Joan Beesley
Forum Replies Created
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What I learned from this Assignment.
I feel I now have the tools to align my Query Letter to the niche producers for my script. In addition to Campaign #1 I am also going to utilize Campaigns 4, Promoting a Contest and Campaign 10, Attaching Actors. I have found IMDb to be invaluable and for me, one of the most valuable parts of this excellent course. I did notice a reference to “coverage services” at the end of our material, and I need to investigate it!
Joan’s Marketing Campaign:
Lesson 12
1. Read through the 10 Marketing Campaigns and select ONE that you’ll take action on immediately.
I will be doing Marketing Campaign #1: Can’t Travel, but Can Market
2. Taking that campaign, make a plan of action, listing the actions you’ll take.
I will be using Strategies 15,11 and 19, namely targeting small producers and Irish production
companies, sending out my Query Letter and securing an agent /manager.
3. Tell us the first action you are going to take…and take it.
Sending out my Query Letter.
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What I learned from this Assignment Is: The goal is “getting them into the tent”: not telling too much, but just enough to get them excited about going into the tent and finding out what’s on the other side. What was useful for me is to invite the producer to associate with the protagonist, to invest in the drama.
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Hi Richard,
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. I will clarify that it is Michael Flynn and that he left from Ireland on a harrowing transatlantic crossing.
I was wondering where you are in your script. Is it ready to market? I wrote 40 Shades as a limited series first episode with the Bible, world view, etc. under a mentor/teacher here in Denver. It was complete, ready to go, but I decided I wanted to tell the whole story myself and not hand over the rest to a writers’ room so I’ve written the whole story as a feature film.
I’m about to tackle the arduous task of cutting it down to the required number of pages. It will be like surgery and require a lot of discipline on my part but at least it’s all there on the cutting table.
Let me know where are you with your script? Is it ready to pitch?
Joan
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Hello Richard,
I’m Joan Beesley and I like your query letter. It is a heart-rending drama and I like the way you “unfold” the story without giving away the resolution. I like your format of “questions” which engages whoever is reading the query. I tried to do this in my query letter for The Junkman of Brooklyn as well.
Best of luck. See you at the movies!
Joan
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Joan Beesley: Query Letter Draft 2
What I learned from This Assignment Is:
THE JUNKMAN OF BROOKLYN
You survived the Irish Famine, Tammany Hall, salvaged destroyers and submarines, so passing on the Art of the Deal is easy-peasy, right?
Charles Flynn and his family have their cottage “tumbled’ by English soldiers and flee to America.
However, 3 year old Michael Flynn is left on the dock.
An Irish Godfather absent the violence, he grows up to become a scrap metal czar, thanks to Tammany Hall and senators from Ward 6. He firmly insulates his family from poverty but at the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire he engages a business partner who will scheme to steal his future international business. “Can this business be saved?”
And how does he “return” in 2001 to save the life of his great granddaughter who is writing his biography?
If you like the concept of 40 Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn I’d be happy to send you the script.
Joan is a published author of historical fiction/magical realism. I am Irish, from Brooklyn New York and this script is a true story (almost).
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Joan Beesley
What I learned from this lesson is:
IMDbPro is an amazing database. However my genre is historical fiction which fits into both Drama or Family. As such, it took a very long time to look at all the titles to find a fit so I ended up doing my research by directly looking up names of films and actor’s work that more closely matched my genre.
The Junkman of Brooklyn
Historical Fiction/Magical Realism
A family saga about the rise and fall of a 3 year old Irish immigrant in 1854 who becomes a
scrap metal czar, salvaging destroyers and submarines for the Navy, then selling the
metal back to them for profit, so passing on the Art of the Deal is easy-peasy, right?Make a list of five or more movies that are similar to yours and five actors that you might want to play your lead characters.
The Dig
Far and Away
The Godfather
Somewhere in Time
Meet Joe Black
Gangs of New York
Cillian Murphy
Pierce Brosnan
Robert Duvall
Brad Pitt
Matt Damon
Daniel Day Lewis
Using the Targeting process above, go to http://www.imdb.com and find 50 to 100 producers (or more) for your specific project.
