aphasia

Project Endings, Project Beginnings

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It’s always bittersweet when a good project ends. Or, as the case may be, transitions.

For over 2 years now I have focused my efforts towards the short film Aphasia, a project that I was asked to be a part in Feb of 2010. I think it is fair to say that none of my producing partners (Jim Gloster, Chuck & Tonya Bludsworth) or I thought the project would be nearly as successful as it has turned out to be, or that it would have taken on a life of its own in the way that it has. Mostly, we wanted to give our friend Charlotte theatre and film actor Carl McIntyre a chance to tell his story and in the process, provide an opportunity to allow him to take back some of what the stroke stole from him at 44: his ability to make a living. The entire Charlotte film community came together to help us film the project in March of 2010; over 40 screenings later with events and film festivals across the US, including  LA and NYC, and in 4 counties internationally, it all feels quite surreal. We all wore many hats during the project; as Executive Producer, mine ranged initially from fundraiser, to on-set documentation, and then to premier event planner for the two events we held for the film in Chapel Hill and Charlotte. I was on set every day and found the process of watching it all come together completely exhilarating. After our premiere in May 2010, my jobs moved on to public relations/marketing to booking/ sales agent for the film and it’s star, Carl McIntyre. After much hard work from Chuck Bludsworth researching various distribution companies and filming educational & informative dvd extras, on April 27, 2012 we held our DVD release party and got to celebrate the artists responsible for the film one more time before we released the DVD to the world. Carl traveled immediately to Seattle to keynote a convention of Neurology nurses the day after our release here in Charlotte and sold every DVD he brought with him: somewhere in the neighborhood of 200. They have been selling quickly and steadily ever since-you can purchase one here. 

Carl continues to tour with Aphasia and will have an Australian premiere in August when he takes the film to Sydney. He continues to have upcoming dates as a public speaker traveling with the film, and his bookings and tour dates are now being managed by JTA talent.  There is much positive talk of other projects in the works for Carl and I know he will take full advantage of these opportunities. 

Sometimes, the project doesn’t really end as much as it transitions. Other very qualified people need to become a part to allow it to move to its next natural growth phase. In my mind, it’s what I imagine sending your kid off to college must be like: you’ve gotten him ready, and he’s ready go- but everyone’s a little nervous and happy and sad all at the same time.

But, closing the door on one great project does leave room for the next great thing to come along…

Summer is for new projects! And, fun podcasts and interviews-

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…..and there are a few floating around in the ether that have been seemingly wanting to gel for sometime now! It’s all very exciting and we’ll announce here soon. And, sheesh, yeah–we’ll be blogging away about them too, cause shared information makes us all wiser, smarter, stronger, and rises all the boats for us here in the arts in the CLT.

In the meantime,  I had a great interview experience with Dr. Nancy Berk, of the fun & fab ‘Whine at 9’ weekly Podcast, whose sassy motto is “There’s nothing wrong with a little whine, especially if it leads to laughter, solutions and strategy.” Love. It.  And, her too,  by the way. This lady’s doing a lot of fun and informational stuff in her own right. Books, tours, speaking engagements-and that’s only the beginning–check her out.

You can hear my  full interview with Dr. Nancy here. We cover a lot of ground in less than 20 minutes, including the continued success of the short film Aphasia and some upcoming theatre projects in the pipeline….

Aphasia Screening Schedule

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Aphasia on tour with Carl McIntyre : Spring/Summer 2011
**All events are private hires unless noted**

March 1 UNC-Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
March 31 West Va Speech & Hearing Convention Flatwoods, WVA
April 13/14 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
April 18/19 Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN (April 18, Public Event**)
April 21 Emerson University/Spaulding Hospital Boston, MA
April 26 Northeast AHEC/ Appalachian University Boone, NC
May 3 Southeast AHEC Stroke Convention Greensboro, NC
May 21 Rogers C. Peace Rehab Greenville, SC
June 11 TBA
June 14-16 TBA
June 24-26 TBA

To book a screening of Aphasia please go to http://www.aphasiathemovie.com for more information

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

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For Immediate Release

For more information or for interviews please contact
Donna Scott, donnascott@hotmail.com

Aphasia chosen as Official Selection of Big Bear Lake International Film Festival in California

Aphasia will screen September 2010

CHARLOTTE, N.C. July 30, 2010 … The short film Aphasia has been chosen as an Official Selection of the Big Bear Lake International Film Festival and will be shown in Big Bear, CA in September 2010.

Aphasia was written by Jim Gloster, a Charlotte, NC director, actor and writer. Gloster wanted to capture the story of his friend, actor Carl McIntyre who suffered a massive stroke in 2005 at just 44 years of age. As a result, McIntyre lives with aphasia, an acquired communication disorder that impairs a person’s ability to process language but does not affect intelligence.

Aphasia is a double dose of reality told in narrative form. Carl stars as himself and portrays his life story in a powerful and nuanced performance. Aphasia uses comedy and pathos to raise awareness about aphasia and provide hope and inspiration to anyone working to overcome obstacles in their lives. The film recounts McIntyre’s first person experience during the stroke, his recovery and his struggle with his inability to communicate.
The film was shot in Charlotte, NC with approximately 100 crew members rotating through the eight day shoot. There are 33 speaking roles and roughly 35 cast extras that were used at different times. Most of them had had worked with Carl previously or knew of him, his career and his story.
“Aphasia was the perfect way for us to use our art to bring something positive and far-reaching out of a tragic situation. And what better example to encourage anyone that has encountered a disability in life than to have Carl actually play himself in the movie? What Carl wanted to do most is act again, and Jim’s script has given him the opportunity to do that, while simultaneously providing a way for him to encourage others to do the same,” said Donna Scott, Executive Producer.
The production team of Jim Gloster, Chuck Bludsworth, Tonya Bludsworth and Donna Scott formed Little Word Films to produce Aphasia, in Charlotte. Little Word Films has partnered with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Division of Speech and Hearing Sciences http://www.med.unc.edu/ahs/sphs/ on this project.
Aphasia was also chosen as an official selection of the Prince Edward Island International Film Festival in Canada and was screened there in July. To learn more about the Carl McIntyre Aphasia Project, please check out our website and social media pages: http://www.aphasiathemovie.com and fan us as ‘Aphasia the Movie’ on face book.
More than 100,000 Americans develop the disorder annually. Aphasia affects about one million Americans, or 1 in 300 people. It is more common than Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy or muscular dystrophy, however, most people have never heard of aphasia. While the most common cause is stroke, aphasia can also result from head injury, brain tumor or other neurological causes. To learn more, go to: http://www.aphasia.org.

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