A Visit with Award-Winning Film Maker Cy Dodson, Creator of Beneath the Ink

Many people are probably unaware of the scale of the Catalyst Content Festival, now in its 14th year, that took place in Duluth in mid-October. To give an idea of how big the event is, festival director Philip Gilpin said there were more than 800 films submitted for consideration from 25 countries this year. Nearly 90 films were screened and 26 scripts read during the five-day event.

One of the films I saw was an extremely powerful documentary called Beneath the Ink. It came as no surprise to me when it won Best Documentary. Even better  was hearing the news that Director Cy Dodson was signed by the Abrams Agency, a major sponsor of the festival.

What did surprise me--but shouldn't have--was discovering that Dodson and I both graduated from Ohio, University in Athens.

EN: How did you come to choose Ohio U in Athens and what was the focus of your studies?

Cy Dodson: I grew up in Zanesville, Ohio which is about an hour drive to OU. A lot of my high school friends went there. It's in the hills, nice location for a school. I was undecided for a while in college. I took a variety of classes, a lot of engineering and music classes. I ended up getting a communications degree with an emphasis on audio production. Not a whole lot of jobs for audio/music recording. I ended up working for my home town television station. I was in the news business for the next 8 years as a journalist, ended up moving to Minnesota in 2000, working for KSTP.

EN: How long have you been making films?

CD: I'm sort of a late bloomer. I made my first documentary My Last Breath in 2015, The Ragman in 2017, and Beneath the Ink in 2018. All short films. Short films are typically the entry point for first time filmmakers, so I've screened with filmmakers at festivals that are probably half my age. I wish I would have started 20 years ago, but times were different back then. You had to take out a second mortgage to be able to buy a camera and editing system.

EN: How did you come to take an interest in film? Did you grow up with a camera in your hand?

Billy, the central character in Beneath the Ink.

CD: I thought I wanted to have a career in music, that was about the only thing that I thought I was halfway decent at. So that was my path in college. I didn't pick up a camera until I started my first job after I graduated. It wasn't my first love, but eventually became my profession.

EN: Beneath the Ink is a powerful story. How long did you work on this project? Can you share how it came about?

Hiding a swastika beneath another design.

CD: My first two films were a process. It's like anything else, you have to a do it a few times, gain experience and learn what works. Beneath the Ink was filmed in less than a week’s time, mostly over a weekend with a couple pick up shots. More so than anything with the film, it was the subject matter and story. The story sold this. I didn't have a crew, the production value is good but it's not epic, but it's timely and it's redemption angle resonates with people.

EN: What’s the key to successfully telling a story in film?

CD: It's really all about the story. Is it universal, timely, and thought provoking? If the answer is yes to those questions, it would be worth pursuing. I see many filmmakers putting so much time and effort into films that really have no chance at success because the story isn't there. It's so hard to find unique stories that have a complete package, including surprises, layers, and emotion. There have been stories told on tattoo artists that cover up racists tattoos, I haven't seen any documentary films.

EN: Congrats on your Best Documentary award at Catalyst. There was a lot of competition. Now you’ve been selected to be represented by the Abrams Agency. Can you share how that came about and what’s next?

CD: Catalyst was a great experience. To be honest, I didn't know what to expect. I went to one of their intro meetings in Minneapolis to hear their spiel. At the time, I didn't know I would be pitching a series. I noticed something on social media about deadlines for submissions and 15 dollars, hit the submit button. I've spent a lot more for a lot less at festivals before. We won Best Documentary, met with several networks, and signed on the dotted line for representation with Abrams. That 15-dollar submission went a long way for us with Catalyst. I would recommend learning more about Catalyst, even if you don't have anything to pitch.

EN: Anything you’d like to say to future creators?

CD: Be bold, take chances, and learn from mistakes. The competition is fierce, there are more content creators now than there's ever been. I had a great run and still got a pile of rejections from festivals with each starting, "we had a record number of submissions this year." Even if your film doesn't win awards and get a distribution offer, that doesn't mean you failed. Build on what you learn from each project.

