PRESS
Cherokee Student is ready for his Close-up
By LINDSEY HILTY
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009
LIBERTY TWP. -- Cherokee Elementary School fourth-grader Jaden Montgomery is ready to start signing autographs.
Two years ago, the 9-year-old landed a lead role in a situation comedy that last week screened as part of the Cowtown Film Festival Series -- a 10-week celebration of homegrown movies and shorts in Columbus.
"Two Doors Down" is a story about a beloved and precocious son who is the focus of recently divorced parents who decide to live two doors down from one another.
The improvisational comedy, by Louie Cowan and scOtt summitt, was filmed in Ohio two summers ago, but is now being pitched to networks as a potential sitcom or Web series.
Jaden got to watch the completed films the first week of December 7.
"I thought it was probably the best of all the things they had at the theater, and I thought it turned out really good," he said.
Since 4 or 5, Jaden said he wanted to be a star.
"I want to have my own TV show and be a big star," he said. "I just like acting and I like seeing myself on TV. And I just like setting money and stuff, and the money goes to my college account."
His parents, Rick and Valerie Montgomery, say they don't plan to move to California any time soon, but they will support their son's passion locally.
Valerie Montgomery, assistant principal at Cherokee Elementary School, said her two boys caught the attention of a talent agency and have landed commercial roles, modeling gigs, and movies. Montgomery said she and her husband drove Jaden to Columbus each weekend when he was 7 to tape the sitcom.
He also is awaiting the release of a movie, "Easy Rider, the Ride Back." He and his brother Caleb, 12, play Peter Fonda at different ages in his childhood in the prequel to "Easy Rider."
Their parents and his sister, Morgan, 14, were extras in the film.
And while her sons are waiting to strike it big, Montgomery said she encourages them to act in their school productions and hone their acting abilities close to home.
"Right now, we're just happy with whatever comes along here and there," she said. "One thing leads to another in this type of business."
For more information, visit www.twodoorsdowntv.com
Copyright © 2009 - Pulse-Journal Liberty Township.
Staff Writer
Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009
LIBERTY TWP. -- Cherokee Elementary School fourth-grader Jaden Montgomery is ready to start signing autographs.
Two years ago, the 9-year-old landed a lead role in a situation comedy that last week screened as part of the Cowtown Film Festival Series -- a 10-week celebration of homegrown movies and shorts in Columbus.
"Two Doors Down" is a story about a beloved and precocious son who is the focus of recently divorced parents who decide to live two doors down from one another.
The improvisational comedy, by Louie Cowan and scOtt summitt, was filmed in Ohio two summers ago, but is now being pitched to networks as a potential sitcom or Web series.
Jaden got to watch the completed films the first week of December 7.
"I thought it was probably the best of all the things they had at the theater, and I thought it turned out really good," he said.
Since 4 or 5, Jaden said he wanted to be a star.
"I want to have my own TV show and be a big star," he said. "I just like acting and I like seeing myself on TV. And I just like setting money and stuff, and the money goes to my college account."
His parents, Rick and Valerie Montgomery, say they don't plan to move to California any time soon, but they will support their son's passion locally.
Valerie Montgomery, assistant principal at Cherokee Elementary School, said her two boys caught the attention of a talent agency and have landed commercial roles, modeling gigs, and movies. Montgomery said she and her husband drove Jaden to Columbus each weekend when he was 7 to tape the sitcom.
He also is awaiting the release of a movie, "Easy Rider, the Ride Back." He and his brother Caleb, 12, play Peter Fonda at different ages in his childhood in the prequel to "Easy Rider."
Their parents and his sister, Morgan, 14, were extras in the film.
And while her sons are waiting to strike it big, Montgomery said she encourages them to act in their school productions and hone their acting abilities close to home.
"Right now, we're just happy with whatever comes along here and there," she said. "One thing leads to another in this type of business."
For more information, visit www.twodoorsdowntv.com
Copyright © 2009 - Pulse-Journal Liberty Township.
Clintonville, German Village settings for sitcom pilot
By ANGELA MYERS
Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 2:45 PM EDT
Cast of "Two Doors Down"It could have happened in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles, but two producers decided to give Columbus the credit it deserves.
"They say Columbus is the heart of it all, and it's an icon for the American family," said Louie Cowan, producer, director, and actor in Two Doors Down. "It's where people feel things deeply."
Two Doors Down, created by Cowan and scOtt summitt, is a sitcom pilot centered around the struggles of divorced families.
Mostly based in the Clintonville and German Village areas, a group of 20 actors get together week after week to capture the beauty and elegance of Columbus in their sitcom pilot.
After the pilot is finished, there are three options the producers have for the compilation.