Producer Database
Godfather
Albert S Ruddy
310-277698
albertsruddy@ruddyproductions.com
Vice President
alexandraruddy@ruddyproductions.com
Somewhere in Time
Stephen Deutsch
Legends of the Fall
Edward Zwick
Principal (Executive)
310-394-2697 phone
409 Santa Monica Blvd.
Penthouse
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Scent of a Woman
G. Mac Brown
William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment
+1 310 285 9000 phone
9601 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Meet Joe Black
Celia D Costas
+1 424 288 2000 phone
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Ronald Schwary
William Morris Endeavor (WME) Entertainment
+1 310 285 9000 phone
9601 Wilshire Blvd
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
The Great Gatsby
Francis Ford Coppola
Executive
+1 415 788 7500 phone
916 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA 94133- 5107
Field of Dreams
Lawrence Gordon Productions
President (Executive)
(310) 472-4615 phone
12011 San Vicente Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90049
Brian E Franksih
Frankish-Benedict Entertainment
Producer/Owner
323-650-0811 phone
Far and Away
Ron Howard
Executive Chairman (Executive)
+1 310 858 2000 phone
150 S. El Camino Drive
Suite 100
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Cider House Rules
Lila Yacoib
+1 310 273 6700 phone
UTA Plaza
9336 Civic Center Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Harvey Weinstein
Phone: +1 212 941 3800
c/o Weinstein Company
375 Greenwich St
New York, NY 10013
Meryl Poster
Executive
646-856-8511 phone
235 E. 45th Street
New York, NY 10017
Leslie Holleran
Holleran Company President (Producer)
914-715-3127 phone
212-501-7009 alt. phone
490 West End Ave #9D
New York, NY 10024
Richard Gladstein
FilmColony President / Producer
323-380-7265 phone
Gangs of New York
Alan C. Blomquist
Independent Artist Group (IAG)
+1 310 888 4200 phone
10585 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90025
Rick Schwartz
917-974-5004 phone
Graham King
CEO (Producer)
+1 310 315 1722 phone
Santa Monica, CA
Gerry Robert Byrne
Gerry Robert Byrne
917-705-7148 phone
The Dig
Gabrielle Tana
Brouhaha Entertainment
Email: info@brouhahaent.com
99 Kenton Road
London, ENGLAND HA30AN
United Kingdom
Phone: 2123665044
Email: info@magnoliamaefilms.com
920 Lincoln Place
Brooklyn, NY 11213
United States
Anne Sheehan
Redmond Morris
Redmond Morris
+353879673333 phoredmondmorris@icloud.com
Murray Ferguson
Clerkenwell Films CEO (Executive)
+44 (0)20 7608 2726 phone
+44 (0)20 7608 2226 fax
82-84 Clerkenwell Road
2nd Fl
London, England EC1M 5RF
UK
Carolyn Marks Blackwood
2123665044 phone
920 Lincoln Place
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Titanic
Jon Landau
COO (Executive)
+1 310 727 2500 phone
1600 Rosecrans Ave
Bldg 5A
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
James Cameron
Co-Chairman (Executive)
+1 818 565 0005 phone
+1 818 861 3950 fax
2020 N Lincoln St
Burbank, CA 91504
The Lake House
Erwin Stoff
Partner / Manager (Executive)
+1 (310) 888-3200 phone
+1 (310) 888-3210 fax
9460 Wilshire Blvd.
7th Floor
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Sonny Mallhi
Wonder Street424-204-9970 phone
1524 Cloverfield Ave
Suite F
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Roy Lee
Producer (Executive)
+1 323 785 5350 phone
1151 N. Highland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Dana Goldberg
Skydance Media Chief Creative Officer (Executive)
+1 424 291 3400 phone
2900 Olympic Blvd.
4th Floor
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Doug Davison
2260 E Maple Ave, El Segundo
CA 90245
Oppenheimer
James Woods
(310) 247-2100 phone
9348 Civic Center Dr
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
J. David Wargo
Phone: +1 310 551 1611
10100 Santa Monica Blvd.
Suite 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90067
USA
Emma Thomas
Producer
4000 Warner Blvd.
Building 81, Suite 203
Burbank, CA 91522
Charles Roven
President & Co-Founder (Executive)
+1 310 786 4935 phone
9200 Sunset Blvd
10th Fl
Los Angeles, CA 90069
Christopher Nolan
Directors Guild of America (DGA)
National Board Member
+1 310 289 2000 phone
+1 800 421 4173 alt. phone
+1 310 289 2029 fax
7920 Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90046
Helen Medrano
Thomas Hayslip
+1 424 288 2000 phone
+1 424 288 2900 fax
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
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Joan Beesley’s Pitch Fest Pitch
What I leaned: How to package my work to respond to the priorities of the producer.
1. Tell us your credibility.
I’m Joan Beesley and I have the rights to my novel 40 Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn. I am a published author with five books on Amazon
2. Tell us your genre and title.
Historical Fiction/Magic Realism
The Junkman of Brooklyn
3. What is your one or two sentence hook?
You survived the Irish Famine, Tammany Hall, salvaged destroyers and submarines for the Navy, so passing on the Art of the Deal is easy-peasy, right? And did you really put the windows in the Chrysler Building?
