COVID-19 Couldn’t Damage The Fame!
This Sunday, June 25, 2023, marks the 2nd anniversary of my comedy short film, ‘A Stand for Damaged Fame’.
Back in 2019 when I was living in Jacksonville, Florida, I wrote a script based on the TV personality, Norman Korpi’s invention, The A-STAND which is a portable tray to hold up a laptop. I felt having a reality star promoting his creation in a therapy session with other celebrities would make an interesting short film.
I had everything from the cast and production crew lined up for this unique project to take place in Jacksonville. By the way, the film community in Jacksonville, Florida is amazing. My cousin, Jacob Menache, an extremely talented filmmaker, was on board to direct this short film – and then along came COVID.
I had to postpone shooting several times due to the pandemic and oddly enough, I was offered a job back in Alexandria, Louisiana. I hated to leave Jacksonville, but I felt that I needed to be closer to my family, especially during COVID. After moving back to Alexandria, I pulled the script off the back shelf and re-wrote it with Kent Arceneaux. Kent directed ‘Brunch before Baptism’. We had to shorten the script as well as cut out of few characters – but we made it happen!
I knew right away that Norman Korpi would play himself and it was an obvious decision to cast the others.
Jenn Gannon was cast as Brittany Bancroft, the insane therapist. I met Jenn at a film festival in Orlando, Florida. She is an actor at Universal Orlando Resort. I would describe Jenn as Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn rolled into one. Her comedic acting skills in ‘A Stand for Damaged Fame’ earned this gifted actress several nominations and awards for Best Actress in film festivals such as the Houston Comedy Festival and the Mannheim Arts & Film Festival. I got a packaged deal on two brilliant artists. Jenn’s sister, Stacey Gannon did the hair/makeup.
Jennifer Weeks nailed the part of Jackie Green, the comedian with anger issues. Jennifer is a comedy guru who was hosting the LOL JAX Film Festival when I saw her perform. Her beautiful aura combined with her remarkable wit grabbed my attention – and instantly, I knew she would be perfect for this film. The Singapore World Film Festival is just one of the many film festivals where Jennifer took home the award for Best Supporting Actress! Check out her website at JenWeeks.com.
Matthew Sauvé was perfect for the role of Aidan Ethan Masters, an A-List actor suffering from substance abuse issues. Five years ago, Matthew and I sat at the same table during the awards ceremony at the West Europe International Film Festival in Brussels. I told him that if ever I had a part for a leading man with strong facial expressions and a dry sense of humor, I would contact him - and I did. Matthew is a multi-award-winning actor. Matthew’s impressive body of work can be found on his IMDb page.
It's hard to believe that it’s been two years since the outstanding crew and cast of ‘A Stand for Damaged Fame’ were all together. A HUGE Thank You goes out to: Alex Arceneaux, Kent Arceneaux, Manch Cadwallader, Jenn Gannon, Stacy Gannon, Norman Korpi, Tanner Lemoine, Carstens Luck McConville, Farrah Reyna, Matthew Sauvé, Crystal Snider, Simon Tudor, and Jennifer Weeks.
- David
