Humboldt County" in the supporting role of Max.
For those of you not immediately familiar with Jeremy, you can review his image and credits here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/. He is a remarkably talented actor who is highly regarded across the industry, as evidenced by the fact that he has been cast by many of the premier directors working today, including Steven Soderbergh, Lars Von Trier, David O. Russell, Wim Wenders, Werner Hertzog, and Steven Spielberg.
We couldn't be more thrilled to have him involved. And Jeremy is so outwardly enthusiastic about the project that it's entirely possible his excitement exceeds ours.
More to come...
Jason
We are pleased to announce that Jeremy Davies (Solaris, Secretary, Saving Private Ryan, Spanking the Monkey) is now officially attached to "Humboldt County" in the supporting role of Max.
For those of you not immediately familiar with Jeremy, you can review his image and credits here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001111/. He is a remarkably talented actor who is highly regarded across the industry, as evidenced by the fact that he has been cast by many of the premier directors working today, including Steven Soderbergh, Lars Von Trier, David O. Russell, Wim Wenders, Werner Hertzog, and Steven Spielberg.
We couldn't be more thrilled to have him involved. And Jeremy is so outwardly enthusiastic about the project that it's entirely possible his excitement exceeds ours.
More to come...
Jason
May 1, 2006
HC Newsletter - May 1, 2006
Friends,
Welcome to the "Humboldt County" newsletter, May Day edition.
What has the team been up to for the past month, you wonder? More of the same, and then some. We continue to multitask across several areas, including casting, financing, and writing, and because we're fast approaching our start date, we have recently added a few more endeavors, like location scouting.
As I explained last month, the casting process is time consuming and intense. It also tends to drag on longer than filmmakers wish it did. Throughout April, Danny, Darren, casting director John Jackson, and I continued to spend countless hours in meetings and auditions with actors interested in the film. This process has not only given us outstanding exposure to the pool of available talent, but it has also caused an unexpected frenzy in the acting community about the project. (Apparently, when actors read a script they like a lot, they tell their friends, who tell their agents and managers, who call the filmmakers to ask them to consider their clients.)
About ten days ago we decided it was time to conclude our meeting and audition schedule, so we could make offers to the actors about whom we felt the strongest. While we await their responses, we are focused on making further improvements to the script and completing our financing. We will naturally keep you updated on any official cast commitments. Though we hesitate to predict anything in this industry, we anticipate that we'll be able to secure at least one or two attachments this month.
In other news, while other members of the team were busy auditioning talent a couple of weeks ago, I took another voyage up to Humboldt to shift our production process into the next gear. I spent a good deal of time with the Humboldt County Film Commissioner, who set up interviews for me with the local newspapers, radio station, and television news team to start spreading the word of our forthcoming production. The primary purpose of these interviews was to garner support from the locals, who we need on our side to make the production a success. I also asked the readers/listeners/viewers to help us to identify specific locations we will need for the film. The response from the community was overwhelming. As a result, we now have several viable options for a number of key locations.
This month promises to be our most critical yet, so once again thank you for your support and encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
Welcome to the "Humboldt County" newsletter, May Day edition.
What has the team been up to for the past month, you wonder? More of the same, and then some. We continue to multitask across several areas, including casting, financing, and writing, and because we're fast approaching our start date, we have recently added a few more endeavors, like location scouting.
As I explained last month, the casting process is time consuming and intense. It also tends to drag on longer than filmmakers wish it did. Throughout April, Danny, Darren, casting director John Jackson, and I continued to spend countless hours in meetings and auditions with actors interested in the film. This process has not only given us outstanding exposure to the pool of available talent, but it has also caused an unexpected frenzy in the acting community about the project. (Apparently, when actors read a script they like a lot, they tell their friends, who tell their agents and managers, who call the filmmakers to ask them to consider their clients.)
