Post Premiere

July 19th. Premiere night at the Hollywood theater in Portland. We had a great turnout thanks to an amazing amount of positive press in the days leading up to the show.

It is always an equally exciting and unnerving experience to watch your work in front of an audience for the first time.  But in this case, trying to figure to what to say before the show was the most terrifying thought. Because the show aims so hard to be genuine, I knew I had to be too.

As I thought about what to say to introduce the series to everyone, I fell back on where it all came from. From my own attempts (and failures) to help. From everything I’ve learned, which actually doesn’t amount to great lessons but more questions and confusion.

Because what the series is about – and I think, a lot of life is – is trying to connect. Even when we don’t know how. Even when it’s messy. Even when it fails.

We’re now in process of getting it up online for everyone to see. In the next few days, all the episodes will be on our website. In a few weeks, we’ll have it on a number of platforms.

Thank you to all the people who’ve liked it so far. Who have supported it, and understood what it’s about. The misconceptions, the struggles, the universality of discomfort and a little bit of craziness (or a lot). Of need and not knowing. Of trying, and trying and never giving up. And of letting go.

And of course, the importance of laughing at it all:)

Kids + Saving the World

I was interviewed by Helen Raptis on AM NW the other morning, and one of her last questions was a good one, and one I hadn't been asked before... how has having children changed your views on helping the world? Having thought about it over the last few days, I must say honestly it's a lot harder than it used to be. The world seems more vital than ever to protect when you have children just barely starting out in it. And yet, the busier you get, the easier it is to put those problems aside and focus on your own. The thing is, since they learn by example - yikes!... I can't give up. She has to see me stop on the street even when we're busy or have our hands full - she has to see me helping and struggling with the ways we can best help -  that's the only way she'll believe me when I say it's important. And maybe the way she'll take part in her own community, a big part, and do even better than I've done.

Saving the World

When I was a kid, my family talked a lot about poverty. Those were dinner table discussions. I lived in the city, so I saw homelessness and thought - there must be a simple way to save everyone. Something no one has thought of yet. What is it? I would lie in bed at night, planning the world's best homeless shelter, one that would not only train people but provide jobs too. It seemed so clear that what people needed was to be healthy and well, and to have work that paid. So if we could just do that... As an adult, it seems just as clear - but not as easy. I hope I'm not disillusioned. A lot of smart people have tried and we haven't figured it out yet. But I hope we don't give up. I hope we keep grappling with the difficulty of it. And never stop looking at what we see in the world. 

Editing

I was trying to explain to my mom today what an editor does. To anyone who has never seen the insides of filmmaking, it's a whole new world when you realize that editing a film (or episode) can mean 1, 2, 3... or 10 different versions. That an editor can make you feel sad, or happy -  or make sense or confusion of a storyline - just by where they place an image, or a bit of dialogue, or scene. I'm so grateful for editors. They have the patience that I never had to work through the possibilities, and come out with the best choices.

Music!

How do you write music for a tv show? I'd been dying to ask our composer Alan Singley the same question. In case you don't know him, Alan is a fixture of the Portland music scene. He's composed and recorded with his band, Pants Machine, as well as solo. This is his first scoring gig.

"I took all your notes, and read them carefully... and then put them away, and just composed from my own feel for it."

Sounds like an artist to me.  Melissa and I are loving what Alan's music does for the show. I hope I'm the only one who hears it pre-music because it's so much better now:)

April 12

We are all edited with 1 episode to go. I am excited beyond blog words at what we have put together here. We realize we're playing with some awkward and unique comedy here. I think we're playing with some good truth and some real, although eccentric, folks. We can't wait to share it.