From Hollywood East Connection 

By: Christine Tello-Lorenz

 Alright everyone, we can't let this happen.  We are just beginning to build a new industry in the state of Massachusetts.    We're really just getting started.  I am a great example of an artist finding work right here in this beautiful state.  I don't have to live in CA or NY to be a part of the industry I love so much. 

Please read and make the phone calls and write letters.  WE CAN'T LET THIS HAPPEN.

A message from the Massachusetts Production Coalition:

Last week, Governor Patrick proposed a cap on the Film and TV tax
credit of $50 million per year for the next two years.

Yet, the Massachusetts Film and TV Tax Credit has created more
than $1 billion in new economic activity in the Commonwealth since
it was created four years ago.  As most of you know first-hand, it
has been a tremendous boon to the Commonwealth, acting as an
incentive to local investment by production companies that have
come here in large numbers.

The proposed $50 million cap represents a 25% credit on $200
million of eligible production expenditures for each year of the
two years. The state has averaged between $75 and $100 million in
credits per year for the last two years, so the cap represents a
potential 50% decrease in production in our state.

The Governor¹s suggested temporary film credit cap has gone to the
legislature, where the House and Senate will determine its fate.
While we sympathize with the need to close the budget gap and want
to do our part, the Massachusetts Production Coalition believes
that capping this credit is not the best solution and will lead to
lost jobs and lost economic growth.This, at a time when we need
increased jobs and economic activity to work our way out of the
current fiscal environment and encourage new investments in the
commonwealth.


CALL TO ACTION

The Massachusetts Production Coalition is working to eliminate the
proposed cap to protect production in our state and jobs for our
members. We are coordinating our efforts with other stakeholders
both inside and outside the state.  But we need your voice.


Who To Call
Targeted phone calls delivering a unified message are needed.
PLEASE MAKE PHONE CALLS TO THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATORS FIRST. If you want to send an email or fax a letter as well, the necessary
contact information is provided.

1. Call your Massachusetts state Representative and your
Massachusetts state Senator. If you do not know your State
Representative and/or Senator please go
to: http://www.mass.gov/legis/city_town.htm

2. Call the following key legislators:
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo: 617-722-2500.
Fax: 617-722-1008.   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Senate President Therese Murray: 617-722-1500.
Fax: 617-248-3840.   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rep. Charles Murphy, Chair, House ways & Means Committee:
617-722-2990.
Fax: 617-722-2998.   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Senator Steven Panagiotakos, Chair, Senate Ways & Means Committee:
617-722-1630.
Fax: 617-722-1001.   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Message
Use the bullet points below. When you call, first ask to speak to
the Representative/Senator, and if unavailable, leave a message
with a member of his/her staff.
·         My name is
·         My address is (street address & town)
 NOTE: When calling your own Representative/Senator, BE SURE TO SAY that you are a constituent of the Senator/Representative.
·         I work in the film and television industry, my job is one of thousands of jobs created by the film tax credit.
·         I am opposed to the proposed cap on the film tax credit
in the Supplemental Budget because it will export my job to
another state.
·         The film tax credit has brought more than $1 billion in
new economic growth to Massachusetts, as well as scores of new
businesses and thousands of new jobs for people like me, and I
need that work.
·         Studios will still make movies and spend hundreds of
millions of dollars anyway- just not here.
·         The credit is a solution to the state's current economic
stagnation and job loss, not a problem.
·         I ask that Representative/Senator (name) preserve job
creation and growth in the Commonwealth by voting AGAINST the cap
on the film tax credit.

You may also ask your family and friends to call. If they do not
work in the industry, they can use the appropriate bullet points
above and explain the benefits they have seen first-hand.

Every phone call counts.  Thank you!

Happy New Year!  2010… Wow…. Stanley Kubrick would be so disappointed. 

Yet again, another year has flown by and what a year it has been.  My wife and I have so much to be thankful for.  What continues to amaze me about our year is the choice we made to move here to Cape Cod, MA and leave CA.  So many challenging things and wonderful things have come from this enormous move, and I have learned even more about life, about myself, my artistry, and what’s really important.

If you have been following my blogs and updates, I know I sound like a broken record, but I am so proud of my wife and children and how they have embraced this very difficult move and have adapted so well.  All of us have made some wonderful friendships, the kids are thriving in school and my wife is again teaching music in our community, not to the degree at which she did in CA, thankfully, but at least music is in her life again. 

