Cortland Spring
Hermosa Beach, CA (USA)
Role(s):
Founder/Owner/Principal
Dancing Lion Productions
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Startup
Location:
Hermosa Beach
Industry:
Entertainment
Year Founded:
2008
Number Employees:
1-10 people
Description:
On May 7, 2006 my girlfriend of nine years passed away. She was a musician and I, an actor. We struggled, but we got by. When she died she left no will and when a family member came in from out of town and took the majority of what little money there was, I was left with an enormous amount of expenses that I did not have the resources to cover. Without going into all the details, I had to move out of our apartment, sell all our furniture, move from one cheap motel to another and max out all my credit cards. Things only got worst from there. I am living in Los Angeles in a mold contaminated house that the lady has moved out of. The house will soon be demolished. I sleep on the floor in the only room that did not get contaminated, the upstairs bathroom. My car is on the verge of getting reposessed and many of my teeth are rotting away because I cannot afford dental work. What a journey to take in only two short years. Going from a moderately comfortable existence to the way I am now living has been a nightmare that I sincerely hope none of you ever have to experience.
I desperately need someone to open up their heart and wallet and give me a helping hand. I just want a chance to get back on my feet. This is not just about me asking for money to survive but for help in starting a production company that I believe has the potential to be very successful. This production company would consist of numerous creative projects which are as follows:
1) While living in Las Vegas I produced, directed and wrote short plays for local theater. These were performed numerous times in a 165 seat theater and we filled the theater every night. Some people called my shows "an adult version of Saturday Night Live" (NOT x-rated, they just contained adult dialog and situations.) I would like to take this concept and my scripts and make them into a cable television pilot.
2)These plays could also be turned into short films. As one Hollywood agent recently said "short films are the wave of the future" (due to the internet and mobile technology.) Plus all the major studios constantly search short films for ideas that can be turned into feature films or television shows. And if they find something they like, it can mean Big Money.
3)In Las Vegas, I had my own live television talk show. Even though it was only a local Las Vegas channel, the show was very popular. I would like to take this to the next level, but once again more geared to an adult audience (Cable TV).
4) A Las Vegas show based on the music of my girlfriend, Elle Silver. She was a singer, songwriter and keyboardist with extraordinary musical ability. She appeared on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson" when she was ten. Once while playing a Los Angeles nightclub, Rock & Roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis comes in, listens to a couple of songs, walks up to her and says "you are an amazing and talented performer". She went on to have her own lounge show in Las Vegas for 12 years. She has a music catalog of over 200 original songs and there is currently two CD's of her music available.
All of the above projects involve the creativity of either myself or my girlfriend. Many people love Elle's music and many people praise my creativity as funny, poignant and unique. If given the proper support and financial backing, I feel that any one (or all) of the above projects can be a successful enterprise for all involved parties.