MICHAEL SIGLER
Hello My Family and Friends! PILOT SEASON 2019 Here we are at the end of 2018 and I hope you're in the middle of a joyous Holiday Season!  I am enjoying this time a little differently than usual. ...
MICHAEL SIGLER
Mr. Solverson the Janitor in Everyone Loves Bulldog

Hello My Family and Friends!

PILOT SEASON 2019

Here we are at the end of 2018 and I hope you're in the middle of a joyous Holiday Season! I am enjoying this time a little differently than usual. While I feel all of the happiness and joy of celebrating the birth of Jesus and everything I have to be thankful for, my heart is a little heavy this year. My Laurie and I have been together for 27 and a half years - 21 and a half of those as Man and Wife. In all that time - even the six years before we were married when I chased her tirelessly ;) - the most we've ever been apart is two weeks. Well, that's about to change. Some of you know, but most of you don't. I'm HEADING OUT to LOS ANGELES for my first PILOT SEASON just after New Years. I'll be staying with my friends, Tim and Denise Goodwin, who have graciously and generously offered to put a roof over my head. Pilot Season traditionally lasts about four months - give or take, so I'll be out there at least that long. As things stand, the plan is not to have them adopt me, but to eventually find a place for Laurie and me out thattaway somewhere. Of course, there are NO PLANS for us to move out there permanently - yet, but I'd love to be at least successful enough to warrant living in both places. Bi-Coastal, that is. Swimming pools. Movie stars.

MY SISSIE

Of course, this Christmas is also a little different after the loss of my sister, Susan, earlier this year. She was a virtuous Christian woman whose price was far above rubies. She was nearly 17 years my senior and therefore took on a second mother quality when I was younger. As I got older our relationship became more that of siblings. She was smart and funny and could sing like an angel. I have a memory of her singing O Holy Night at a Christmas Eve service when I was only six or seven years old. That song still always gives me chills because of that night. She was a treasured daughter, sister, friend, wife, mother and grandmother. She taught me so so so many things, as a sister does. She first turned me on to The Carpenters and Neil Diamond which are mainstays in my record rack to this day. She co-signed for my first car, which allowed me to drive back home from The DMV far more often than I had been previously able. I could never list everything she meant to me, so I won't try. I just pray that I was at least half the brother to her that she was a sister to me. I love you, Sissie! I'll see you again someday. Not too soon. :)

Susan Candice Loar Ritchie. October 16, 1947 - August 15, 2018

Since learning earlier this year that I'm not the king of the regular bloggers that I had thought I could be - but may still be yet, I accrued a little backlog of projects that I'll slip in here in the coming weeks. Or months, let's be real. :) Meantime, below are some links to some things that you maybe haven't seen.

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Philip J. Cook's AMAZING Malice Trilogy on Amazon Prime isn't really new, but I'm so proud to be a part of it that I'll be telling people about it pretty much forever. Watch ALL THREE movies BY ALL MEANS, but I start showing up in the third movie - Malice: Emergence. As a matter of fact, make sure to watch ALL OF PHIL'S STUFF on Amazon Prime! He's been at this a LONG time and is very, VERY good at it!

Everyone Loves Bulldog is a short written and directed by Garrett Kennell & Nicolas Hurt and features a wonderful performance by its star, Michelle Khare. Michelle is crazy successful in the world of YouTube, but this is her first film role and she is terrific!

Chance came together at the last second. I was a HUGE fan of the series written by Autumn Canaday, shot by my talented friend Jared Michael Leon, and starring my on-again off-again movie wife Kathy Sanders. I was going to be out of town for this shoot - Episode 10 - and would not be able to participate. Well, our travel plans changed a few days before the shoot and I was praying that Autumn hadn't cast the role! Turns out she had seen me in Dawn and had NOT cast the role yet. Woo-hoo! So once again I was blessed to join a cast and crew that I had already been a HUGE fan of! :) Again, please watch the ENTIRE FIRST SEASON, but if you INSIST on being ORNERY - I show up in Episode 10.