Covering a Klansman with an American Eagle.

The End Is Near: Catalyst Content Festival 2019 In Duluth--By the Numbers

It's been quite a week. Today's agenda is a bit shorter, culminating in the Red Carpet Awards Gala beginning at three. (It wouldn't be Hollywood without a red carpet, right?) Will we see any Ruby Slippers? Judy Garland was from near here, so it wouldn't be totally out of place.

I was feeling a bit laid back this morning and decided to assemble some numbers for my Medium blog post today. The catalyst for that idea came from an interview I had with Darryl "King Rick" Farmer of the Black Panthers of Milwaukee, who was featured in a documentary by Dogsnose Productions.

After posting that it seemed worthwhile to share some of the Catalyst numbers to accompany the photos I've been taking. I've always been fascinated by numbers, with one of my favorite features from Harper's magazine over the years being the Harper's Index.

Number of seasons experienced in Duluth this week: 3

This particular list does not include things like number of volunteers who participated, or even how many people were here, but I'm certain some of that will emerge once all the tallying has taken place.

Catalyst
By the Numbers

Number of people who watched movies in the Zinema
theaters: A lot.

4--Number of times the letter A appears in the title sponsors name. (Abrams Artist Agency)
5--Number of days in the Catalyst Story Institute & Content Festival.
14--Number of years the Festival has been in existence.
800--Number of entries into the competition. (Actually more than that.)
25--Number of countries from which entries came.
23--Number of panels and presentations.
113--Number of stories, shows, scripts.
6--Number of Documentaries
4--Number of Animated Stories
6--Number of Reality shows
32--Number of Dramas
33--Number of Comedies
6--Number of Podcasts
13--Number of Comedy Scripts
13--Number of Drama Scripts
98--Number of Executives, Panelists and Speakers listed in the Festival Program.
7--Number of these whose picture was not in the program.
29--Number of Sponsors listed in the Festival Program, the top five being Abrams Artist Agency, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, HBO, SAG-AFTRA and the Television Academy.
87--Number of times I heard someone comment on the weather. (No, I made that up.)

The Zeitgeist, where I served as a volunteer Saturday, was continuously buzzing with staff, content creators, execs and attendees. I saw no evidence that our snow had any dampening effect on enthusiasm.

* * * *

Jaki has been a trooper coordinating volunteers.

* * * *

Ingeborg Von Agassiz entertained patrons in the cafe.

* * * *

One of the panel discussions that took place in the Teatro Zuccone

* * * *

* * * * 

Creators drew attention to their work with colorful handbills and promo items.

* * * *

Service with a smile from Jessie and the other Zeitgeist staff made the long days easier.
Special thanks to Tony Cuneo for all he does in support of the local arts scene.

* * * * 

Volunteer Carolyn Nelson Kavajecz is no rookie when it comes to hospitality.

* * * * 

Samuel T Weston, head wizard and film maker. Glahon &the Knaves of Industry.

* * * *

Kudos to all the Creators who had work accepted and shared, or had an opportunity to meet industry players.

Related Links
Catalyst Panel on Reading the Room (Networking for Success)
Catalyst Day Three
A Few Eye Opening Numbers That May Surprise You

Day Three: Waxing Poetic @ Catalyst

Friday afternoon I had an opportunity to be a volunteer again for the Catalyst Festival that is taking place this week October 9-13. Friday was my second day at Fitger's, having attended the panel discussion Reading the Room yesterday. Today I was a greeter, smiling and helping direct people to the sessions there, standing by a chair on the stairs, pointing them away from a door and encouraging them to climb another half flight.

"When you reach the top make a right."

I had my pen and notepad with. Being a writer, it's something I'm seldom without. Between sessions, when there were occasional lapses of activity, I scratched a few notes on my pad, penned a few haiku, captured poetic phrases and described the scene that lay before me, which was essentially walls, rails, stairs and the pattern of tiles on the floor.

