KARINA SMIRNOFF GETS SHOT BY RALPH MACCHIO - (The Short Story)

The title of this blog might be a bit misleading, however, other than the expected backlash from one of my fellow executive producers (Lindsay Reilly who does a magnificent job as Karina Smirnoff's manager),  I'm sure you won't be disappointed should you keep reading.  Perhaps I should have called it, How I 
Decided To Support Ralph Macchio's Desire To SHOOT a Short Film!  I suppose the marketer inside of me just couldn't help it!  (Sorry Lindsay...any press is good press right?)

Over the past two decades, the "short film" has become an increasingly popular format for artists to express themselves on the silver screen.  Why? For one, with the emergence of new media platforms like YouTube and Vimeo, film makers have turned out in droves creating short form content across numerous genre's.  And since it is ultimately the viewers who dictate Hollywood's next move, we are seeing more and more established studios, producers directors and actors stepping into the short film arena now more than ever before. 

(Short films used to be non-existent in the brick & mortar video stores.  But now, mega online digital retailers like iTunes and Amazon are literally offering thousands of short films for instant download.)

But what if you have a short film being written and directed by an 80's blockbuster movie star like Ralph Macchio which features Karina Smirnoff from the hit show Dancing With The Stars as well as 4 time Oscar Nominee Marsha Mason and up and coming dramatic film and TV star Ben Hyland?  Will the budget on such a film be too high to recoup?  Will the film make money for the studio that releases it?  What questions do you need to ask yourself when taking on a BIG Short? What factors are important to think about?  Let me share a few of the key things I thought about when deciding to executive produce Across Grace Alley. 

Click Here to see the trailer!

1: RELATIONSHIPS
Success in this industry often lives and dies on the relationships you gain and the ones you lose.  (Ralph Macchio stopped by the studio to meet with me and my social media marketing crew during the making of the AGA movie poster)

Aside from being a super nice guy, I could immediately tell that Ralph was extremely passionate about the script he wrote for Karina and his passion certainly resonated with me as did the fabulous script he had written.  On top of that, Ralph had found a phenomenal young actor (Ben Hyland) to play opposite Karina and was in search of an A list actress for a grandmother role (who ultimately became Marsha Mason) which would complete his casting.  And by helping Ralph achieve something he is so passionate about in the short film arena, I figured there might be a good shot the two of us would be doing another (bigger) project together down the road. After working together for the past year, I have to admit, nothing would please me more. 

2: CROSS PROMOTION

I was also able to look beyond the straight financial implications of producing a short film and see that ACROSS GRACE ALLEY would bring with it, many ancillary benefits, so long as I was able to wrap my head around the big picture.  For one, it would give my company an even bigger marketing platform from which to build a Dance/Workout video franchise around Karina Smirnoff.  I already had the rights to her first self released workout video and was just waiting for the right time to release it.  Given the unique way that Ralph and Karina met, and made it to the finals on Dancing With The Stars created a backdrop from which my PR campaign for both the short film, (ACROSS GRACE ALLEY) and the workout DVD would certainly create a stronger chance at being taken seriously in the marketplace.  

3: PRESTIGE

Ralph Macchio on set with Karina Smirnoff for Across Grace Alley

I was very impressed with Ralph and Karina's commitment to the project and could see that Ralph was going to treat ACROSS GRACE ALLEY as if it were a mini-feature film.  I was also just launching my new film label HCP (Houston Curtis Pictures) under our new studio shingle, Legend Group Studios and figured...a little prestige certainly couldn't hurt.  Even still, I had certain prerequisites that needed to be met in order for me to fully commit to bringing this film to completion and putting my marketing team to work in order to promote it.  One of those prerequisites was that the Grandmother character had to have my approval. The other was that Ralph needed to play the role of the Father in the film.


My first request was granted in spades with the incredible performance from 4 time best actress nominee Marsha Mason.  Ralph, reluctantly granted my second request however it had to be the least amount of screen time he had ever delivered in his career. From an artistic standpoint, Ralph didn't want  his appearance in the film to distract anyone from the beauty of the story he was telling.  A decision I now applaud him for.  The film turned out to be fantastic and has been met with wonderful reviews and tons of press during its run in four film festivals to date.

CLICK HERE TO SEE WHY ACROSS GRACE ALLEY IS THE MOST TALKED ABOUT SHORT FILM OF THE YEAR.

4: CELEBRITY VALUE

And thanks to the promotional savvy and star power of Ralph and Karina, ACROSS GRACE ALLEY has become the most highly promoted/talked about short film in recent years with nods from Oprah Winfrey, The View, Queen Latifa, and several other media outlets.  Not to mention, we have gathered some incredible footage along the film festival journey to add to the bonus features that will be available when the film is released.  I will also have the benefit of a large twitter following from Ralph and Karina and will be able to trailer the film on Karina's upcoming workout video which is being released nationally alongside the film.  In addition, the social media reach from both Karina and Ralph combined is a very powerful tool.  However, that power only means something if they are willing to yield it for the sake of the project!  Given the critical acclaim and acceptance into so many prestigious film festivals, Ralph and Karina couldn't have been more helpful and continue to show more excitement every day as this film prepares to launch nationally!  

So...all though I wasn't a first time film maker setting out to kickstart my career, nor was I an actor trying to use a short to spotlight my talent, or a director hoping studios would hire me to direct a big budget dramatic feature...I am still very confident that executive producing ACROSS GRACE ALLEY was a career decision I would make again if I were to go back in time.  How many projects can you say that about?

I hope this advice helps other short film makers out there, or perhaps even helps other Studios to start participating in adding shorts to their stable of films. Maybe you will be downloading a copy of Across Grace Alley on iTunes in the near future and thus helping me get one step closer to proving what I've said in this blog to be true!  I sure hope you do....not because I need the money, but because I'm very proud of this film, and am confident you will thank me for helping Ralph, Karina and Lindsay bring it to life after you've had a chance to see it!  I look forward to your comments and questions.  Check out the trailer for the film at www.acrossgracealley.com and keep an eye out for a release date to be announced very soon!  

Thanks for reading my blog.  I will try to answer any and all comments, questions, praises, commands, demands theories and philosophy's as quickly as they come in.  And when Lindsay Reilly (Karina Smirnoff's manager) calls to scold me for the title of my blog, I will remind her that its all her fault for convincing a mad man to partner with her in the first place! 

Sincerely,
Houston Curtis
Executive Producer - ACROSS GRACE ALLEY