Mission Accomplished!
Greetings, Kind Sponsors of Turf Valley!
We are here to report that, Yes, the weather and the cicadas cooperated, the big musical number came together, and the good citizens of Turf Valley barely threw a stone as we completed principal photography on all seven episodes. Hooray! We know that you know that we know, but still, it needs to be said: We couldn't do any of this without your amazing support, and so once again and forever--THANK YOU--you are deeply appreciated.
The Shoot
We had approximately 35-45 people on set daily throughout the six days of shooting. True to our word, a full 1/3 were students from the Johns Hopkins University, the Baltimore School for the Arts and other schools in the area. These students were helpful and focused throughout the long days, late nights, and heat that could only be soothed by a steady stream of Coca-Cola. So much depends on production assistants with talent and can-do attitudes, and boy-howdy, they were good ones.
Of course, the rest of the crew--our department heads--reminded us once again that great reputations don't come out of thin air; they come from great work. We extend our deepest gratitude to Richard Chisolm, Amy Oden, Katiana Weems, Dwyane Dell, Chris Jones, Ivan Figgs, Joseph Woldemariam, Samantha Trionfo, Aidan Kristo, Fin Stein, Maya Duffy, Lara Grantz, Ruby Baden and Marquita Thomas. These are good humans.
And we don't need to tell you how amazing our cast is. The guys, the gals, the supporting characters, the extras, featured or otherwise--each brought talent and enthusiasm and professionalism to our show. By the way, did you ever check out our cast page, as well as IMDb? We'll be updating it as we go along, so stay tuned.
Lastly, Adam and I want to thank Bea Bufrahi, Sig Libowitz and Jenny Rodgers for more than can be put into words. If I made a list of all the work these three did to make our shoot happen, well, I'd probably be reported to OSHA. Let's just say they make Elon Musk look like a slacker.
So What's Next?
First, we are putting together your Kickstarter rewards. A few of you have reminded me that you want your cup. I even had my life threatened in a parking lot. "The cup, damn you. I want my cup!" They're coming! I promise.
Second, Steve Bell and the team at Cutters are already editing, slicing and dicing footage stored on several, massive, 25lb gold and pearl inlay hard drives stolen from the Louvre. We are so excited to see what they put together.
Third, we are going to keep getting the word out about the show and the glorious and media-savvy way we will bring it to your screens. Speaking of media, did you see the recent write up in The Washington Post? We're national, baby! But please, spread the word!
Onward and upward
The fun is just beginning, folks. Big celebrations are on the horizon. You have performed perfectly. Lots of people have a favorite show; few get to make one. And that's YOU, tip of the spear, force recon, deep in the Valley of Turf.
Over and out,
Tom and Adam