BTW, a little dip into LAKE ME! If Barbara Walters were to ever ask: The word most often used to describe little Mike Hansel as a child... without a doubt... ORNERY! The STUBBORN meaning. Not the FOUL-TEMPERED meaning. :) What a GREAT old word! And I OWNED it, mister! The second place word wouldn't even be close. But it would be... CUTE! Like a PUPPY. Not like a SMART-ALECK. Hey, back off! This is my blog! ;)

Little Mikey. Ornery. Cute. :)

Photo of the Day

Charles in Chance: The Series

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

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The Cast and Crew of Dawn - February 2018

Hello My Family and Friends!

Once again I'm pushing it to the eleventh hour! It's the last day of April 2018 already. Of course, I'm being ripped off to the tune of one whole day!

This was a very productive month indeed! I didn't do any shooting, but I had several successful auditions which turned into projects shooting in May and beyond. I have two short films definitely on the calendar for May and two more pending... whatever it is that films pend. There are also a few possible projects that stretch into summer and fall. I'll tell you more about everything next month!

One project that I'm very excited about is a short that I'm shooting next weekend. We had a rehearsal this past weekend and I just know it's going to be a blast! Everyone is so talented! I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

​I have several possible premieres to attend in the coming months. It's a little early to talk about them right now, but don't you worry; I'll talk about them a whole bunch as they approach! :)

I may have a little trip in my near future to tell you about, but you guessed it! It's still a little early to talk about. :)

My Energies and Elements class with Katie at Capital Coaching has once again been a bright spot. I undervalued the importance of being in class there for a while, but I'll never make that mistake again. Even if you're working steadily, stay in class. Keep learning. If there is a secret to longevity in this (or any) business, keeping in an atmosphere of learning and experimentation certainly must be a main ingredient.

And now as I sign off for now, I leave you with a moment from my Energies and Elements class. The task at hand is...deliver your line... like a sprinkler. Deliver your line like a sprinkler. And here was my first whack:

Photo of the Month

I absolutely love this shot with Alice herself, Brittany Martz! NOTE: No Hatters were harmed during the making of this photo.

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

BTA Break Through Acting - with Cynthia Cherry Leon

Hello My Family and Friends!

Well, here's the last day of March 2018 already. This has been a Seinfeld kind of month for me in that there was so much going on but nothing really happened. I ran around a lot. I did some in-person auditioning and a bunch of self-tapes. I had my heart broken once or twice. It's been a good learning experience.

Classes with Katie at Capital Coaching have been the bright spot for me lately. I'm just finishing up the Co-Star Series and moving into Energies and Elements. She's so supportive and caring. No matter what I'm experiencing along this relatively new journey, she's been there. She won't let disappointment drag her students down. I'm so fortunate to have someone in my corner who will not let me wallow in discouragement. Even better, someone who knows what to do about it! Thanks, Katie. :)

Like I said, there have been some bummers in the last month or so since we last convened. The Road to Hell is indeed paved with good intentions. Don't get me wrong; I'm not on some crusade against good intentions. But I need to keep a close watch on this heart of mine. Now that I'm pursuing this dream, everything is amplified. The highs are higher and the lows are lower. I guess that's passion for you. Not that I wasn't passionate about Statistical Research, but that's another story. :)

Well, I just wanted to say hey while it's still March. So... hey! :)

This happened. :)

NEW CLIPS

Here are two scenes that I've added to my CLIPS & SCENES page:

An underground bunker scene

​from Philip J. Cook's upcoming MALICE: Emergence!

​Featuring Brian Jones!

An interrogation scene

​from Philip J. Cook's upcoming MALICE: Emergence!

​Featuring Brittany Martz!

​And don't forget to check out my SEE MY MOVIES page. :)

UPCOMING

CHOICES (JCFilms)

CHOICES is screening two nights on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at Christ Temple Church in Huntington, WV. I won't be able to attend these screenings because of another commitment, but if you are anywhere nearby I would encourage you to check it out. Get TICKETS here!