The stairs especially noodled my imagination. I waltzed down various dead end streets in my mind--wondering what kind of wood the beams were, what color stain was used--but also found a connection between our role as volunteers and these stairs the people had been climbing all day. Here's what emerged.

THE STAIRS
(A Metaphor for the Volunteers)

Stained and polished 
awaiting to fulfill their function
uncomplaining
stepped on all day long 
while helping others ascend.
"We're here to take you higher."

Catalyst Swag Bag for VIPs

Let me add that the "we're stepped on all day long" only refers to the stairs, not us volunteers. In reality, the volunteers have been having a very special experience. Neuroscience has now revealed that when we smile at one another and make eye contact, we get a dopamine rush. So, all afternoon Friday it was like one of those IV bags of fluid they put you on in the hospital dispensing timed release morphine droplets. Not exactly that, but you get the picture. That poem, in too rough draft condition to share here, was titled The Dopamine Effect.

* * * *

At one point a creator and an executive were talking animatedly and I overheard these words: "You need a story. You need an amazing story." Which served as a catalyst for the following poem.

Sound Advice
(FOR CREATORS)

Step it up.
Then step it up another notch.
Take that first idea and amp it.
Zap it!
Make it move.
   Make it come alive.

Strike it with lightning!
   Now teach it to dance.
Add a dose of romance
    and maybe…
The magic will happen.

     * * * *

If you get a chance to volunteer this weekend, the festival could use your help. And there might be magic for you, too.

TO VOLUNTEER visit CatalystContent.org/Volunteer

Getting Ready for Catalyst: A Visit With Paul Lemenager of Dogsnose Media

Brian Leighton, "American Buskers"

I heard a rumor last month that there were no local films accepted to be part of  next week's international content festival. Ironically, the very next day I was posting an interview with two local women, Megan McGarvey and Katie Lindow, about their documentary Outsourced, a film about a UWS incident that is being featured at Catalyst.

Next, I discovered a short documentary on painter Jeffrey T. Larson, co-founder of the Great Lakes Academy of Fine Art, after which I stumbled upon another local connection. Local writer Jean Sramek had a script accepted for a different aspect of the five-day festival.

When I called Lance Parthe (Parthe Film & Video Productions) to inquire if he was involved in any way, I learned that his team had two documentaries in the festival. You can see the sizzle reel here for American Buskers. Lance suggested I reach out to Producer Paul Lemenager and I called to set up a meeting.

We met in the studio offices and flipped through a series of topics. I've been working with Parthe Productions for more than 30 years as a client, for a range of projects including training videos and television commercials.  (See: The Changing Face of Post-Production for Movie Makers) So, I am well acquainted with the Parthe team.

The two videos accepted by Catalyst are actually products of Dogsnose Media. Dogsnose is a subsidiary or side-project of Parthe comprised of Lance, Paul, Nick Kapanke and Matt Wiechmann whom Paul referred to as Mega-Matt. Each member of the team brings a set of gifts to the whole and a long history of exceptional work. (Paul also performs as a jazz singer, but this is not relevant for the purposes of this story, so I won't elaborate.)

Mega-Matt works out of Mankato as a nationally acclaimed DJ, putting on foam parties with smoke-filled bubbles. He gets hired for special occasions like weddings, school parties, Vikings training camp, big family gatherings. His parents are professors.

Nick is a 25 year veteran in the film & video world who got sucked into the Parthe Vortex at some point. He's a key part of the team as a director and chief creative officer for Parthe when Lance is not involved. I personally worked with Nick on several extreme sports TV spots 20 years ago.

We began by talking about Dogsnose Media in general. "Our first project was called Hopping the Pond," Lemenager said. "It involved a boxer named Kell Brook. His brother Billy the Hard Man makes videos, and is a brilliant comedic talent. When Billy turned out to be unavailable, we found a replacement, Neil Hurst, who is an accomplished actor."