4. Please give your one or two sentence answer to each of these questions.
What is the budget range:
Middle Budget: $15 million to $30 million
What actors do you see for the lead roles?
Charles Flynn, Michael’s father as a young man escaping County Leitrim:
Matt Damon
Brad Pitt
Younger/middle aged Michael Flynn in Brooklyn:
Cillian Miurphy (He was born to play this role.)
Patrick Dempsey
Older Michael Flynn:
Robert Duvall
Pierce Brosnan
Bill Pullman
Younger Gabe Star
Seth Rogan
Older Gabe Star
Dustin Hoffman
Give me the acts of the story.
Act 1: Back flash as elderly Michael Flynn tells his grandson the story of how the Flynns fled Ireland and he was left behind on the dock.
Act 2: Michael Flynn becomes the scrap metal czar of Brooklyn utilizing Tammany Hall and rising in Ward 6 Irish politics.
Act 3. Now supplying windows for New York skyscrapers, the business is lost to the family of his long-term “partner”, a renowned metals specialist.
How does it end? (setup/payoff).
While his heirs could not save the business, Michael “returns” to save the life of his great-grand daughter who is writing his biography.
Credibility
Author: Forty Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn
In writing this novel about my family and the rise and fall of their international metals corporation, I took a transatlantic cruise to get a sense of what’s like to cross the Atlantic. I spent time in Cobh, Ireland where the immigrants (and the Titanic) left from and County Leitrim, retracing the Flynn’s trip south to the ships.
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Joan Beesley: Query Letter
What I learned: Invite the producer to become part of the drama.40 SHADES OF GREEN: THE JUNKMAN OF BROOKLYN Historical Fiction/Magic Realism
You survived the Irish Famine, Tammany Hall, salvaged destroyers and submarines, so passing on the Art of the Deal is easy-peasy, right?
Charles Flynn and his family have their cottage “tumbled’ by English soldiers and flee to America.
However, 3 year old Michael Flynn is left on the dock.
An Irish Godfather absent the violence, he grows up to become a scrap metal czar, thanks to Tammany Hall and senators from Ward 6. He firmly insulates his family from poverty but at the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire he engages a business partner who will scheme to steal his future international business. “Can this business be saved?”
And how does he “return” in 2001 to save the life of his great granddaughter who is writing his biography?
If you like the concept of 40 Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn I’d be happy to send you the script.
Joan is a published author of historical fiction/magical realism. I am Irish, from Brooklyn New York and this script is a true story (almost.)
Contact Information:
303-328-1265
1175 Reed Street Lakewood, CO 80214mail.google.com
Gmail is email that’s intuitive, efficient, and useful. 15 GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access.
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Begorrah. Looks like we have 3 Irish scripts goin’ here!
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Joan Beesley: High Concept/Elevator Pitch
What I learned from Lesson 5: Less is more. How to distill my work and make it more succinct and marketable. How to bait the hook.
High Concept:
You survived the Irish Famine, Tammany Hall, salvaged destroyers and submarines, so, teaching your sons the art of the deal is easy-peasy, right?
Elevator Pitch:
40 Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn, is based on my book about the rise and fall of a Brooklyn scrap metal empire based on the complex Irish father/son relationship.
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Joan Beesley: 10 Most Interesting Things
What I learned from this assignment is while I have many hooks, I see them much more clearly. I am now doing a rewrite and can “sharpen” what I now see to be” hooks”.
Secondly I’ve had a breakthrough. In thinking of his business partner as “villain’, I see that the hero actually inadvertently helped turn his partner into the villain who takes over his business by having his own sons “defer” their creative ideas to the villain’s son or principals in the business. Interesting in that the protagonist helped create his nemesis!
1. Specific Hooks
A. Most Unique About Villain and Hero
Hero Michael Flynn rises from destitute 3 year old Irish immigrant to scrap metal czar and how he got there: his deal-making talent, “opportunities” through Tammany Hall associations and Democratic Ward 6 leaders and later senators. Achilles heal is his inability to teach his sons the art of his deal-making talent. He is more focused on insulating his family from his childhood poverty by accumulating wealth and prestige in Brooklyn political and society circles.
Villain is the poor Jewish immigrant Hero invites to become his partner after they meet at Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. An electrician who becomes a talented expert in metals, he and his son “steal” the business from the Hero’s son who is the unwitting president of the company in 1957.