LOOPHOLE (Hostetler/Bromme Productions)

LOOPHOLE is having its premiere on Friday, May 4 at Chestnut Ridge Church in Morgantown, WV. I don't know yet if I'll be attending the premiere, but I do know that a lot of talented, passionate people have poured their blood, sweat and tears into the making of this film. It should be an awesome cinematic experience. Get TICKETS here!

As always, I'll post any new information on MichaelSigler.com as soon as I can. New, used and updated information about RIVERMENT, THE CABIN and THE FOLLOWER could arise at any time! Like always, as soon as I know... you'll know! So stay tuned! :)​

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

As Elisha in The Follower

Hello My Family and Friends!

Welcome to February 2018! January turned out to be a little bit of a recuperation period. Thank goodness. I didn't even know I needed one. I still took care of a lot of admin stuff. It seemed every time I thought I was catching up I would find something else that needed some attention. It's just like when you clean your room. You get rid of all the clutter only to now be able to see how dirty everything is. That's why I don't clean my room. It's a complete philosophy. Don't judge me. :)

I got my Website a little better organized and added some content. Keeping up with profiles all over cyberspace can be daunting - and time consuming! And that's when you're on top of things! Try getting behind! I never really recovered - time-wise - from the THE FOLLOWER shoot in Huntington in November. We shot a full feature in 10 days. Sure, I had my phone and my laptop with me, but time was at a premium. Every day was a long day for everyone. After preparation for the next day it was Noddy Blinkums. Because the ALARM was set for before dawn the next morning and one of the constants in life is "if you set it it will sound. That's what it does. That's ALL it does. And it absolutely will not STOP until you are DEAD!" Okay, that may have been a bit dire. But you know what I'm saying.

Here are some of the mods to my Website all of which will be continually updated:

I divided my VIDEO page into four pages:

CLIPS & SCENES (There are a few new clips and scenes on there since last we met. SEE BELOW!)

TRAILERS (All of my trailers in one place!)

INTERVIEW (Hopefully this will become more populated over time.)

SEE MY MOVIES (THE PERFECT DAY, THE LOST WITHIN and SCATTERED are there now. More to come!)

I divided my AUDIO page into two pages:

VOICE-OVER (I'm planning to get back to work on my VO demo in the next week or so.)

PODCAST (Hopefully I'll be doing much more stuff that falls into the podcast category.)

There's some fun stuff in here. I hope you enjoy it! :)

THE FOLLOWER PROMO

Here's the first promo for THE FOLLOWER that I've been telling you about! It was put together by our Director and fearless leader, Jason Campbell - the JC of JCFilms - and features the song Control by Tenth Avenue North. Check it out! If you're a social media person, please LIKE and FOLLOW and SHARE us on Facebook. There is definitely more info to come here!

Here are a few more BTS photos from the THE FOLLOWER shoot:

NEW CLIPS

Here are two clips that I've added to my CLIPS & SCENES page:

Thank you to Cynthia Cherry Leon and Jared Leon at BTA Break Through Acting for inviting Erin Nordseth and me to share our experiences making DAWN.

UPCOMING

I'll have more news on some projects either finished or wrapping up post-production:

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DAWN (JCL Productions)

I was hoping to be able to share more with you about my second feature with JCL Productions! But these things take time. The first trailer and the poster are scheduled to see the light of day in mid-March. So we're just going to have to be patient! :) We had our Cast Party last week and were blessed with screenings of the TRAILER and the FILM with many of the cast and crew present! DAWN pretty much blew us all away. I can't wait for you to see it! And of course, in true JCL style, the party was 70s & 80's dress! So your boy jumped in the WABAC Machine! :) There's one great photo I want to share with you!

Here I am with my friend, cast mate and fellow member of STEELER NATION, Tony Claiborne!

CHOICES (JCFilms)

I was not a principal on this project, but I'm honored to be a part of it and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it. Here you can check out the Preview Trailers!

