Posted by Fetch
Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:07:00 GMT
Earlier this year, On the Leesh met up with Ilana Levine and Jenny Bransford to film a pilot idea they’re developing. On the Leesh jumped at the opportunity to work with Illana again (she had previously directed two episodes of our webseries, “The In-Betweens of Holly Malone.” Although we can’t get into the details of the pilot because it is still in development, the day was a great success. Our new addition at On the Leesh, Joe Amon, was on set for the first time with OTL, and it’s no surprise that the working relationship in the office translated well to set. The morning started with some improv between Ilana and Jenny, and after lunch they interviewed an expert and met with friends to discuss various issues that face mothers. All in all it was a great day, and we’re eager to see what happens to this wonderful pilot. Best of luck to Illana and Jenny!
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:04:00 GMT
On the Leesh recently worked in a totally new territory… dog grooming! This past February Alicia and crew headed to Massachusetts to shoot an instructional dog grooming video with world renown groomers Jay Scruggs and Sue Zecco. They say, in the “biz,” not to work with animals and children, but we had a great time with some amazingly well behaved and adorable dogs! After spending the day watching Jay and Susan work, we have a new found admiration for the skill, patience and talent that goes into giving a dog a quality haircut. The video will soon be available for sale at dog shows.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 14 Feb 2007 18:55:00 GMT
On the Leesh Productions’ webseries, The In-Betweens of Holly Malone was featured in Podcast Salad’s series about podcasts to watch on the web. This was an exciting thrill for us, as we are just about to start filming season two of the series. Be sure to check out Episode 38 of Podcast Salad on www.youtube.com, www.blip.tv or the shows own website: clevermedia.tv/podcastsalad.
Holly Malone is also featured today on blip.tv’s homepage! Be sure to check out this series at www.blip.tv and catch up on the episodes before Season 2 begins!
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:37:00 GMT
This past weekend Alicia and Julie travelled to Nashville Tennessee in support of What are the Odds? WATO was featured as one of the twenty finalists at the Fylmz Festival held at the historic Belcourt Theater. In addition to seeing some wonderful short films “Eggs,” “Alive and Well,” “Karma Cafe,” and “One Up,” two features stood out
to the On the Leesh team. Kurt Voelker’s comedy “Park” won the audience award at the 2006 Cinevegas Film Festival. With a great cast and a clever premise (the film centers on ten people who
frequent a car park outside of LA), the audience was hooked from the beginning. The other film that stood out to Alicia and Julie was Alyson Shelton’s “Eve of Understanding.” With a wonderful performance from Rebecca Lowman, the film follows a woman as she carries out her mother’s dying wish. The “Eve of Understanding” was
an inspiration for what independent film can still achieve. With unknowns in the cast, and a small budget, Alyson Shelton wasn’t deterred from making this truly moving and effective film. It
definitely helped put the girls in the right frame of mind as they move forward in pre-production of Belly.
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Posted by Fetch
Tue, 06 Feb 2007 16:45:00 GMT
What are the odds was selected out of over 170 films to be a finalist at the 2006 Fylmz Festival in Nashville, TN. Fylmz is an online viewer’s choice competition where the audience determines the winners. We consider it an honor to be part of the finalist, as this
is truly a festival determined by the public. Julie and Alicia will be traveling to Nashville three days after closing out Lucie Tiberghien’s short film “The Things We Know.” Check back to FETCH! for photos and news from the festivals.
Congratulations to everyone involved with What are the Odds?
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Posted by Fetch
Mon, 29 Jan 2007 16:25:00 GMT
Hi my name is Joe Amon, and I am happy to be the most recent addition to On The Leesh Productions. In 2005, I graduated from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts where I majored in Film Production. During my time at Emerson, I was fortunate to receive some professional experience outside of the classroom. At Emerson, I concentrated my efforts on getting as much technical experience with the production and post-production aspects of filmmaking. Besides working on a series of student produced shorts, I worked professionally as a production assistant for the feature Mama’s Boy, and as an extras coordinator for the feature Johnny Slade’s Greatest Hits. After Graduation in the Summer of 2005, I stayed in Boston to work for the Feature film The Departed as a property coordinator, for the film’s exterior shooting. Over the past year, I spent the first half of 2006, working as a management assistant for the up and coming Sarasota Film Festival. It was at Sarasota, where I had the good fortune of meeting Alicia, Jessica, Julie and Diana who were there showing their short film What Are The Odds.