As always there is much to look forward to in 2010.  The most exciting news is one of my screenplays is beginning to get legs and is being read by a big time studio (and no, it’s not Plymouth Rock Studios).   I can’t say too much at this early stage because I don’t want to ruin my chances by revealing anything too soon.  Let’s just say, I had a very inspiring phone call from a producer of a very high caliber and he has passed my screenplay onto a very well known studio and may be considered for a movie deal.
Now, having mentioned this, remember,  I’ve been in this business for 22 years, and I also understand that as fast things get attention and become “hot,” it also could die out and get “cold” pretty quick.  The hardest part for me is the waiting game.  It seems like I have been preparing and waiting for this moment all my life.  All I can say is how validating it is as a writer and an artist to receive a phone call from a respected producer to discuss my story and listen to his stories.  

Yes, I am extremely excited about what 2010 will bring, and at the same time, I am prepared to continue to move forward with my life adventure no matter what comes my way.  Because in the end, I already have everything I really need to sustain my life and my creativity.  And that is my beautiful family. 

For those of you who have been following the news about the plight that surrounds Plymouth Rock Studios just know this - What’s happening with the studio is not out of the ordinary when trying to build a multi-million dollar studio.  This is actually pretty common in the business.  Look at Pixar.  They didn’t exactly start off without a hitch.  This is a business of power, control, egos, and money.  Lots of money.   Let’s face it, when some people aren’t invited to “play,” they will lash out and try their best to sink the ship.  It is unfortunate that some people have started to attack the studio and everyone who works with the studio.    I have been hired on as an independent contractor to teach my on camera acting classes which I have done with the purest of intentions and anyone who has taken a class with me understands this.  Through my work with the studio, I have made friendships with many of the “former” PRS employees and these are real people.  People with wives, husbands, children… yes, families.   Genuine people, who like me, only wish to continue to make a living with our talents, passion and respect for the performing arts and live in MA and not have to move to New York or Hollywood, CA.  

Well, from my humble perspective, I have been employed for the last year by PRS and I have been able to provide shelter, food, and comfort for my family through my passions to inspire and teach the craft of acting for film and TV.  My classes alone have generated over $5,000.00 of donated food for the Plymouth Food Warehouse and through those donations we have fed over 2,000 families.  Some of my students have already found work in major motion pictures and not just as background talent, we’re talking speaking roles.  So anyone out there who has seen and tasted what life could be like if the studio survives understands how ANY studio will only bring more work to this state and that is a good thing and exactly what we need to plug in our economy, and what’s so wrong with that?

One of my mentors once told me, “Remember, the “audience” can be fickle and can turn on you in a heartbeat.”   And all I have to say about that is….. welcome to show business, MA. 

Trust me, in this business nothing is guaranteed.  I also know my days with teaching for the studio may be numbered, and I am completely ready to go solo and continue without the studio support.  That’s the business.   But I don’t look at this as a failure at all.  The way I see it is this… I was employed for a year for a start up studio and my world in MA is so much larger because of it.  I’ve made some incredible friends and have taught so many wonderful, inspiring and beautiful people.  My students have written letters of support, brought me cards, gifts and taken me out for lunch to say thank you.  I have made a positive impact in my new community.  And, this is far from over and I do hope the team at PRS can make this happen.

So, the long short of it, to be honest with you, this is most likely my last session of classes for the studio, and you know what?  I’m okay with that.  No one can take away what the experience has given me and the people I’ve met and now know, and as you can see by this website, I seldom place all my eggs in one basket.   Before I moved to Cape Cod I was an artist and I will remain an artist.  That has been a constant in my life.  Plymouth Rock Studios is just another wonderful experience for me in my journey with my artistry and I am thankful for every opportunity they have given me and I wish them all the luck in the world to make this studio happen.

So here’s to more dream catching in 2010 and to my screenplay that WILL sell and be produced.

-Write on,
Kevin Lasit

My screenplay, WISHLAND, made the quarterfinals in the Cynosure Screenwriting Competition in Los Angeles, CA.  I didn't advance into the semi-finals, but getting this far inspires me and gives me hope to contiune to tell my stories.  I really believe in this story and I feel one day someone will see the beauty in it.  Making the quarterfinals in a competition proves to me that I am writing quality material.  Thank you to all the readers and best of luck to the writers who are in the semi-finals.

~Write on.