RIVERMENT (KoKonalite Media)

I just learned that another film I was blessed to take part in is about to be released! Not quite, though! I think there must be something in the water over there on Massachusetts Avenue, because Shayla Raquel is another prime example of the talented young filmmakers coming out of American University. I know that Riverment is representing AU at some upcoming film festivals and that nothing can be made public until after that. Film festivals are picky that way. I'll tell you more about this important film when I know more. And when I'm allowed. :)

My episode of EVIL TWINS is still pending, but according to IMDb, Season Five begins on ID on March 18. My industrial called CATCH 44 is still on schedule for a Cast & Crew screening in March. More to come there.

I'm starting a NEW PARAGRAPH for my Auditioning for the Camera class with Katie Killacky at Capital Coaching Studios. Why the honor of a whole new paragraph, you ask? Because a few weeks with Katie and I did something I've been unable to do on my own. I booked a commercial! A GEICO commercial which I shot last week in Richmond. So I will soon be Union-Eligible which was one of my bigger goals for 2018. So. One down. :) And BELIEVE me when I tell you that what I've been learning from Katie is LITERALLY responsible for this booking. And when I say "literally" I mean "literally." Not "virtually." Which I understand "literally" LITERALLY means now. THANKS MILLENNIALS! :) But I digress.

In class last night, Katie had a Special Guest Instructor for us! Kimberly Skyrme! It's never a bad idea to spend an evening with the absolute best in the business! What the heck, right? She could not have been more generous. And she graciously stayed with us WELL after class was over to answer questions and offer us tips and advice. Thank you, Kimberly! And thank you, Katie! :)

And before you ask, no, I did NOT get to meet the Gecko. But I hear he's actually a nice guy, though. More to come here! :)

As always, I'll post any new information on MichaelSigler.com as soon as I possibly can. New developments on LOOPHOLE, THE CABIN and THE FOLLOWER and DAWN could arise at any time! Like always, as soon as I know... you'll know! So stay tuned! :)​

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

As Dean Cochran in The Perfect Day

Hello Family and Friends!

Welcome to 2018! Wait what? 2018? How did THAT happen? I still feel like we have to wait forever to party like it's 1999! Who am I kidding? I still feel like high school graduation is too far away to even be taken seriously. I remember when I first figured out my graduating class year. Class of '82! 1982?? It seemed like a gag. The 80's? That'll NEVER get here! It was a whole nother decade for Pete's sake! Realistically, it was probably only five or so years away at that point. But five years at that age is an ETERNITY. Now we say ONLY five years. But that's another thing we can only learn by experiencing it: Not only do light and sound change - or seem to change - based on your perspective, so too does time. My elders always told me that time goes faster the older you get. Like many of their quaint old-timer musings when I was a kid, I guess I didn't really believe them. Turns out they knew what they were talking about. So these days I'm racking my brain trying to remember what ELSE they used to say. They always said something about my teeth. And prune juice. And I'm pretty sure the nut inside the apricot pit prevents cancer... or something like that. But I draw the line at buttermilk. Sorry, Peckie. I love you like the father you always were to me. But there is still zippy chance I'm EVER drinking buttermilk. :)

Speaking of stuff they promised us in the 70's... where's my friggin' jetpack??

SEE ME TOMORROW (THURSDAY) ON INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY

Your boy will be showing up tomorrow (Thursday) evening - January 11, 2018 - at 9:00 PM on INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY! I'll be supporting our heroes Detectives Juanez and Berg, played by my pals Alejandro Chamorro and Jeff Moore! Also featuring my friend Samantha Schwartz!

It's a new show called THE PERFECT SUSPECT. My episode is EVERY STEP YOU TAKE. Check it out this Thursday! :)

THE FOLLOWER ON FACEBOOK

Please take a moment to LIKE and FOLLOW THE FOLLOWER on FACEBOOK! We're introducing a new member of the CAST and CREW every so often and we'd like you to meet everyone!

MEET OUR CAST! Say hello to Dean Cain as THE SHERIFF! Dean has been a household name in television and film for the past 25 years. He has achieved success across all genres and is certainly no stranger to family entertainment.

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Check out Dean on IMDb!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001002

A PUBLIC GOOD: THE STORY OF MARKET NEWS

​I recently received footage from an industrial that I shot last summer for the good people at WILL Interactive. It was another chance to work with one of my favorite people of all time, Lindsey Sitz, who previously directed me in Four Questions and Cowlick.