In November of 2006, I began working for On The Leesh, and I am excited to be working in both theater and film, starting with our first two projects of the new year: the feature-film adaptation of Julie Tortorici’s acclaimed one-woman show, Belly, and the Short film Yes, directed and adapted by Lucie Tiberghein and originally written by Steven Belber. I have to say my interests are primarily with writing and directing, but I really enjoy pre-production work also. For Belly, I look forward to be involved as a production coordinator, and getting to work with a great group of people.
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Posted by Fetch
Wed, 17 Jan 2007 02:17:00 GMT
February 16th marks the launch date of season 2 of, The In-Betweens of Holly Malone, and Fetch wanted to take the time to check in with the cast and crew to see how they have been spending their downtime.
Writer PG Kain has his first book due out this spring and he’s recruited the writing talents of Ellen Shanman for season two of ‘Holly’. A seasoned actress in her own right, Ellen has lately found success in writing. Her first novel, Right Before Your Eyes, is due out from Bantam books on May 1st, and her documentary project, Hereafter (an exploration of death, mediumship and the survival of the consciousness) will be a part of Singularity’s ongoing United States Project.
Holly’s executive producer Alicia Arinella has been working on preproduction for her first feature film, Belly, as well as preproduction for On the Leesh’s first new play since SIN called, Yorkshire Fairytale, (written by Thomas Diggs and directed by Nancy Robillard). This charming play is set to premier in NYC in fall 2007. In additiion to Holly Malone, Alicia is currently producing several projects: Yes ,a short film by Stephen Belber, adapted and directed by Lucie Tiberghien and Motherhood, a pilot developed by Ilana Levine and Jennifer Bransford are two of her current favorites.
The actors have also been keeping busy. Julie Tortorici (Francesca) is the star and writer of the upcoming feature film Belly, and her other screenplay, Waltzing Emily, has been chosen as a finalist in both The Script P.I.M.P. Competition and the Scriptshark Screenwriting Competition. Brian Patacca (Danny) has been featured in several commercial campaigns and is currently staring in Uncle at the Blue Heron Theater. Hettienne Park (Ellen) is featured in Never Forever and Year of the Fish, both of which will premier at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Matthew Rashid (Dimitri) has been busy working as a stand up comedian, filming the short The Only One Who Understands with award winning writer Thomas Diggs, as well as signing on to co-direct the feature, Belly. Jessica Arinella (Holly) has also been working with Thomas Diggs, playing Harper Lee in his award winning short play, Harper Lee’s Husband, as well as playing the lead in The Only One Who Understands. She also shot an episode of the JJ Abrams TV series Six Degrees.
The Cast and Crew are very excited to sign on for this new/ongoing season of Holly Malone, and Fetch will keep you posted on all the big happenings on and off the set.
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Posted by Fetch
Sat, 23 Dec 2006 16:20:00 GMT
We’ve been busy at On the Leesh this year… The first..part of..the year took us around the..world in support of our films…Our four films..were selected at over 25 film festivals worldwide, including: The Cannes Film Festival, The Sarasota Film Festival,..The San Francisco..Independent Film Festival and..The Durango Independent Film Festival – to name a few. The Muse: A Girl’s Delicous Daydream about a Dangerous Man -..won 2nd place for short film experiemental..at the 2006 Indie Gathering… Congrats to all..of our filmmakers…..
SHORT UPDATES:
In february, we’ll team up with Lucie Tiberghien to produce her first short film. Adapted from a play written by Stephen Belber, the film follows the lives of two characaters who reunite after years apart… It questions..the choices we make in life and the consequences these choices have as time goes on… We had the opportunity to work with Lucie a few years ago on the Naked Angel’s Issues Project: Democracy. Lucie is an accomplished theater director, and we are delighted to help with her directorial debut for the screen.
Compliments to Amanda has moved into post-production and is slated to finish in the early part of next year… Check back to see Amanda head off into the festival circuit.