About ten days ago we decided it was time to conclude our meeting and audition schedule, so we could make offers to the actors about whom we felt the strongest. While we await their responses, we are focused on making further improvements to the script and completing our financing. We will naturally keep you updated on any official cast commitments. Though we hesitate to predict anything in this industry, we anticipate that we'll be able to secure at least one or two attachments this month.
In other news, while other members of the team were busy auditioning talent a couple of weeks ago, I took another voyage up to Humboldt to shift our production process into the next gear. I spent a good deal of time with the Humboldt County Film Commissioner, who set up interviews for me with the local newspapers, radio station, and television news team to start spreading the word of our forthcoming production. The primary purpose of these interviews was to garner support from the locals, who we need on our side to make the production a success. I also asked the readers/listeners/viewers to help us to identify specific locations we will need for the film. The response from the community was overwhelming. As a result, we now have several viable options for a number of key locations.
This month promises to be our most critical yet, so once again thank you for your support and encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
April 2, 2006
HC Newsletter - April 2, 2006
Friends,
April has arrived, and with it comes another issue of the "Humboldt County" newsletter.
March was an exciting month for the project. Though we continued to evolve the script, flesh out the team, and attract financing, the majority of our time was focused on assembling our cast.
February and March in Los Angeles are traditionally very busy ones for actors. It has been "pilot season," the time of year when all of the major broadcast and cable networks produce "pilot" (trial) episodes of each television show they are considering debuting in the fall. Almost everyone in the industry is focused on these series test shows, and nearly every actor in town is vying for roles on one or more of them. During this madness, it has been a challenge for us to rise above the fray, but we have now made significant inroads into each of the six major talent agencies. They have each reviewed our project internally, and -- based on the almost universally positive response -- they are all actively working with us to place their clients in the film.
Over the past several weeks, we have had numerous meetings with agents and actors in an effort to identify the best cast. We have been auditioning film actors, television stars, and lesser-known yet extremely talented performers alike, and we are optimistic about our prospects. If all goes according to plan, we should be in negotiations with one or more of our lead actors sometime later this month. Soon thereafter, all of the wheels will be in motion, and we will be well on our way toward our production start date of early-mid July.
More to come soon. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
April has arrived, and with it comes another issue of the "Humboldt County" newsletter.
March was an exciting month for the project. Though we continued to evolve the script, flesh out the team, and attract financing, the majority of our time was focused on assembling our cast.
February and March in Los Angeles are traditionally very busy ones for actors. It has been "pilot season," the time of year when all of the major broadcast and cable networks produce "pilot" (trial) episodes of each television show they are considering debuting in the fall. Almost everyone in the industry is focused on these series test shows, and nearly every actor in town is vying for roles on one or more of them. During this madness, it has been a challenge for us to rise above the fray, but we have now made significant inroads into each of the six major talent agencies. They have each reviewed our project internally, and -- based on the almost universally positive response -- they are all actively working with us to place their clients in the film.
Over the past several weeks, we have had numerous meetings with agents and actors in an effort to identify the best cast. We have been auditioning film actors, television stars, and lesser-known yet extremely talented performers alike, and we are optimistic about our prospects. If all goes according to plan, we should be in negotiations with one or more of our lead actors sometime later this month. Soon thereafter, all of the wheels will be in motion, and we will be well on our way toward our production start date of early-mid July.
More to come soon. In the meantime, thank you for your continued support and encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
March 1, 2006
HC Newsletter - March 1, 2006
Friends,
This being the first day of March, it's time for a fresh edition of the "Humboldt County" newsletter. February was an active month, and we made some marked progress. Here is a bit of insight into our efforts and accomplishments during the last four weeks:
1) Script: Based on recent feedback and notes we've received from a number of respectable sources (many of you included), we have completed another version of the script. Structurally, thematically, and tonally, the screenplay is the same, but we have enriched several of the characters and enhanced Peter's (the protagonist's) internal struggle and conflict with others. The script will continue to evolve until the day we start shooting, but we are confident that these recent improvements make this version the most compelling by far.