A Public Good: The Story of Market News is an Interactive Program where you can learn all about how USDA Market News data is collected and used to benefit Producers, Processors, Retailers, and Consumers. I'm not sure how the program going to be used. That's above my pay grade. I don't think it's actually available to the public at this time.

But I am happy to show you my scene, directed by my friend Lindsey Sitz and featuring my scene partner Laura C. Harris.

THE PERFECT DAY IS NOW AVAILABLE ON DVD

A REMINDER ABOUT THE LOST WITHIN

THE LOST WITHIN is available for Rental and Download! Please enjoy and please help spread the word! Thank you! :)

THROWBACK - JANUARY 2015

THREE YEARS ago at this time I was opening at BlackRock Center for the Arts in Upcounty Theatre's Neil Simon's The Good Doctor, directed by Michael Abendshein and featuring far too many wonderful actors to mention! Here are a few shots:

THE MOVIE BREWDIO PODCAST

UPCOMING

I'll have more news on some projects either finished or wrapping up post-production:

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DAWN (JCL Productions)

I'm very excited about my second feature with JCL Productions! I got to work mostly in a very small group with Cindy and Jared and my super-talented friend Erin Nordseth. Jared and I actually have one more pickup shot to get to. That happens. A tiny little five-second shot can sometimes make all the difference. There is a Wrap Party scheduled which will include a screening! I've seen a few finished scenes, but of course I can't wait to see the whole film.

CHOICES (JCFilms)

I was not a principal on this project, but I'm honored to be a part of it and I'm certainly looking forward to seeing it. They released some Sneak Preview trailers only for a LIMITED TIME, but they are still up as of this blog. Check them out at CHOICES THE MOVIE SNEAK PREVIEW!

I shot another episode of EVIL TWINS a while back which will air when the new season begins. I have an industrial called CATCH 44 in post-production which is looking to have a cast & crew screening sometime in March. And I'm starting a CLASS this week with Katie Killacky at Capital Coaching Studios which should rock my world! :) I'll tell you all about that in real time.

As always, I'll post any new information on MichaelSigler.com as soon as I possibly can. New developments on LOOPHOLE, THE CABIN and THE FOLLOWER could arise at any time! Make no mistake; As soon as I know... you'll know! So stay tuned! :)

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

As Abram in The Lost Within

Hello Family and Friends!

I wanted to squeeze one last update in here in 2017 to wish you a Safe and Happy New Year! :)

As we move ever onward into the future, I'm so glad I get to share my adventures with you. It's certainly been a surprising year for me! Entering 2017, I never thought that this would be the year to retire from office life and venture into the unknown. I knew that I wanted to. I just didn't think I was quite ready to pull the trigger yet. Well, just over a week from now I enter my first full year as a full time actor. I'm a little scared. And a lot excited. Let's see what happens!

And to you my Family and Friends I wish all the Love and Prosperity you can possibly stand in 2018! And one scoop more. :)

Now to the goings on!

THE FOLLOWER ON FACEBOOK

Please take a moment and LIKE and FOLLOW THE FOLLOWER on FACEBOOK! We're going to be introducing a new member of the CAST and CREW every so often and we'd like you to meet everyone! Starting with my good friend TIM GOODWIN as ELIJAH!

Director/Actor: Tim is an accomplished Hollywood actor with major appearances in both television and film. Tim has appeared in most of JCFilm's productions.

THE MOVIE BREWDIO PODCAST

Earlier in December I had the pleasure of visiting my hometown of Frostburg, MD and sitting in on an episode of The Movie Brewdio Podcast with my Frostburg homie, actor, director, writer and teacher JW Myers.

We talked about a bunch of stuff ranging from the old days all the way up to the near future.​ We had some bullets to cover, but the conversation meandered all over the place as good conversations often do. We talked so long he broke it up into two parts. :)

There's still a lot more for us old pals to talk about. We realized that over the years we've never actually had the opportunity to just sit down and catch up. And as we caught up there were a few tangents that we simply didn't have tome to explore. So I look forward to swinging back up the road in the very near future to continue our conversation... and to try some of his curious Kombucha tea.

