Your webseries Pick N Roll - in a few words, what is it
about?
Pick N Roll is about Jerome Jenkins, a former UCLA hoop
phenom and his journey to rebound from injury and secure a roster spot on
the Los Angeles Lakers. A few words about Pick N Roll's
headwriter Tanner Grover, and what's your collaboration like? Tanner
and I work hand-in-hand to create compelling storylines and put our main
characters in constant emotional conflict. How
was the series conceived in the first place?
I'm a film
publicist and Tanner is one of my screenwriter clients. He brought an
initial idea called Longshots to the table and we worked
together to formulate the Entourage elements of Pick N
Roll by using Hollywood as the exciting backdrop. With Pick
N Roll being about basketball - is that a sport you're personally fond
of, and how does your own experience in sports come into the mix? I
was captain of my basketball team in high school and it has been a sport I
have used through the years as a great sense of escapism. It's such a
creative and challenging endeavor because it requires a diversity of
physical skills. It has been awe-inspiring to get on the radar screen of
elite sports broadcasting channels like ESPN and Fox Sports
Radio.
As
far as I know, Pick N Roll is not based on a true story as
such - but I suppose with your past in sports journalism, you must have
heard hundreds of anecdotes that found their way into the series. Am I at
all correct in that assumption? I come from a journalism
background but, indeed, an athlete suffering a major injury that spawns
doubt in his future is a commonality that many people can relate to. How would you describe
your directorial approach to the subject at hand? I
approach the material from a real organic and raw place and encourage my
actors to be as authentic and believable as possible by keeping the set
loose and open to creative collaboration.
Patrick Jemerigbe |
A few
words about your lead Patrick Jemerigbe, and what made him perfect for the
role? Patrick has a similar background to Jerome as he
suffered a substantial football injury which caused him to refocus his
passions. He brought the legit hoop skills to the table and his extreme
likability as a lead allows us to build unique storylines around him.
A few words about the rest of your cast and crew,
and what can you tell us about the on-set atmosphere? We've
created an on-set family and the cast and crew have gone to battle for the
project. I have been utterly impressed with everyone's professionalism and
focus on the goal - which is creating entertaining content.
Why
have you chosen the webseries format to tell your story, and is Pick
N Roll intended as an open-ended series or are you working towards a
pre-set finale?
The narrative of Pick N Roll
lended itself to that short webseries format, and it has been a productive
way for us to slowly build our fanbase. Our appeal is growing on a daily
basis and we have a handful of top-notch scripts in the pipeline for
future episodes so we are going to see how it all plays out. What can you tell us about critical and
audience reception so far? The overall response has been
overwhelmingly positive and I receive emails from all over the country
inquiring about when the next episode will be online. The $64-question of course:
Where can Pick N Roll be seen? You can watch
the entire season of Pick N Roll here -
www.youtube.com/picknrolltheseries.
What can you tell us about your filmwork
prior to Pick N Roll? I've made a handful of
festival short films, and my last feature Roid Rage has been
screened at an assortment of major showcases. Any future projects
you'd like to talk about?
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I just wrapped a new indie
project called Out For Buckner which I hope to take to
Sundance and an array of other distinguished festivals Directors who inspire you? I
like Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Tony Scott, Soderbergh - and, of course, the
masters like Scorsese and Spielberg. Your
favourite movies? Out of Sight, Reservoir
Dogs, Glengarry Glen Ross, Die Hard, Clerks, and Raging Bull. Your website, Facebook, whatever else?
You
can learn more about my PR services here -
www.wickidpissapublicity.com.
Thanks
for the interview! No. Thank you for searching my trash!
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