September 17th, 2009

It’s been one year since my family made the move from California to Cape Cod, MA.  This entire week I have been reflecting on this year’s journey and can’t help but feel so much pride and love for my family.  As you can imagine, making a move over three thousand miles away from everyone and everything we know, has had it’s moments of complete despair and at the same time, clarity.   Losing both my parents to brain cancer by the time I was twenty eight years old has been the most difficult thing for me to deal with in my adult life, and the only other thing that even compares to that feeling of loss would have to be our move to Cape Cod.   Yes, taking a leap of faith, even when you wished for it, still presents emotional challenges and hurdles we had to overcome as a family.  Everything in life must have balance, and even when things were pretty dark, there were also moments of light. 

Here’s a quick recap of some of the “dark despair”:

• That last week of packing and seeing our California home full of boxes.
• Seeing our home of 12 years empty and each time the movers took a box into the truck I wanted to say, “Hey, put that back.”
• Seeing the house empty and closing the door one last time.
• Saying goodbye to our families. The last 15 minutes saying goodbye to everyone was so gut wrenching.  I’ll never forget my son crying out, “What!?  It’s time?  It’s here already?  Why do we have to leave!!!?”
• The drive to the S.F. airport and everyone crying.
• The wait at the airport for the red-eye.  How symbolic.
• That feeling of flying over CA for the last time knowing we had just left everyone and everything for the hopes of a better life, and all I had was my family and two dogs.
• The fear of the unknown… now what?
• Our dog of 15 years dying only after one week of our move across the country.  We still miss you Spunkmeyer.  You were the best beagle ever.
• Discovering there were no jobs for Melinda.
• Discovering there were no jobs in the entertainment business for me.
• Moving in.  The movers stole $300 out of my wife’s purse.
• Discovering the move cost more than we had planned.
• For weeks we would all sit down at the dinner table to eat and everyone would be in tears.  It would always start with our prayer, “Dear Lord, please watch over our family and friends in CA…”
• My son and daughter saying, “Okay, we’re done.  Now can we go back home?”
• Having the constant feeling in your gut of, “What have I done.  Now what?” 
• Feeling lost. 
• Feeling lost in our new home.  We couldn’t find anything and it didn’t feel like our home at first.
• Feeling lost in our environment and neighborhood.
• Feeling alone.
• My wife breaking down in my arms telling me how scared she was.  I was scared too, but I kept saying, “It will all work out.”
• Having doubt that it “would work out.”

Now here’s a quick recap of the “Clarity and light”:

• Our neighbors brought so much baked goods to our doorsteps; we could have had a bake sale.
• Many children live in our neighborhood and go to the same school and ride the same bus as our kids.
• My wife went to the First Church of Christ and the sermon was about taking chances and moving.
• I went to church the following week and the sermon was about sharing your gifts and talents with the community.
• The same night Spunkmeyer had his first seizure, I attended the first Jobs on the Lot with Plymouth Rock Studios.  David Kirkpatrick and his team made me feel so welcomed.  We were only in town for one week, and we didn’t even have a home yet.  That night I spoke to the entire team of the studio and turned in my resume.
• The kids having a great time in their new school even though they missed their old friends.
• My wife and I didn’t have jobs, so we spent so much time together, supported each other, and lifted each other up when we felt down.
• Our dear friends Christy and Eli stayed with us on Halloween, and we made some great memories with the family.
• We were invited to trick or treat with our neighbors and they invited us over for soup before we went out.
• Our neighbors would check in on us and invite us to dinner, to family gatherings, and take us to their favorite restaurants.
• The kids had so many play dates with neighborhood kids.
• I attended every town meeting in Plymouth to support the studio since I made the move.
• I got to witness the final town meeting when they voted YES to the ROCK. The following week, Kate Ayson called me in for a chat, and I met with her and David Kirkpatrick.  What a day.
• The studio asked me to write the Actor’s Forum and to teach film/TV acting classes.
• Presenting my Actors’ Forum to a sold out crowd and having Mr. Kirkpatrick sitting in the audience watching the magic. 
• Teaching my film/TV acting classes and watching them grow every week.
• Melinda volunteered to sing and play keyboard at our church.  She also took over the direction of the drama ministry.
• Thanksgiving with Christy and Eli and New York!
• Morning walks with our wonderful neighbors.
• Going to the beach in our neighborhood.
• Visiting California in Feb.  Going back really validated why we made the move. 
• We love living in an environment where there are so many trees and wild life.
• I can’t remember the last time I heard a police siren. 
• The air smells like ocean.
• We can hear the fog horn from our house.
• I love that I can actually wear all my sweaters in the winter.
• I love living within the four seasons.  It’s a constant reminder that we live on a living planet.
• Lobster rolls.
• We have chickens as pets.
• We have a fire pit in our backyard.
• We have a real backyard.
• We get to spend time with Melinda’s family on the East coast and her grandparents.
• The stars are brilliant.
• No smog on the Cape.