Here's the link to PART ONE of my TMB podcast appearance: Michael Sigler on The Movie Brewdio Podcast - Part One! 12/13/2017

Here's the link to PART TWO of my TMB podcast appearance: Michael Sigler on The Movie Brewdio Podcast - Part Two! 12/13/2017

MORE ABOUT MY HOMETOWN OF FROSTBURG, MD

37 amateur filmmakers, a handful of cameras, 2 weeks in a small town in Appalachia in the year 2012.

"A Day in the Life of Frostburg (2012)" film tells the story of life in one day in the Appalachian Mountain town of Frostburg, Maryland in the year 2012. The film looks at the wonderful within the ordinary and the everyday wisdom of people around us. The film was shot by a group of 'citizen filmmakers' working independently and together; a unique approach to filmmaking that lets people tell the story of life in their town from the inside out. Over 2,200 clips (nearly 30 hrs of video) were shot during a several-week filming period and then edited together in just 3 weeks to make a 30 minute documentary.

As part of the Frostburg Bicentennial celebrations, 'A Day in the Life of Frostburg (2012)' premiered at 4 times/locations in the city filling each venue to standing room only. Due to popular demand, the entire film has been released for free online.

A Day in the Life of Frostburg - Interdependent Pictures - Part 1 of 2 (14:58)

A Day in the Life of Frostburg - Interdependent Pictures - Part 2 of 2 (14:53)

THE LOST WITHIN -- NOW AVAILABLE!

JUST A REMINDER!! THE LOST WITHIN is now available for Rental and Download! Please enjoy and please help spread the word! Thank you!

Here are a few shots from the set and from the screening at the Campus Theater in Lewisburg, PA:

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THE PERFECT DAY IS COMING !!

JUST A REMINDER!! The National Release of THE PERFECT DAY is scheduled for JANUARY 3, 2018!!

Here's the LATEST TRAILER:

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And here are some of the fabulously talented people I got to work with shooting THE PERFECT DAY:

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UPCOMING

I've just gotten my hands on some footage from an INDUSTRIAL that I shot earlier this year. I'll get that up soon! And I'll have updates on several big projects that should see release sometime in the New Year, including two I haven't told you about yet:

DAWN (JCL Productions)

I was incredibly blessed to get the opportunity do a second feature with Cindy Leon and Jared Leon, the talented filmmakers who gave us Scattered and The Basement!

CHOICES (JCFilms)

I was honored to have been asked to make an appearance in this film based on the miraculous story of Ron James, based on his autobiography Choices: Lessons From a Repeat Offender. I was excited to be directed by Aeyron Moore with whom I had previously worked on Loophole and The Cabin!

As always, I'll post any new information on MichaelSigler.com as soon as I possibly can.

Again please have a HAPPY and SAFE (and WARM) NEW YEAR! Let's take 2018 head-on and chase down our dreams together! :)

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)

First United Methodist Church -- Ashland, Kentucky

​Hello Family and Friends!

Happy Birthday Wanda Elizabeth Plummer!

​​I'm greeting you today on what would have been my sweet Mom's 91st birthday! We don't mourn her loss because she's not lost! We know exactly where she is! And we live with the joy of knowing that we'll see her again. Instead we celebrate and give thanks for the time we had with her and for the wonderful life she made for my sister Susan and me. If you had known her (and maybe you did!) she would've made you smile. She would've made you laugh. And she would've made you spaghetti and meatballs. Have you ever looked at me incredulously thinking, "What?!?" Well, that was her, too. That's where I got it. Most of all she would have prayed for you. She was a woman of God who loved the Lord and cared about the people He placed in her life. Mom's faithfulness got me through some rough patches when my own faith was lacking. And I'm sure Sissie would tell a similar story. We love you, Mom. And we all miss you terribly! We'll see you soon. :)

Mom c. 1928

Mom c. 1940

Mom & Sissie c. 1950

TWO BIG ANNOUNCEMENTS!!

