13th GRADE: HOW THIS HAPPENED

The story of 13th Grade is a special one to me. It all started (cut to flashback) in Wilmington Delaware on some cold Sunday morning a few years back. I have no idea at all why I was there, it was some sort of film function, and my first thing I’d ever directed was called THE WRONG FORTUNE COOKIE and was coming out that following week. So I showed up. On the way in I met 2 gentlemen named JJ Garvine and Jamie Snow, they were both flying high as they had a film called YEARBOOK that won a fancy award, and they were there because they were going to film a follow up film to that. Funny guys, good laughs….I don’t remember why we were there….but I do remember many of the film folks had a really elitist "I’m better than you" thing happening, which turned us all off…..so we split, went our separate ways and that Sunday was considered "not much to plug Fortune Cookie, but JJ and Jamie were nice fellas"

The following week at the premiere of WRONG FORTUNE COOKIE, I was pacing, nervous….and bumped into….those nice guys from last week! JJ and Jamie! They’d come out to support my directorial debut, and like anyone who comes out to anything I do, I’m really grateful and thank everyone profusely. The screening went well and they’d just gotten Dustin Diamond to commit to their film 13th Grade. At that point….within a week of that screening, I think I was given one or two lines in "13th Grade" I was very very grateful. Heck I got my SAG card for saying the word "KEYS" so I know what even one word can do for a career!

A few weeks later, on yet another cold day I get a call. It’s JJ. It went like this:

JJ:"Hey were had a meeting and thought maybe you’d to play a bigger part that you’re playing right now"

TIM: "Sure, what were you thinking?"

JJ: "A bigger part…..David Easter"

TIM: "is he the main kid?"

JJ: "Yes he is"

TIM "That would be fun"

JJ: "Ok we start in January"

It was like that! It was a nice boost, I’d done a lead role in ensemble film and it didn’t do very well and I was coming off the end of a contract on daytime television. This was EXACTLY what I wanted to do, mainly because that year at Sundance Jeanine Garafolo said something in an interview like "if you do daytime TV you should do an indie film because you have people who know you but you’re not like….DHARMA (of Dharma and Greg I TOLD YOU THIS WAS A WHILE AGO!) So JJ’s phone call and Jeanine Garofolo’s advice, 13th Grade was the move to make. Plus, the script was hilarious. I loved the way it was written, it jumped off the page like "a really exciting chase happens (IT COULD BE EXCITING!)" the script didn’t take itself seriously, but the filmmaking was. This was the move!

So for the next few months…I had some laughs, a lot of laughs, great cast, great writing, and the press was really kind to us. The film came out, played some festivals….and pretty soon right after….we got an offer. Pretty exciting right? They loved it and I loved that they loved it! Deal fell through….film sat. It bugged me, because I was so proud of this one. This one really had all kinds of fun to it. I like that it’s weird and funny and quirky. I think the film sat because the distributors were marketing it as a major film, when it’s a small fun indie.

With that that….13th Grade is now available to your eyes and funny bone. Right here. No cost, just a click. You bring the popcorn, the film is on us.

With such great pleasure…."13th Grade."

13th Grade from hollydogfilms on Vimeo.

 

Take care, be good and long live Delaware D High,

TIM