American Buskers, one of two Catalyst-selected videos Dogsnose produced, came about when nationally recognized Twin Cities artist GB Leighton came in to Duluth for a concert at the Beacon Inn. "A group of us went up to watch him and before the concert he started working the crowd. He came to our table, asked questions and learned our names. He proceeded to circulate and learned everyone’s names, which he endeavored to work into his act. It was highly entertaining," Lemenager said, adding, "I enjoy music and come from a musical family and especially appreciated it."

Nick and Paul love music, so they wanted to produce a documentary around the fringe musicians of the busker scene. As they were brainstorming who to have as MC, it was a no-brainer. Brian Leighton. Gaelynn Lea and Joe Anderson also appear in this video.

"No Justice, No Peace"

Another big project, also accepted by Catalyst, is No Justice No Peace:The Original Black Panthers of Milwaukee. (Watch the Trailer.)

This show came together thru viral videos. Lemenager’s nephew asked if he had heard of them. Darryl Farmer, a.k.a King Rick, grew up as a cub in the Panthers. He taught high school, was a basketball coach, and was a bodyguard for some of the original Black Panthers. "He’s an interesting guy. His bodyguard is Quodo." Lemenager admitted. "This is one of the more interesting projects I’ve been involved with in my life."

Historically, after the activism of half century ago the Black Panthers broke into two divisions. One group remained militant, the other became community minded. No guns. Don’t beat people up. Use your influence to make things right.

Today King Rick is head general of Black Panthers of Milwaukee which are in resurgence nationally. There is a lot of civil strife in Milwaukee. "Milwaukee is not a city of inclusion," King Rick says. "Milwaukee is a city of illusion."

The Dogsnose Media team visited their headquarters, as well as local businesses, the Milwaukee mayor's offices and the Governor Walker's office in Madison. Several month's later King Rick and company came to Duluth to continue filming. In addition he was made available to speak at local schools of which Proctor, where a majority of the kids are Caucasian, was the only one who accepted his offer.

“I got to be a Black Panther for a day," some of the kids said afterwards.

* * * *

The Catalyst Content Festival begins a week from tomorrow. Follow this link to check out the schedule of events, films and other activities. Festival Schedule

And if you're a serious screenwriter, the Jacob Krueger Studio Masterclass looks like something that I can't help but imagine would be useful.

A Visit with Actress/Producer Keely Gelineau: A Believer in Dreams

Keely Gelineau

Earlier this spring ITV Fest announced that they were moving their annual festival related to television series production to Duluth for their 14th season. This past month I attended a follow up meeting in which a name change was announced. The international festival going forward will be called Catalyst.

One short term project (it will no doubt be ongoing) is the assembling of a Catalyst Production Guide so that movie producers who choose to work in this region will have a directory of local skills related to building sets and other requirements for supporting a major production.

Manager of the production guide is Riki McManus, with a long history of being an advocate for Minnesota when it comes to Hollywood film making here.

Keely Gelineau is another member of the team and her story begins with a dream.

EN: You started out here in the Northland, but followed your passions. Can you share some of how that unfolded for you?

Keely Gelineau: Yes, I was born and raised in Duluth. I have never moved away. I started a family young so I’m anchored here with my three children. This also made it nearly impossible to work in my industry.

Since I was 8 years old I wanted to be an actress, no one knew what to do with me in Duluth. My parents trying to be supportive put me in acting classes at the local playhouse, though I was never really into theatre. I wanted to be involved with TV. When I was 11, I was told I may want to rethink my goals.

As I would get older I would volunteer to be in local TV commercials to keep that itch scratched, but I took others’ advice and focused on a career in business.

I continued to act and model as a hobby, but I never knew how to make the jump between a hobby and a career. Nor did I realize this was a viable option.

By fate I also met my agent, Caryn Rosenberg. She developed me into a professional model and actress and took me out to New York to network. Within six months of having an agent I was presented with 7 international awards in modeling and acting. After that my career began to take off.

