Bill me later

Yesterday afternoon, on the way to memorial services for William St. George, held at the First Reformed Church in Slate Hill, NY, the sun was setting. As it sank below the horizon, the clouds formed what looked like a stairway to heaven. As we gazed at the amazing sunset, there on those stairs, we could have sworn we saw Bill, struggling somewhat, reaching his final destination. And although we could clearly see that it was him, we could not determine the cause of his struggle...either he was reluctant to leave (and we're sure he was), or if he was just trying to fix the rail on the stairs; no doubt that's what Bill would have done, if it needed it.

When we got to the church, there were hundreds of people -- lined out the doors, onto the grounds, in the kitchen, everywhere -- all there to pay homage to one of the finest human beings we've ever known. It occured to us in that moment that he was playing to the biggest crowd he'd ever had! A great way to exit...and a tough act to follow. Unfortunately, he doesn't get to do an encore. Vaya con dios, amigo...and we'll catch you on the flip side!

Meanwhile, we will be meeting with Paul Ellis of the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 25, to discuss whether SLPAC will be the venue for Willy Gilly's first stage production! Although we cannot name the play at this time, we can say it will be a comedy with the entire cast selected from actors trained locally! This is home-grown theatre at its best; the play itself is not only pertinent, but extremely funny! Stay tuned!

On the feature front, we are one step closer to funding "A Hustler's Life"! The Chicago-based finance group that has shown interest is moving forward with their process to clear the way for production. From our side, we are still seeking financial partners locally to anchor the production here in Orange County. The opportunity is to bring outside major investors into the region by providing some leverage for the financing (five percent). To refresh your memories, a dollar in production brings four to five in local spending, and this six million dollar film represents about 750 jobs over the next year! These investors are most interested in tax credits and deductions that are available for investment in independent film and TV.