You Can Have Me On Demand

In this day and age, no one knows where the future of film is headed. Online distribution is the wild, wild west and now…get this, there’s “Theatrical on Demand!” GATHR Films is a new service that provides you with the power to bring a film you want to see to a theatre near you. SHUFFLE, a film that I co-star in with Bones star TJ Thyne, has been winning audience awards all over the country and was recently acquired by GATHR.

Shuffle just received it’s EIGHTH award so far, at the Santa Cruz film festival, many of them Audience Awards. My hunch on Shuffle’s success is that the film is family friendly but with a unique look, feel and premise that distinguishes it from other movies. It’s described as a “One part Twilight Zone, two parts It’s a Wonderful Life fantasy.”

The about statement on GATHR states:
Every film has an audience.
Movies are much more fun to watch in a theatre, with a crowd.

Well, if you’ve ever seen a film with a black audience, I would have to wholeheartedly agree and if you’ve ever heard about a film and wondered, “now, why can’t this movie play in my hometown?” I would say – make your demands known!

If you want to see Shuffle, here’s how it works.

Simply:

1. Click here: SHUFFLE/GATHR
2. Click “Request A New Screening.”
3. Follow the prompts.
4. Tell your friends and make it happen!

For those of you on Facebook, the “GATHR IT!” icon can also be found on the top right-hand side of the “Shuffle” Facebook page: www.facebook.com/shufflethemovie

“I’m thrilled about the partnership with Gathr, and very happy that ‘Shuffle’ is now available theatrically to anyone who wants to experience it. Please spread the word and tell your friends on the social media of your choice!” –Director Kurt Kuenne

Talk about a Herculean filmmaker. Kurt’s credits on this film are Director / Writer / Producer / Cinematographer / Composer / Editor. COMPOSER?!

Here we are at our Hollywood Premiere: (L to R) Myself, TJ Thyne, Kurt Kuenne, Dylan Sprayberry, Paula Rhodes and Chris Stone.

Kurt originally got the idea to write Shuffle when an exec pitched him the idea that they were looking for a “Jim Carrey” inspired film about a man who lives his life out of order. The end result wasn’t what the exec was looking for but Kurt made his film anyway. And that’s a filmmaker. They tell you that if you’re writing on spec, sometimes it behooves you to ask the execs, “What are you looking for?” I guess in this case, the outcome truly inspired the writer/filmmaker. For more inspiration, watch Kurt’s other film Dear Zachary which was responsible for the unanimous passage of Canada’s Zachary’s Bill.

Oscar award winning Barney Burman and his makeup team did some incredible age makeup in Shuffle. When Barney did my aging makeup he said, “Asians don’t age.” So, we’re just gonna rough your skin up to make it look textured. When he was done, I felt like I was looking into my future. However, I’m not posting a photo because a) I don’t have one. b) I’m lying. I do. c) You can’t make me post a photo of me looking old because this is my blog. d) Here’s a photo of someone else. My co-star Chris Stone! HAHAHA! (Chris was also my previous director on MIT!) Love you Chris!!! Yes, Chris has been aged.

I looked to see some of GATHR’s other film acquisitions. They’ve got a nice list and for you filmmakers looking for your audience,  is this a way for your audience to find you?

Here’s the Official Shuffle Trailer: