On the Sunny Side of the Country, Part #3: More LA!

If a KFink goes to Cali and doesn’t document it on their blog, did it really happen? We didn’t want to chance it.  Read about the first part of our trip (San Francisco, baby!) here and the next part of our trip (LA, yo!) here.  Ready for the rest?

KFINK ESCAPES TO LA

TUESDAY, 7/27:

The first thing I did on the 27th: forget my sister’s birthday. The second thing: not remember it. I suck. Happy birthday, Jenny.

After catching up on TILT fund raising work and drinking all of the hotel’s free coffee, we met director/producer Dennis Peters at La Conversation.

 

 

• Fact #1 – I saw Bruce Vilanch while we were there.
• Fact #2 – I almost failed to notice because Jess and I were so enthralled by what Dennis was saying.

Initially we wanted to meet-up with Dennis, because his next indie film project (“I’m Not Adam”) looks great. However, we found out that Dennis’ day job is just as interesting.  Dennis runs Heavy Bag Media. His goal: to help other film makers (and big studios) market movies.  Sound familiar?  What we’re all trying to do for ourselves as indie film makers is what Dennis does for others.  AND he gets paid for it.  Smart man.  Dennis also had a lot to share about what it’s like to live in LA and the big difference between getting a “yes” and not getting a “no.”

 

 

We could have talked with Dennis all day long, but we had to run to our next big appointment, facilitated by the incredibly patient and kind Andrew Black.

We’ve mentioned Andrew Black before, but it’s time we gave you the real scoop. In addition to being husband to the lovely Caroline and father to the temperamental Clara, Andy is also a long-time friend of Julie & Jessica as well as a talented television and movie writer.  Andy’s written for Crossing Jordan, Numb3rs, and Aaron Stone, and he’s currently writing a movie for…ooo, not sure if we’re allowed to share that part.  It’s a doozey, though.  We’re excited about what Andy’s accomplished and where he’s headed.  And any tips he can share with us along the way…we’ll take ‘em.

Andy pulled some big Hollywood strings (i.e. called his friend, writer Michael Daley) to get us onto the set one of our favorite shows, HBO’s Big Love!

These pictures don’t convey how massive the Big Love set is. In case you don’t watch Big Love (big mistake), it’s a series about a Mormon man with 3 wives, 7 (7?) children, and a whole lot of headaches.  Each wife has her own home, and they’re all lined up in a quiet Utah suburb.  On the set, they’ve basically built the three houses.  It’s amazing.

We couldn’t get Mike to spill any teasers for the next season, but we did see Grace Zabriskie (“Big Love”, various awesome David Lynch and Werner Herzog movies) in the parking lot.  We didn’t take a picture of Ms. Zabroskie, because we’re classy. Or because Jessica couldn’t get her camera out fast enough. Details are a little fuzzy.

Next we bobbed and weaved through the mountains to get to the office of our favorite TV producers, Joke and Biagio Messina (Scream Queens, Beauty and the Geek).

Joke and Biagio have so much going on right now with the start of the 2nd season of Scream Queens that we really didn’t think they’d have time to meet.  However, when we got to their office they dropped everything and talked to us for a good hour (hour and a half?) about Scream Queens, their upcoming projects, and what it takes to be successful in LA.

You know what else they did? THEY asked US questions!  (What?) They asked how we’d gotten started, what we’re up to with TILT, and what we’re thinking about conquering next.  They gave us some great feedback, some helpful advice, and some hope that we really can reach our goals with a lot of hard work.  They’re great examples for us.

Before we took off, Joke and Biagio unchained dedicated Scream Queens editor Nate Orloff from his desk for a second so we could meet him and take some pics. We also got to meet a couple of this season’s Scream Queens.  Can you pick them out in our line up?

We’re not gonna lie – after leaving Joke and Biagio, we were exhausted. Their energy level is through the roof; it has to be to do what they do. To chill out, we met up with our friend writer/director Adam Bronstein.  Adam contacted us last year after our movies (our Snow Bunny and his My Movie Girl) screened at Lakedance International Film Festival.  We met him in person for the first time in March and jumped at the chance to see him again on his home turf.

Over sushi, Adam shared his ideas for a new short as well as a new feature.  Later he took us to a “pump your own” fro-yo spot called Yogurt Stop.  Jess says that I had a bit of a break-down while picking a flavor.  I don’t remember the breakdown.  I only remember the silky deliciousness of my red velvet yogurt.  And I miss it.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28:

 

 

The next morning we caught up on TILT work, had another DIY lunch of grapes, cheese, and crackers, then headed back out to Andy and Caroline’s in Altadena for a nice, calm, quiet evening with friends on our last night in La La Land.

One of the things that drew us back to Andy and Caroline’s place (besides THEM) was the lusciousness of their back yard.  They not only have beautiful flowers, but they tend a new (but productive garden), an avocado tree, a lemon tree, a nectarine tree, and two different varieties of orange trees.  Needless to say, this is very different from our Chicago home, where we can barely keep an aloe plant alive in our one bedroom apartment.

Andy made us another great home-cooked meal (baked tofu Marsala, anyone?), as well as possibly the best guacamole we’ve ever had.  Jessica also massacred some citrus in her quest for fresh Arnold Palmers.

We had a great time with Andy and Caroline, tried to talk them into moving to Chicago (by lying and saying they could have an avocado tree there, too), and were sad when the night was over.  You can be sure we’ll be knocking on their door again during our next LA trip.

AND THAT’S IT!

Our California trip ended with a 7amPST flight back to Chicago.  We got home around around 1pmCST, at which point I went straight to my dentist’s office for an emergency root canal.  No worries, though. All is well that ends with Vicodin. Or something like that.

Where are we headed next? Here’s little hint: it starts with a B and ends with a -rainerd. TILT filming, here we come!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 at 3:34 pm. It is filed under FILM and tagged with Big Love, independent film, joke and biagio, Los Angeles, Scream Queen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.