Gelineau being presented with award for International Female Lifestyle
Model of the Year in New York City, July 24, 2015.

EN: That must have been exciting. How did you end up staying rooted in Duluth?

KG: I was traveling constantly, loving the life but at the time I had a partner with cancer and three young children so the travel was too much. I also missed operating a business.

I am in love with business, I have owned multiple companies so I decided to take my business network and combine it with my newly acquired knowledge of the entertainment industry and become a producer. This way I could work primarily in Minnesota, travel less, and be home with my kids more. AND bring my kids on set with me if I were the boss!

EN: So what’s the show about that you’re producing?

KG: It’s a TV show called Starfish. I take celebrities and their biggest fans on wild fishing adventures all around the world.

In the meantime my bread and butter is working with businesses creating commercials, internal videos and creative content for their social media. Besides having a business background I’m educated in medias and production as well.

On the set of upcoming TV movie Wing Girl.

EN: How did you get involved with Catalyst?

KG: I actually met Philip Gilpin randomly when we were sitting at the bar at JJ Astor. We were sitting next to each other and just struck up a conversation. He asked, "What do you do?"

I said, "I'm an actress and producer."

"In Duluth???"

Because of my vast business network and experience in the industry Catalyst enlisted me as part of the team to create the production guide.

To me, this is a true blessing to have Catalyst move to Duluth. I love my industry more than anything and I love helping others advance in their careers as well. To have the ability to bridge the gap between local and mainstream is a dream come true.

I had a different take on the modeling and entertainment industries when I first became involved on a professional level; I saw a lot of competitiveness and wanted to change that. I decided to help people learn the industry and break in any way they can. By helping others rise, I rose.

Another shot from Wing Girl.

EN: I’ve seen that amongst writers as well.

KG: I began a production company utilizing as many freelance crew as possible. Instead of competing, I wanted to work with as many as possible, pay them well and develop quality work with great people. I am also in the process of developing a database of Minnesota talent to launch a talent agency early next year. My company (Polished Perception) also provides safety and EMT services to film sets.

EN: You said you own other businesses as well?

KG: Aside from the entertainment world, I partially own a steel cutting company (Magnuson Cutting Specialists) working in the Duluth and Iron Range areas. I also do business consulting in a variety of industries. I work based out of Duluth but operate nationwide. My next steps are attending law school to become an entertainment attorney.

Being able to live and work in Duluth is amazing. I'm a huge outdoors girl and have never found a more perfect place to live.

EN: Seeing how busy you already are, what was your motivation for getting involved with Catalyst?

KG: I’m doing this because I believe in our region, the people, the land, the talent. I’m doing this for the blue collar, hard working people who deserve quality, well paid work. I’m doing this for the little girls in small towns such as Ely to show them that they can live out their passions right from where they are planted.

I didn’t have that as a young child. I was told the entertainment industry wasn’t a real thing. With Catalyst being here, they have changed my life as well as my children’s. Being able to work here in my home state is a dream come true. Being able to stimulate the economy in a major way is something I am very proud of and it wouldn’t be possible without Catalyst. When I tell Catalyst my story and how thankful I am, they respond “it wouldn’t be possible without community support.”

EN: How can people sign up to get their skills and businesses listed in the Catalyst Production Guide?

KG: Individuals and businesses can find the sign up form online at https://www.catalystcontent.org/production-guide 

Or if they need additional assistance they can contact me directly at Keely@catalystories.com

Related Links
ITV Fest Rebranded as Catalyst
Catalyst Content Home Page

A Visit with Hollywood Insider Katie Strand of the Catalyst Content Festival

This spring I attended a meeting in which it was announced that ITV Fest is coming to Duluth. Last week the public was invited to a follow-up meeting to announce a name change (TV Fest is now Catalyst) and to get the word out regarding a Production Guide Project, which will serve as a directory of local talent and services. The directory would serve as a useful tool for attracting film makers to do production in our region. The rationale is that a production company can cut their costs if they don’t have to ship in all their resources and skills from elsewhere. After all, making movies and television shows is a business, and managing costs is a key variable in the success of any business.

