EPK fun with Jim, Gary, Larry, Aaron, Danyale and ... moi!

We finished our EPK (electronic press kit) interviews (backstage stuff) for THE WHOLE TRUTH Thursday!

Actor Jim Holmes ("Brad Sanders" in TWT - you may recognize him from a hundred other roles he's had in projects like 24, Boston Legal, films galore), my business partner Gary Allen Tucci, producer Larry Estes and I each chatted about our experiences making the film, working with the entire cast and crew, and our impressions of the film itself.





My assistant, Aaron Heinzen, posed the questions as we sat on the hotseat for Dave Wilson's camera.

Aaron is a pro - in addition to working for radio stations in the past, he is also the color commentator for FOX Sports Northwest (FSN) television at all the Portland Timbers professional MLS soccer games.

There's a big game coming up between the Timbers and chief rival the Seattle Sounders Wednesday, July 1 in case you'd like to catch him in action.

Deal is - Aaron is a former professional soccer player. He played for the Timbers until injuries caught up with him. But he lives in Seattle. So of course as a color commentator for the Timbers if you hear any bias ... it's only because he carries a warm spot in his heart for the team with which he played.



Anyway, he did a great job tossing thoughtful questions at us, then following up on our answers. You'll see the results of our interviews over the next several weeks - but here are some photos of the EPK session I caught as the day progressed.



Here's Gary in the hair and make-up chair. He told us that as we age, little hairs we have in our ears fall out - and cause problems with our equilibrium.

That's why we have trouble negotiating gravity as we get into our senior years.

O...K. Thank you for sharing, Gary!

Fortunately, our hair and make-up artist Danyale Cook avoided cutting his ear hairs so his interview was very balanced.

The beautiful Danyale asked that I not take her picture because she wasn't feeling photogenic. I know I have days like that. But she was kind enough to let us use her Pure Alchemy Salon (completely green, too!) for our interviews. It's a lovely shoppe with a terrific ambiance; nothing pretentious, which is what we're all about.


Danyale puts a little make-up on Gary to bring out his eyes for the camera ... this is a rough and rugged self-made man. He started working at physical labor since he was 12 and does Iron Man competitions for fun.

But he was totally at ease with all the hair and make-up fussing it takes to look good on camera so he could talk about his experience as executive producer for THE WHOLE TRUTH.


"Did you see me in 24?"

"I think everyone did, Jim"

"Did you see me in Boston Legal?"

I actually did an improv sketch on camera with him! It took a lot of nerve performing with this guy - he's the master of timing!

Jim's also a drama teacher for the theater department at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles! Or is that theatre department, Jim? ;-)

Producer Larry Estes gets his hair washed .. Danyale gave him a haircut.

After the taping.

In his EPK interview you'll see Lar with his old do, which is long and mega curly!


Danyale's wanted to get her hands on those curls since she first met him!

Danyale did the brilliant hair work on THE WHOLE TRUTH. She creates phenomenal wigs one hair at a time - she's one of the few hair artists who can do the work she does. She has been with the Seattle Opera for years.




Here's producer Larry with his longer locks as he and executive producer Gary chat.


OK, I won't be insulted. Photographer Dave Wilson and Aaron look at the monitor trying to figure out how to frame me in the most attractive way.


"I don't know. What do you think?"


"Gosh. I don't know. What do you think?"


Guys. I can hear you! ;-)

A fun, productive day - I'll show you the results over the next few weeks!

SIFF filmmakers' dinner

I was invited to an intimate dinner for several SIFF filmmakers last evening, and had a terrific time.

I didn't hob the knob very much; I pretty much stayed with the folks at my table until we all walked amongst each other at the end of the evening.

The good news is that the folks on my table all worked on the Seattle indie sensation, "Humpday," the Lynn Shelton bromance feature about two straight friends who decide to make a gay porn film to win some cash.

I see it Sunday at SIFF.

I sat between Lynn and her camera assistant Nate Miller; across from one of the film's stars, the delightful, darling Alycia Delmore, and Lynn's co-producer Jennifer Maas.

What great food, conversation and stories!

The award-winning director/actor just returned from Cannes, where Humpday played; Magnolia Pictures is the film's distributor. It enjoys a limited US theatrical opening next month with a potential wide release following in typical indie rollout scheme.

International releases aren't far behind (since this blog reaches readers in 104 nations, you may want to check their website for the international release places and dates where you live), although there is no similar colloquial term for the American Humpday in other cultures.

In the US, Wednesday is called "humpday," because Wednesday at noon, we say we're "over the hump" of the week. That is, that is the halfway point of the week, after that it's all "downhill." We've made it over the hump for the week.

"Hump" is also American slang for having sex.

The mind boggles at how other languages will attempt to describe two heterosexual men who decide to make a gay porn film without complicating the title's intent. Some great American films have been killed by bizarre other language titles that made no sense.

She's working on a new film - one that relies on her style of directing actors improvising from a basic script outline she's written - only this one has just two primary characters.

Meanwhile, while I was starting beautiful new friendships with other artists over some fine dining, my assistant Aaron Heinzen was off doing color commentary for the Portland Timbers' soccer match with Montreal Impact on FOX Sports Northwest cable network.

Aaron's a former professional soccer player; his last team was the Timbers - his promising career sadly cut short because of injuries - partly caused by the overuse of incorrect "heading" techniques as a kid. Make sure your coach teaches you how to use your head properly when you're playing soccer, kids!

Today starts my serious work creating a unique distribution/marketing plan for THE WHOLE TRUTH! I am very excited to get started on it. We're getting screening DVD's made of the finished film through our good friends at Modern Digital post production services as we attend to other logistical matters.

Again, my deepest thanks to you blog readers who flew in to Seattle to see TWT!