Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman Of Double G Films: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker
Interview with Guernslye Honorés
Ditch the timeline. This film has been a 10 year effort for us. I often joke that I gave my youth to this project. But Keith and I believe in the posterity and legacy of film. So, I may have sacrificed my youth to create this film for ultimate immortality.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Filmmaker,” I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman of Double G Films. Their debut feature film, “Lost & Found in Cleveland,” recently completed post production and will be headed to festivals soon.
MARISA GUTERMAN & KEITH GERCHAK met like some classic Hollywood story. At an audition, up for the same role. While neither one of them got the part (the show never aired — karma), they found each other. Over a cup of coffee, DOUBLE G FILMS was born.
Their film, “Lost & Found in Cleveland,” is described as a new American fable about the post Industrial American Dream in the Midwest. A slice-of-life depiction over a 24 hour period that follows the personal odysseys of five very different people, whose lives intertwine when America’s favorite televised antiques appraisal show comes to their city.
The film features a star-studded ensemble cast including Martin Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, Liza Weil, Stacy Keach, June Squibb, Santino Fontana, Esther Povitsky, Yvette Yates Redick, Loretta Devine, Jon Lovitz, Jeff Hiller, Rory O’Malley, Dot-Marie Jones, Mark L. Walberg (Host of Antiques Roadshow), Rob Mayes, Vanessa Burghardt and introducing Benjamin Steinhauser.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us a bit of the ‘backstory’ of how you grew up?
MG: I’m one of the five people originally from Los Angeles. I started acting professionally at the age of six. I went to an all-girls middle school and high school, where women were always the leaders in sports, student government and debate. That environment nurtured my voice, creativity and leadership acumen. My parents and brother were also incredibly supportive. It was as picture-esque as growing up in LA in the 90s can be.
KG: I was a child actor in Cleveland performing with the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival at Playhouse Square, the city’s historic theatre district, that at the time was “slated for demolition to put up a parking lot,” to quote Joni Mitchell. In the 1980s, no one was coming downtown to see Samuel Beckett and five of us would be on stage with four people in the audience. The actors were all brought in from New York, and they would say “kid, get a backup to acting.” Well, growing up next to the airport, my mom would drive me to visit my grandmother on the East side every weekend. Over the Hope Memorial Bridge, passing turn-of-the-century buildings in the Warehouse District, Cleveland’s architecture inspired the permanence, the boldness and the majesty. I decided to become an architect, leading the renovation of some of those same theatres at Playhouse Square that, to bring it full circle, we ended up using as a main filming location and home base for our production offices.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
MG: There’s a Yiddish word, bashert, it means fate or meant to be. Antiques Roadshow is something my dad and I watched together growing up. We were drawn to the real life people who shared their most personal histories, through their objects, with the appraisers and viewers at home. Filmmaking at its purest is about storytelling. So much of this film is centered around our personal histories.
KG: When I hit my 30s, I was very sick and went through a lot of medical tests to find out what was wrong. My doctor called one morning and said how soon can you get to my office? Prepared for the worst, she sat me down and said, “I think you’re on the wrong life path and your body is trying to let you know.” Sounded woo woo, but that day, I decided to pack my bags and move to NY to work in this industry. I then moved to LA and never looked back. This film has been a 10-year journey for us. Our own American Dream, the Yellow Brick Road to the Roadshow, as we call it. Thank goodness I met Marisa in that waiting room!
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your filmmaking career?
MG: How much time do you have? It may have been the time we hired a lawyer in Shanghai to track down the money that we had freed from two different levels of the Chinese government that was confiscated by the broker of the deal and moved into crypto currency. Or when James Franco’s grandmother, a celebrated Japanese print dealer in Cleveland’s Little Italy, pitched him for a role in the film. Or the near miss fire we had when a pack of batteries exploded overnight on set, almost destroying all of our footage. Bette Davis used to say “getting old ain’t for sissies.” Well neither is independent filmmaking.
KG: We ended up casting Dennis Haysbert only 48 hours before he was needed on set for the first day of filming. We had written the role for him 10 years prior, but we had been told by a casting director we would never get him and to not don’t bother. By fate, our choreographer in Cleveland ended up on a late night three way call with him, and 12 hours later, Dennis had read the script and said yes. His performance is as exquisite and vulnerable as we ever imagined it would be. Plus, he’s the gentlest soul and a delight to be around.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
MG: The best way to meet your heroes is to cast them. We were so lucky to cast the film ourselves and to have these icons sign onto play the roles.
KG: Singing “High Hopes” with Martin Sheen on set is something I will always remember. We were watching his appraisal scene on the monitor opposite Dennis Haysbert and I suddenly realized, my God, we pulled it off. It was an out-of-body experience. Every one of the cast members were as wonderful in person and in the roles as we possibly could have hoped.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful toward who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
MG: Keith and I have double-handedly pulled off what is often viewed in film as something short of a miracle. A lot of our success stems from our complete dedication and belief in our partnership. That unshakeable faith in each other and commitment to the project has spanned a decade.
