This is a picture from the set of “Elf on a Shelf”. It will premiere on December 16th, 2016 on the Petite-Aftermath Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK5X5JslUg3_PVI8qpE7cwg

Along with “Elf on a Shelf”, “Esther & Morty” will also premiere on the same Youtube channel on December 16th, 2016.

I had the pleasure of being a part of both these SAG-Aftra films. For “Elf on a Shelf”, I was a co-writer, co-producer and I acted in it. For “Esther & Morty”, I was a co-producer and the first AD.

We shot both these films on Sunday, November 20th. And what was incredible about the weekend of November 18th-November 20th was how many students from the Richard Lawson Studios were shooting films! During the course of that weekend, you had the Professional Development Program 1.0 students EACH shooting a public character film and a life force film. There are 9 students in the PDP 1.0 class. That’s 18 films shot. They utilized each other as crew members to bring their films to life.

Over on the PDP 2.0 side, these fierce ladies shot 9 scenes in 8 hours for their reels. Again, they utilized members of the RLS community as actors and crew members to bring their reels to life. They spent six weeks in pre-production and that’s how and why they knocked out 9 scenes in 8 hours!

And on the PDP 3.0 side, my group and I shot “Elf on a Shelf” and “Esther & Morty” on Sunday while two other groups shot their own films on Friday and Saturday. Each group utilized members of the RLS community as actors and as crew members.

There is no other place that is doing the work we are doing. There is no other place that has this tremendous outflow of creativity, production, give and community support. No other place where people are creating the evidence for themselves to enhance and market their products as artists. No other place where people are filming their own projects, while ALSO taking classes, auditioning, booking work, developing books and screenplays and TV series, putting up scenes in scene study class, building their relationship maps, etc. And in the case of the PDP 3.0 class, students putting in 40-plus hours into their careers each week (with a few students putting in 70-plus hours a week into their careers.) Students helping each other out with auditions. Students helping each other out with information, contacts and research. Students who run career administration groups to make sure that they keep each other on track to complete various career goals.

I am so honored to know that all these films were shot over the course of that weekend. Films that become our calling cards as actors, writers, producers, directors. Films that become our calling cards to agents, managers, casting directors. Films that become our calling cards to film festivals and pitch meetings.

We train in class, we create the evidence and we take it out into the world.

I am honored to be a part of the Richard Lawson Studios community of amazing artists who are causative, intentional, passionate, talented and professional. We are winning and cutting edge.

Amen.