Katie Strand, who was a presenter at both these meetings (along with Exec Director Philip Gilpin, Jr.) was born and raised in Duluth, both of her parents being career teachers. She’s spent over 15 years based in Los Angeles working in Film and TV Production, and has shot in over 20 states and 3 countries (including China, Texas, Virginia, Florida, New York, and of course, California.)

She soon discovered how job skills and businesses outside of New York and Los Angeles easily translate into well-paying production jobs and vendors, especially in places like Duluth which has a high concentration of people with strong talent and work ethics.

One thing that struck me about Katie Strand was how self-assured she appears to be. In both events where she was presenting she came across as completely centered and controlled the room. After the latter we agreed to meet for coffee at Beaners (soon to be Wussow’s Concert Cafe). I was interested in sharing her story a little more fully.

EN: A lot of television programming seems formulaic, with fake applause and makeshift audiences. Is this part of the reason TV producers have tried to move outside of the Hollywood machinery and work independently?

Katie @ “Galactic Innovations, Star Wars” event.
The Millennium Falcom in the background.

Katie Strand: There’s a ton of reflection taking place in the entertainment media. What I see happening is a distribution shift from the model of going to the movie theater to direct-to-streaming. There was definitely a breakup of the industries around Netflix, streaming and the Internet. There was not enough bandwidth initially but what’s happening now in movies and television is similar to what happened with Napster in the music industry.

The pattern has been 3-to-6 players who own everything. New things get developed and then bought up.

When I taught Communications and Media in High School the students learned how interconnected everything is. It’s important to understand who is giving the information and what their agenda is and what the intentions are of the companies involved.

I’m curious to see what’s going to happen with shows like Girls, Insecure and Fleabag, where you have female show creators who are also on camera. I’m hoping to see that a diversity of voices will keep audiences engaged

EN: When did the Hollywood bug first bite you so that you actually decided to go to Hollywood? When you left home and headed West, what was your plan?

KS: As a child I most loved singing and playing piano, dancing and movies. I was a little performer and as I grew up I felt this call toward being in the entertainment industry. I loved storytelling and movies. As a teen I went to the Arts School at the Perpich Center for Arts Education.During that time I auditioned for a show at the Walker Art Center, which became my first professional, paid gig.

I went to California to go to college in San Diego as a communications major with a film focus and a music minor. While in college I landed an internship as a production assistant, an experience which opened doors for NBC, which led to more work with most of the major networks. Industry contacts open doors.

* * * *

Just another of Strand’s many gifts.

As a Hollywood insider it’s apparent she’s garnered a keen understanding of the inner workings of the film and television industries. The importance of contacts was underscored more than once, and without stressing it became apparent that hustling for assignments is a way of life in Hollywood.

Having Duluth roots has made Strand a strong asset to the Catalyst team. She exemplifies the Minnesota work ethic that is part of our Northland DNA.

The current Talent/Production Guide Project is a high priority and on a tight schedule in order to be ready for the October festival. As she noted at Fitgers last Wednesday, the Production Guide will be useful and is important. Producers and directors need to know they can offset costs by utilizing our local businesses and workforce to service production needs here in Duluth, she explained.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Catalyst, the 14th annual five-day Content Festival is slated for October 9-13 here in Duluth. For information about how to participate or get involved visit the Catalyst website here.

HERE IS A LINK to the PRODUCTION GUIDE Page that lists the kinds of skills and needs they want to have listed in the guide, as well as contact information for Katie Strand, Riki McManus and Keely Gelineau.
https://www.catalystcontent.org/copy-of-plan-travel

Better Yet Go straight to THIS PAGE and fill out the Catalyst Production Guide Contact Form.