Of course, I am summing up the year fairly quickly and so much more happened, but those are some highlights of what happened with our new journey.

Currently, I am still working with Plymouth Rock Studios and I have trained over 500 people, and my free acting labs have generated over $5,000 dollars of donated food to the Greater Plymouth Food Warehouse.  My acting classes are a huge success with the community.  However, even with proving my passion and dedication, I also know I can’t count on anything, and I know I could be let go at anytime.  At this point in my life, I am open to anything, and I have learned from this year that all I can do is appreciate the moment, and that’s exactly what I am doing.  It’s been so exciting to work with Plymouth Rock Studios, and if they will have me continue with them or move into another position, that would be wonderful and another dream come true.  At the same time, I also know I am expendable and they could let me go and hire anyone else to take over what I have created, or just cut the program all together.  Who knows?  Only time will tell.  Whatever happens I am in a place in my life where I truly know my job does not define who I am.  My wife and kids do.  My family defines me.   I am not expendable at home and that’s what truly matters in this journey.

My wonderful wife is now teaching music in our community at a local school, and she is being well received there, and she is already making an impact with every door she goes through.  We are both working full-time now and doing what we truly enjoy, and we are sharing our gifts and talents with our community.  We are making a positive impact with people.

Who knows what this New Year will bring us or what people will come into our lives to share this journey with.  We do know this much though, we have no regrets moving out of CA, and we love our community and life here on the Cape.  Sometimes, as I observe my surroundings, I feel as if a Norman Rockwell painting has come to life right before my eyes and we have the privilege of taking part of the creating the art.

So here’s to more of the unknown and appreciating every moment we have as a family.

Erica McDermott
(Commercial class Tuesday night,   wave 2)

Shorty after taking my commercial acting lab, Erica had the opportunity to audition for The Fighter starring Mark Wahlberg.  Now the unique thing about her opportunity is that it was for a speaking role… that’s right… a Featured Player.  Not a Day Player, but featured.   Erica is registered with several local casting companies, and Boston Casting sent her a notice which she responded to and went to the first open call.  She stood out from the rest and was invited back for a few more callbacks, and she kept me posted with every step of the way, and when she felt nervous, she fell back on her training to help relax and focus like a true “Athlete of the Heart.”  Erica… what can I say,  I wish this type of success for all my students and my hat goes off to you for nailing your first major motion picture speaking role!  Welcome to the union!  Here’s the email Erica sent me to confirm her first professional gig.

It's official Kevin!!

I will be playing "Cindy" in The Fighter 2011. Cindy is one of Irish Micky Ward's (Mark Wahlberg) and Dickie Ecklund's (Christian Bale's) Sisters. Our Mother, Alice, will be played by Melissa Leo. My first fight will be with Amy Adams from Enchanted. I have a ton of lines and couldn't be more excited!!  I will be filming for 6 weeks starting July 14th ending August 24th.

I can't thank you enough for all of your time, advice and support. Plymouth Rock Studios sure picked the right guy to come here and get the job done! I do believe that the Actors Lab that you’re teaching prepared me for my audition, and brought out confidence that was deep within!! I STILL want in this Fall for Advanced Labs!!! Don't forget to send me the info when it's time!!

HUGE HUGS and High Fives
Erica McDermott

Way to go Erica!  Stories like this really help keep the dream alive for so many others.  You are a true inspiration.  Thank YOU for your capacity to be so vulnerable for the camera, and I can’t wait to see you duke it out with Amy Adams.

I facilitated my first Actors’ Forum through Plymouth Rock Studios Educational Cooperative on February 4th and I am proud to say it was a huge success and so much fun.  The next one is scheduled for March at Plymouth South High School.  When the date is set I will post it on this page.   If you’d like more information please send me an email and I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.

I just had to take a moment to congratulate Yvonne and Rich Dutra-St. John for their amazing work that was on Oprah which aired on 1/26/09.  The show focused on obesity in young people and allowing them to deal with their true feelings about it.  This was their second time on the show and they will continue their relationship with Oprah and Harpo Productions.  The world needs their work and I truly believe the world is ready for a Global Challenge Day.  Yvonne and Rich... I love you and I am so honored to know you and I will never forget the work we did together.  It remains with me… and always will and I am making change with each door I go through. 

I love you Rich and Yvonne and I miss you and my Challenge Day family