2) Casting: We continue to engage in lengthy discussions and/or face-to-face meetings with the most prominent talent agencies in town with the aim of attracting their clients to this film. As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, casting is a slow process. Industry practices only allow us to make one offer at a time for each role, and it can take nearly two weeks for a response. We have had a couple of meetings with interested actors, but at this point, we haven't made any hard commitments. We promise to share names of actors as soon as we make any deals, but for now we're going to keep this information confidential, for obvious reasons.
The most significant development in the casting area this month was Darren & Danny's decision to adopt different roles in the film. Previously, Danny was going to play the lead role of Peter, and Darren was going to play Max. Danny & Darren will now be playing Steve & Bob, two supporting characters who are Humboldt born and bred. This change was made to improve the chances of attracting more widely recognized acting talent to the project as well as to speed up the process of fully financing the film.
3) Financing: This month was filled with meetings with prospective investors. We are increasingly upbeat about achieving our financing targets in the not-too-distant future. This is not to say that we've stopped pounding the pavement for funding, though. So, as I do every month, I'm asking you all to introduce this opportunity to anyone you think might be interested. It's very important, as without sufficient financing, we can't make this movie.
We have also been making progress in assembling our crew and in identifying locations in which to shoot. We have a good deal of work ahead of us in every area, but our growing team will help us to divide and conquer.
Finally, due largely to the change that we made to the cast last month -- namely that we're recasting the lead roles -- we have elected to push back our start date to mid-July. It is possible that we'll begin production earlier than that, but this rescheduling should give us ample time to complete our cast, finalize our financing, and over-prepare for the our next set of challenges.
Until next time, please don't hesitate to contact me, to ask a question, voice a concern, or shout some encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
This being the first day of March, it's time for a fresh edition of the "Humboldt County" newsletter. February was an active month, and we made some marked progress. Here is a bit of insight into our efforts and accomplishments during the last four weeks:
1) Script: Based on recent feedback and notes we've received from a number of respectable sources (many of you included), we have completed another version of the script. Structurally, thematically, and tonally, the screenplay is the same, but we have enriched several of the characters and enhanced Peter's (the protagonist's) internal struggle and conflict with others. The script will continue to evolve until the day we start shooting, but we are confident that these recent improvements make this version the most compelling by far.
2) Casting: We continue to engage in lengthy discussions and/or face-to-face meetings with the most prominent talent agencies in town with the aim of attracting their clients to this film. As I mentioned in last month's newsletter, casting is a slow process. Industry practices only allow us to make one offer at a time for each role, and it can take nearly two weeks for a response. We have had a couple of meetings with interested actors, but at this point, we haven't made any hard commitments. We promise to share names of actors as soon as we make any deals, but for now we're going to keep this information confidential, for obvious reasons.
The most significant development in the casting area this month was Darren & Danny's decision to adopt different roles in the film. Previously, Danny was going to play the lead role of Peter, and Darren was going to play Max. Danny & Darren will now be playing Steve & Bob, two supporting characters who are Humboldt born and bred. This change was made to improve the chances of attracting more widely recognized acting talent to the project as well as to speed up the process of fully financing the film.
3) Financing: This month was filled with meetings with prospective investors. We are increasingly upbeat about achieving our financing targets in the not-too-distant future. This is not to say that we've stopped pounding the pavement for funding, though. So, as I do every month, I'm asking you all to introduce this opportunity to anyone you think might be interested. It's very important, as without sufficient financing, we can't make this movie.
We have also been making progress in assembling our crew and in identifying locations in which to shoot. We have a good deal of work ahead of us in every area, but our growing team will help us to divide and conquer.
Finally, due largely to the change that we made to the cast last month -- namely that we're recasting the lead roles -- we have elected to push back our start date to mid-July. It is possible that we'll begin production earlier than that, but this rescheduling should give us ample time to complete our cast, finalize our financing, and over-prepare for the our next set of challenges.
Until next time, please don't hesitate to contact me, to ask a question, voice a concern, or shout some encouragement.
Regards,
Jason
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