B. Major Hook
Late 1920’s. 7 year old grandson is being taught to count pennies accurately by his elderly, cranky grandfather, Michael Flynn. Impatient to go play stickball with his friends, he sees a large bronze plaque in a corner, a retirement award from his grandfather’s company and asks his grandfather to tell the story of the business.
C. Turning Points
Flynn cottage is “toppled” by British soldiers and they flee Ireland for New York.
Michael Flynn’s father recognizes the value of the ropes left behind by the immigrant coffin ships.
MF dies in 1942, leaving the business to be run by his sons.
Business is stealthy “bought out” in 1957.
MF “returns” to save author of his biography (great grand-daughter’s) life in 2001.
D. Emotional Dilema
Fleeing Ireland.
Safety of MF, the child left behind.
Priority of insulating his family from poverty.
Frustration at sons’ lack of interest in learning the scrap metal business.
Business is secretly “bought out” from his son by his partner and his son in 1957.
Fallout/Impact on MF’s grandsons, who had been to take over the business.
Impact on family after business is sold out from under their father, MF’s son, a president/figurehead who never really learned the workings of the business.
E. Major Twists
MF’s partner and his son are secretly plotting and take over the business.
F. Reversals
Same. MF’s partner and his son are secretly plotting and take over the business.
G. Character Betrayals
Same. MF’s partner and his son are secretly plotting and take over the business.
H. Big Surprises.
The essence of Michael Flynn intervenes at conclusion to save the author’s life.
2. Interest to a Producer
A. Great character roles for big-name actors.
B. Dramatic portrays of Irish Famine, early New York era of
immigrants, Tammany Hall, Great Depression, 50’s New York.C. Opportunities for great musical scores, ie The Godfather, Somewhere
in Time.
D. Universal story of father-son relationships or lack thereof.E. Beyond initial large crowd location scenes, there are many close-in
family scenes, ie kitchens, dining rooms, front stoops. -
Joan Beesley: Producer/Manager
Joan Beesley: Producer/Manager
1. Producers:
ü The Junkman of Brooklyn will be highly successful in your historical fiction selection of films. Based on a novel, it has undergone rewrites and will be modified to your creative and budgetary requirementss.
ü The strong inter-generational/ethnic father and son roles will appeal to actors whose range will bring the stages of Michael Flynn’s amazing life to the screen.
ü Audience appeal goes beyond family saga and ethnic boundaries. The film will capture and explore the dynamic of the father/son relationship and its impact on the families involved, for better or for worse.
ü My goal is to get the film made. Since it spans Ireland and Brooklyn from 1854 to 2001, there will be opportunities for modification in time/location scenes if required.
ü Junkman is similar to:
The Dig: $15-$20 million budget, box office n/a
Somewhere in Time: $4million budget, $9.7 box office
The Godfather: $6-$7 million, $246-$286 million box office
2. Managers:
ü While I am a seasoned author with 6 books on Amazon, this is my first feature film project. I’ve also completed a limited series TV pilot of Junkman, world, bible, etc. Rather then hand it off to a writer’s room, I wanted to write the entire script, hence this complete feature film script.
ü As a writer, I am eager and committed to write marketable scripts, both my own and as a paid writing assignment. I am not a one hit wonder.
ü I want to collaborate with an expert in the industry and that is you! Specifically I want the coaching to develop the best pitch possible for Junkman.
ü My goal is to partner with you to become the best screenwriter I can, open to criticism and making creative changes. I want the professional development, to market myself and my scripts in an outstanding way, that only you can provide!
3. The clarification in this lesson is extremely helpful. The opportunity to work with a manager would be highly valuable to me. This is high stakes for me and a springboard, a manager who knows the world of producers, would be a very valuable interface, to package me as a talented and marketable screenwriter.
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Cheryl,
FYI. Am all set up now!
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Joan Beesley’s Marketable Components
I learned from this assignment to select the most marketable component and focus my pitch around it.
I think I have the 2 components of Wide Audience Appeal and Bankable Roles.
I think my pitch is focused on Michael Flynn’s evolution, arriving as a very sickly three year old in 1854 to scrap metal czar during WWII and WWII and the subsequent loss of his empire due to his (typically Irish) relationship with his sons.
Script begins with his father fleeing the British during the Famine. Fixated on insulating his family from his childhood poverty and proud of his own talent in deal making, he celebrates his wealth and rise in Ward 6’s Irish democratic party and society, yet fails to take time to educate his sons in his business with disastrous consequences in the 1950’s.
Not sure how to improve pitch. I want to convey these things in the shortest amount of words possible. Thinking “Bankable Role” and “Wide Audience Appeal” are already there?