"The true goal is to get it seen by as many people as possible so they can laugh at the situations that are so typical of divorced couples sharing custody of a kid," Cowan said.
"If you think about it, it's a pretty serious situation but it goes on in life all the time. We're giving a chance to laugh at the silly things that we do in life and that just come out of these situations that are based very much on reality."
Since June, the group has been working on four episodes, each about 16 minutes in length. The four episodes, once they are finished, can be put together into a feature film that can be taken to film festivals. The primary goal, Cowan said, is to take it to a network and create a larger series.
Another option -- which Cowan said will happen no matter what -- is publishing the pilot on the group's Web site, www.TwoDoorsDownTV.com.
Cowan is playing the lead role as Kevin Stone. Amber Mikesell is playing Jennifer Pierce, Kevin's ex-wife. The plot line is based around their son, Daniel Stone, played by 7-year-old Jaden Montgomery.
Kevin moves two doors down from Jennifer to help raise his son. The comedy and drama is centered around the divorced husband and wife, who have completely different personalities, trying to raise their son in different ways.
Bill McKinley is playing the role of Steven Pierce, Jennifer's new husband. Jessica Cameron is playing Summer Perkins, Kevin's girlfriend. These two characters, in themselves, create hostility and drama in the relationships among Kevin, Jennifer and their son.
summitt, producer, plays Baxter Neuhaus, Kevin's quirky best friend who tries to give Kevin the best advice he can in certain situations, often times making the situations worse than they were before.
The overall plot is something that, according to summitt, has a universal appeal.
"We wanted to keep the situations grounded in reality and in truth," he said. "The situations we're presenting in these series are kind of ridiculous and silly, but there is a universal appeal."
Mikesell said when she read over the storyline, she was shocked this was the first time anyone has tried to create something like this.
"I wonder why you don't see more of this on TV," she said. "When I read it, I wondered why I haven't seen anything like this before. It's so hilarious."
Most of the acting is improvisation, where the actors are given general ideas for each scene and run with it, creating their own lines and their own comedy.
Copyright © 2008 - Columbus Local News
Published: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 2:45 PM EDT
Cast of "Two Doors Down"It could have happened in Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles, but two producers decided to give Columbus the credit it deserves.
"They say Columbus is the heart of it all, and it's an icon for the American family," said Louie Cowan, producer, director, and actor in Two Doors Down. "It's where people feel things deeply."
Two Doors Down, created by Cowan and scOtt summitt, is a sitcom pilot centered around the struggles of divorced families.
Mostly based in the Clintonville and German Village areas, a group of 20 actors get together week after week to capture the beauty and elegance of Columbus in their sitcom pilot.
After the pilot is finished, there are three options the producers have for the compilation.
"The true goal is to get it seen by as many people as possible so they can laugh at the situations that are so typical of divorced couples sharing custody of a kid," Cowan said.
"If you think about it, it's a pretty serious situation but it goes on in life all the time. We're giving a chance to laugh at the silly things that we do in life and that just come out of these situations that are based very much on reality."
Since June, the group has been working on four episodes, each about 16 minutes in length. The four episodes, once they are finished, can be put together into a feature film that can be taken to film festivals. The primary goal, Cowan said, is to take it to a network and create a larger series.
Another option -- which Cowan said will happen no matter what -- is publishing the pilot on the group's Web site, www.TwoDoorsDownTV.com.
Cowan is playing the lead role as Kevin Stone. Amber Mikesell is playing Jennifer Pierce, Kevin's ex-wife. The plot line is based around their son, Daniel Stone, played by 7-year-old Jaden Montgomery.
Kevin moves two doors down from Jennifer to help raise his son. The comedy and drama is centered around the divorced husband and wife, who have completely different personalities, trying to raise their son in different ways.
Bill McKinley is playing the role of Steven Pierce, Jennifer's new husband. Jessica Cameron is playing Summer Perkins, Kevin's girlfriend. These two characters, in themselves, create hostility and drama in the relationships among Kevin, Jennifer and their son.
summitt, producer, plays Baxter Neuhaus, Kevin's quirky best friend who tries to give Kevin the best advice he can in certain situations, often times making the situations worse than they were before.
The overall plot is something that, according to summitt, has a universal appeal.
"We wanted to keep the situations grounded in reality and in truth," he said. "The situations we're presenting in these series are kind of ridiculous and silly, but there is a universal appeal."
Mikesell said when she read over the storyline, she was shocked this was the first time anyone has tried to create something like this.
"I wonder why you don't see more of this on TV," she said. "When I read it, I wondered why I haven't seen anything like this before. It's so hilarious."
Most of the acting is improvisation, where the actors are given general ideas for each scene and run with it, creating their own lines and their own comedy.
Copyright © 2008 - Columbus Local News
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