KG: To have each other to lean on, to trust each other’s instincts and intuition more than our own, and know there is nothing we can’t figure out together. It’s such a rarity to find your twin flame, go into business together and create something like this out of the ether.
MG: But we do want to thank the Sebo family, who let us live with them in Cleveland off and on for ten years to make this film a reality.
KG: Our producing partner, Bill Baker, also has a talent for the details of line producing that gave us the confidence to move forward and allowed us the bandwidth to direct. We wouldn’t be here without him and the support of our loved ones.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote?” Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
MG: This is my dad’s line, “you are your own best contact.”
KG: I’ve always taken to heart the words of Daniel Burnham, architect of The Mall at the center of Cleveland’s City Beautiful Movement built during William McKinley’s administration:
“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized.”
Careers don’t move forward by thinking small.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
MG: “Lost & Found in Cleveland” continues to thrill, delight and occupy a lot of our days. The first child is often the most demanding. Through our production company, Double G Films, we have a slate of TV and film projects that range from political drama to straight up comedy and even unscripted. We are also focused on bringing sound stages to Cleveland in support of the burgeoning film industry.
KG: We’re often approached by other production companies to develop projects. We’ll have to save those details for another article!
Which aspect of your work makes you most proud? Can you explain or give a story?
MG: Being a female director is very important to me. Directing can be a bit of a boys club. The idea of being an example for other women to carve their own paths in this industry is humbling and keeps me going on the hard days.
KG: There isn’t an inch of this project that doesn’t have our fingerprints all over it. From raising funds to finding locations with the right wallpaper to learning how to create snow in VFX because it was 68 degrees filming in Cleveland in February. Early on, we had a colleague who said, “you’ll be getting a Master’s Degree in independent filmmaking from this experience.” We ended up with a Ph.D. We could teach the class and now write the book.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
MG: Ditch the timeline. This film has been a 10 year effort for us. I often joke that I gave my youth to this project. But Keith and I believe in the posterity and legacy of film. So, I may have sacrificed my youth to create this film for ultimate immortality.
A dear director friend of ours shared with us that the most important part of directing is HR. Who you hire for each key role is so imperative. You don’t have the money until it’s in the bank. Independent film and start ups are very similar in process. There is inherent entrepreneurialism in independent film.
KG: This industry has a lot of rules and they apply, until they don’t. No one knows anything other than from their own personal experience. No one is a bigger expert in your film than you, so you have to trust that as your North star.
When you create a film, which stakeholders have the greatest impact on the artistic and cinematic choices you make? Is it the viewers, the critics, the financiers or your own personal artistic vision? Can you share a story with us or give an example about what you mean?
MG: The investors and collaborators signed on because of our clarity of vision. Like cats, films also have many lives. There was a previous iteration of the film that fell apart due to a myriad of frustrating events. A year after we had returned the money to our investors, we bumped into one of them at the Cleveland Museum of Art while we were in town for a wedding. She insisted that we get the band back together and that we direct the film. Though we had been pulling the film together for years at this point, we didn’t realize yet that all of these people had wanted to participate in “Lost & Found in Cleveland” because of the vision that we inspired. The only way to ensure the fullest realization of the project would be to execute by directing.
Also, we are lovable control freaks. So you have to make the art for yourself, collaborate with people who make the fight worthwhile and hope that it resonates with audiences. The critics don’t really factor into the equation.
KG: There were two overarching ideas that we expressed to the rest of the team. Firstly, we wanted to capture a Magical Realism, and that this film was at the end of the day a fable. Those were concepts that everyone — a cinematographer, editor, costume designer, production designer or an investor — could embrace and use as a guide and touchstone for the artistic choices that were being curated. This wasn’t your everyday film, it was one that had something to say that we could all agree on and that was bigger than any of us.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your ideas can trigger. 🙂
MG: We’ve already started a movement! Over 1000 Clevelanders participated in the film. From individual investors and corporate sponsors, to actors and crew, to West Side Market vendors and volunteer redcoats at Playhouse Square.
KG: We want audiences to see Cleveland through our eyes and turn around the 50+ year long negative narrative about our hometown. We are proud to have made a film that has a universal message of hope and a belief in the American Dream. Where audiences can see themselves in any and all of the characters, an antidote when we need it the most.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in business, VC funding, sports and entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might see this. 🙂
MG: The entire cast of Shark Tank. Long time watcher, first time caller.
As producers, we have raised every dollar for this film. We have turned the film curious, on the fence investor into partners and friends. We are always willing to have the extra conversation. That’s our secret sauce, our willingness to be present and give time to people who express interest.
KG: So if anyone would like to invest…
How can our readers further follow you online?
MG: We’re always updating our “Lost & Found in Cleveland” and Double G Films Instagrams and websites. Be sure to stay tuned so you don’t miss out on all of the excitement.
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
Keith Gerchak and Marisa Guterman Of Double G Films: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.