1. Existing Logline:
Consumed by family stories, an author dreams of meeting The Junkman of Brooklyn. Fleeing with his family in 1856, Michael Flynn, an Irish immigrant befriended by Tammany Hall, builds a scrap metal empire salvaging submarines and destroyers. Laser-focused on his rising place in society and politics, can he pass on his deal-making skills to his sons? And did he really put those windows in the Chrysler Building??
2. Components:
(This is hard as I think I have many of these components!)
C/H. (Minor Components). True story adapted from a book to which I have a
pending copyright.G. Wide Audience Appeal: Inter-generational relationship between immigrant
fathers and sons. Everyone has an immigrant background. Every family has
a father. And very often a son (s)!(Godfather, Gangs of New York minus the violence. Echoes of family
business alienation as in Arthur Miller’s All My Sons)J. A great role for a bankable Actor
3 great roles here: Tom Cruise, Pierce Brosnan and Robert Duvall as
Michael Flynn in his life stages.
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Joan Beesley The Junkman of Brooklyn
#1.Genre:
Historical Fiction/Magic Realism
Title:
“40 Shades of Green: The Junkman of Brooklyn”
Concept:
Inter-generational story set in Ireland’s famine years and early Brooklyn. Young deal-making Irishman rises through Tammany Hall, focused on his talent, wealth and insulating his family from poverty. He fails to pass on his expertise to his sons, who are untrained to salvage his huge scrap-metal empire in the 1940’s. (Did his company really put the windows in the Chrysler Building??) The patriarch intervenes in his own biography and finally the author’s life.
#2. This screenplay is a hybrid of Gangs of New York and Somewhere in Time. The connectivity, or lack hereof, between fathers and sons, across this time-span, plus the omnipresence of the patriarch, are most interesting.
#3. I would choose producers, then actors. The work of these producers is the magic I would like to see in my film. A producer, I imagine, would have the best expertise to film and market the screenplay. Below are my choices:
Producers:
The Dig
Producer: Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Gabrielle Tanner/Production Company: Magnolia Mae Films/British Drama Film, limited release followed by streaming on Netflex
Somewhere in Time
Producer: Stephen Deutsch/Production Company: Rastar
The Godfather
Producer: Albert S. Ruddy/Production Company: Paramount Pictures
Meet Joe Black
Producer: Martin Brest/Production Company: City Light Films
Forever Young
Producer: Bruce Davey/Production Company: Icon Productions
Actors:
Next, I would approach these actors as leads in my screenplay as their characterizations of Michael Flynn would be perfect.
Tom Cruise, Actor/Producer, Far and Away, lead role of younger Michael Flynn
Pierce Brosnan, Actor, lead role of mid-life Michael Flynn
Actor/Producer, formed Irish Dreamtime with my in-law Beau St. Claire (deceased), wife of academy-award winner producer Lloyd Phillips (deceased)
Robert Duvall, Actor, lead role of elder Michael Flynn
#4. Today I learned how to hopefully narrow the search for my market.
P.S.
Below is information I may use from Chat GPT:
1. Production Companies:
· Scott Free Productions: Known for producing character-driven dramas, historical pieces, and Ridley Scott’s involvement could be a plus.
· Imagine Entertainment: Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s company often explores family-oriented stories and has a diverse portfolio.
· Anonymous Content: Recognized for producing quality dramas and character-driven projects.
2. Directors:
· Lenny Abrahamson: Known for “Room” and “Normal People,” Abrahamson has a talent for intimate character studies.
· Jim Sheridan: An Irish director with a strong focus on family and immigrant stories (“In America,” “Brothers”).
· John Crowley: Director of “Brooklyn,” Crowley has experience with immigrant narratives.
3. Streaming Platforms:
· Netflix: Has a diverse range of content and has shown interest in historical dramas and family sagas.
· Amazon Studios: Known for producing high-quality original content, including historical and family-themed series.
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Hello Cheryl,
I am trying to paste my Lesson 1 assignment from Word but no success. Do we have to type everything directly into this space?
Thank you!
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Joan Beesley
3 Scripts
Hoping to successfully convert my script to a feature film.
I’ve crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary II.
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Joan Beesley
I agree to the terms of this release form.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by Joan Beesley.
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This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by
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Hi Jenna!
Sounds very interesting, a movie I’d like to see. I was wondering if instead of “timely”, perhaps the actual year (2022, 2023?) of the Tribune award, might make it more immediate, relevant. Just a thought! Sounds both entertaining and poignant.
Take care,
Joan
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Richard,
I’m in!
Thanks!🙂