WEB-SERIES UPDATES:
We are actively working on the next chapter of Holly Malone and the lives of her friends….. After tremendous feedback for Season 1 of The In-Betweens of Holly Malone, we’ll contiue production of this web-series in January… Changes are in place for our characters, be sure to watch and see what develops…
Following up on our success with Holly, we’re developing another web-based series called “In the Can.”.. This seires follows the workings of a small up-start film production company in Manhattan… With actors employed as exexcutives, anything can happen…
THEATER UPDATES:
In November, we returned to the world of theater, as an indpendent producer for Masquerade: Poems of Calypso and Home – the main stage production for terraNOVA collective… Masquerade featured the great talent of Roger Bonair-Agard as he he riffed about growing up in Trinidad, the current state of America, and how his connection to Calypso music defines him…The show was a major success and received standing ovations every night. We’re in talks to produce a national tour.
In 2007, we will produce our first main-stage theater production since SIN: A New Fashioned Spectacle of Legendary Vice. Thomas Digg’s Yorshire Fairytale will be directed by Nancy Robillard… The play follows the imaginations of two children during WWI, and the lives they inadvertantly change forever…
FEATURE FILM UPDATES:
Finally, On the Leesh is extrememly proud to announce that we are in pre-production with the feature length film verision of Julie Tortorici’s Belly…We’re slated to shoot in March/April under the direction of Alicia Arinella and Matthew G. Rashid… On December 6th, we hosted our first benefit by remounting the stage version of Belly… The evening was a complete success… The play was sold out, and Frannie warmed the hearts of old and new friends alike. If you’d like more information on the film, or on how to invest – please email us at info@ontheleesh.com .
Also in development are two addtional feature films and several full length plays… Check back for more information.
Happy Holidays!
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Posted by Fetch
Thu, 09 Nov 2006 17:47:00 GMT
terraNOVA Collective opened Roger Bonair-Agard’s one man show to a standing ovation and two encores on Tuesday night. With Kamilah Forbes (Hip Hop Theater Festival) behind the direction of this project, it has been shaped into a powerful evening of theater. Roger speaks directly to the audience about his life growing up in Trinidad and what it has been like for him since he emigrated to America. With many Trinidadians in the audience, the audience broke out into some Mighty Sparrow songs, singing along with Roger.
This show is unlike anything On the Leesh has produced before. Be sure to check it out, and see what makes Roger one of the most charismatic performers we’ve ever worked with. The show runs through November 19th, and tickets are available on smarttix,com. To view a trailer of this show, please visit www.terranovacollective.org
Roger Bonair-Agard is a native of Trinidad and Tobago, a Cave Canem fellow, author of “tarnish and masquerade” (Cypher Books, 2006), and co-author of Burning Down the House. He is a two-time National Slam Champion and is co-founder of The louderARTS Project. Roger’s work has been widely anthologized and commissioned and he has appeared on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and the MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour. He teaches and performs throughout the world and keeps his belongings in Brooklyn.
Kamilah Forbes is the founding Artistic Director of Hip-Hop Theatre Junction, whose mission is to foment the creation of pieces in the hip-hop theatre aesthetic. Kamilah has found herself at the forefront of the creation of works by, for and about the hip-hop generation. Kamilah first came to prominence as the writer/director of Hip-Hop Theatre Junction’s premier work “Rhyme Deferred.” Kamilah is currently involved as the Co-Producer for the Peabody award-winning show “Russell Simmons’ HBO Def Poetry Jam” and assistant director to the Tony award-winning Broadway tour “Russell Simmons’ Def Poetry Jam.”
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Posted by Fetch
Fri, 27 Oct 2006 13:48:00 GMT
We are deep in pre-production for terraNOVA’s Masquerade: Poems of Calypso and Home. Starring critically accalaimed performer, Roger Bonair-Agard and directed by Hip Hop Theater Festival’s Kamilah Forbes, the show opens on November 7th. On Friday October 20th, terraNOVA helped at the Cypher book launch party for Roger Bonair-Agard’s new book of poetry: Tarnish and Masquerade. It was a success. The turn out was amazing; everyone in the crowd was rivited by his brief performance during the event. The guests left the evening with a postcard, ready to purchase tickets for the show.
If you have interest in attending, please buy your tickets soon, as they are going fast. You can purchase them at www.smarttix.com. For more information about the show or on terraNOVA, please visit -www.terranovacollective.org
Hope to see you at Masquerade!
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