We made a movie about Red Wanting Blue. Yes, it’s got music. But it’s not a musical.

Six years ago, my head cheerleader at The Awesome 80s Prom grabbed me after one of our shows and said, “Ken!  You have to come with us.  We’re going to hear my boyfriend’s band!”

I offered her $100 to not go.

But she was persistent and passionate (one of the reasons I hired her), and she guaranteed that I would like what I heard.

She was wrong.

I loved it.

For two hours I watched as Scott Terry led his band, Red Wanting Blue, through a powerhouse set of real American rock-and-roll, with tunes better than most of the stuff on the radio.  The hundred-plus fans that packed this little Village club, many of whom had driven 8 hours from RWB’s home state of Ohio, went nuts. And I finally realized what the cliche “blowing the roof off the joint” really meant.  I guess there was a reason critics had called them, “The best independent rock band in the USA.”

And then, when it was over, and the band had finished signing autographs and shaking hands, the band packed up their equipment themselves, argued with the club owner for their share of the cover, and then jumped into their beat-up van, and left on a 400 mile trip to their next gig.

It was their routine . . . and it was one they had been doing for over 10 years.  And despite the fact that they hadn’t “made it” yet . . . they had also refused to give up.

It was an incredible story, and it had incredible music.

So, naturally, I started talking to the guys about writing a musical.

And when they asked me what it would be about, I said, “What I want is a story like . . . well . . . yours.  I want your story, your story, your . . .”

I stopped myself and suddenly realized that what I really wanted was THEIR story.  And maybe the theater wasn’t the best medium for something so real.

So I made a documentary.

Making a movie was something I have never done before.  And it was certainly outside of our comfort zone.  But as we often say around my office when we are faced with something that we haven’t done before like, oh, I don’t know, a board game?), I said, “Hey, it’s not brain surgery. No one is going to die if we #$@ it up.  So why not?!?”

And now, after a couple of years of following these hard working guys around, I’m thrilled to say that it is done . . . and it’s available on DVD now.

If you want to see a story of underdogs in an industry that might even be harder than the theater, if you want to hear some great music by a band that deserves to be on the radio, or if you’re just a reader that wants to support a theater producer trying to do something new, I hope you’ll get the DVD.

It was great fun to do, and incredibly educational.

In fact, it inspired me to make another movie.  So start sending us your screenplays. 🙂

Watch the trailer and buy the DVD at www.RedWantingBlueMovie.com.

The lead singer may not be my boyfriend.  But like his girl, I guarantee that you’re going to like what you hear.

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Podcasting

Ken created one of the first Broadway podcasts, recording over 250 episodes over 7 years. It features interviews with A-listers in the theater about how they “made it”, including 2 Pulitzer Prize Winners, 7 Academy Award Winners and 76 Tony Award winners. Notable guests include Pasek & Paul, Kenny Leon, Lynn Ahrens and more.

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