THE FOLLOWER

​

Since last we spoke, I had the privilege of filming THE FOLLOWER in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio with JCFilms! I got to work with some old friends and I had the sincere pleasure of making some new ones! So many talented people were involved that I couldn't even begin to name them here all at once. Here are a few photos of our fearless crew. I'll include more later as further developments... well... develop:

HEADSHOTS

We have winners. The front-runners held on wire to wire for the win. Here are the headshots you'll mostly be seeing for the foreseeable future:

ARVOLD EDUCATION SELF-TAPE WORKSHOP

I attended a mind-blowing workshop last weekend on the topic of Self-Taping, which is the new normal - especially here in the Mid-Atlantic where we are pretty much on an island somewhere between New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles. The workshop was led by Erica Arvold and Richard Warner from Arvold Education and was hosted by Katie Killacky at Capital Coaching Studios.

Now, I've been successfully self-taping for several years and figured this would be mostly review. But I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know Erica, Richard and Katie better. And of course I was excited at the prospect of working with them in a workshop setting. I was certain to pick up a few tidbits here and there.

And then... my head exploded. Literally. Okay, not "literally" literally, but you know what I mean.

There is so much more to the art of self-taping than I could've imagined. It's a completely different genre. We covered at least a semester of information in two full-day sessions. And they provided us with the materials for weeks or months of additional learning on our own. I can't say enough good things about this workshop. Listening to Erica and Richard pepper each topic with personal experiences and insights was fascinating. Richard especially is a storyteller. A gifted communicator. He'll charm you with his stories and anecdotes.

Our brains were so full and we were so occupied with study and discussion and exercises that I only thought to get one picture. I'm disappointed in myself that I didn't get more - especially with Erica, Richard and Katie - but I did get one with my movie wife Erin: :)

If you feel you may need to up your self-tape game then contact Capital Coaching Studios. If not for the knowledge, do it for the muffins. :)

A CHRISTMAS TREE MIRACLE (2013)

A few years ago an old friend from our Frostburg days - JW Myers - directed a lovely Holiday film entitled A CHRISTMAS TREE MIRACLE. Written by another Frostburg homie - Ty DeMartino - the talented cast features Kevin Sizemore, Terry Kiser and Jill Whelan.

It is a lovely story in the classic American Christmas tradition and was awarded the All Ages Dove Approved seal by The Dove Foundation. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it for you and your family this Christmas. It was filmed entirely on location in the West Virginia Panhandle and SE Ohio, so I would especially recommend it to my new friends in West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. I've already told a few of you about it. Well, here it is! :)

​You can find it THREE WAYS this Christmas!

A Christmas Tree Miracle usually airs on the UP Network. That's channel 338 on DirecTV. Make sure to check your provider for the UP Network wherever you are. Keep in mind that it may air a few times throughout the Holiday Season. I've already DVR'd it! :) Call me old-school, but I prefer watching a network broadcast rather than streaming. It just feels right. But if you are more of the new-fangled fancy-pants technological type, don't worry! We've got your ticket, too!

A Christmas Tree Miracle is available for streaming on Amazon and is FREE with Amazon Prime!

A Christmas Tree Miracle is available for streaming on YouTube if that's your thing! I love YouTube for many things! Feature-length films is not one of them. Trailers? Yes! Shorts? Yes! SLINGSHOT VIDEOS? Yes!! Features? No. That's just my opinion I could be wrong. :)

BTW, ACTM was before I started acting again after a 20-year absence. In fact, this film - and it's sibling THE PLEDGE - were in large part responsible for my return to acting. I stopped by the set one day in Wheeling, WV and forced myself into frame. I dare you to try to find me. Here's what I looked like way back then: :)

Photo by Ty DeMartino.

And if you're ever in Wheeling, WV stop by Ye Olde Alpha and try the Stuffed Banana Peppers! Holy Cow! :)

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P.S. My Friends! At some point you may have expressed interest in this stuff -- or perhaps I sensed an interest that you weren't consciously aware of? :) If you ever change your mind and don't wish to receive these updates anymore just let me know. And you're out! :)