Tyler Davidson: Take 5 (Part 3)
By Alex Sukhoy
Tyler Davidson is back in Cleveland. Technically, he never left. N.E. Ohio is home base for him. His last film, the controversial Compliance, took him to New York for production and back to Sundance (Parkcity, Utah) for a heated post-screening debate. This summer, two years since shooting Take Shelter here, with Cleveland-based co-producer Bob Ruggeri, he’s producing his next cinematic project, Toy’s House, featuring real-life husband and wife Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) and Megan Mullally (Will & Grace).
As one of the most successful producers to come from the area, Tyler is our Michael Symon of film, and, like his gastronomic creative counterpart, Tyler’s rise is helping other local filmmakers propel their careers. This isn’t random — tremendous hard work, dedication, networking and discipline fuel this level of success. Additionally, having an eye for the right project — the project that will attract high-caliber talent — is a skill that demands a tremendous level of consistency in an industry that checks your box office temperature daily.
In Cool Cleveland’s on-going series profiling his talent, Tyler, knee-deep in production, took the time to share his latest progress with me.
Cool Cleveland: This summer, you’re producing Toy’s House, right here in N.E. Ohio. What convinced you to have another production here vs. going to another city?
Tyler Davidson: When I consider a new project, I always think Cleveland first. It’s my home. It’s where I have family and friends. I know the lay of the land. I know the caliber of the locations and filmmaking personnel. I know how to get things done here and how to have fun doing it. It was a no-brainer with Toy’s House, which is largely set in the woods. The east side of Cleveland, specifically the Chagrin Valley where I live, has some of the most beautiful and diverse wooded areas in this part of the country. I’ve never enjoyed scouting locations more.
What is Toy’s House about and what attracted you to the project?
Toy’s House is about three young teenage boys who flee to the woods and decide to build a makeshift house and live there because they can’t stand their regular lives any more. Their parents are driving them insane, school kind of stinks, and so on. We’ve all been there. We all wanted our freedom. But whereas most of us just sucked it up, these kids say “no more” and actually do something about it. They live off the land as masters of their own destiny — at least until things start coming unglued.
The script by Chris Galletta, which was named to the prestigious Black List in 2009, is flat out one of the most hilarious I’ve ever read. Also one of the most honest. It very much reminded me of something like Stand By Me, or the great early films of John Hughes. The coming-of-age stories that speak to a generation. Plus the producers who I’ve partnered with, Big Beach Films, producers of Little Miss Sunshine among many others, are as strong as anyone in this genre and budget space; and the director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, is amazing. He has such a great, focused vision for the film.
It’s been two years since you shot Take Shelter. What, if anything, has changed about the local film community since that time?
Even though the uncertainty of the Ohio Motion Picture Tax Credit last year (before it was renewed) slowed some of the production momentum, things seem to be on track now. There are some infrastructure-building type things in the works, and I’m hearing whispers of big new films coming to town. The renewal and expansion of the tax credit was so vitally important. I’m able to move forward with Toy’s House and other projects in Cleveland as a direct result. We have a great opportunity to build a new industry in Cleveland. It’s an exciting time.
What else would you like to see happen? How can local students, filmmakers, crew, writers, actors, directors and others passionate about succeeding in the industry help themselves and each other?
Well, for filmmakers, do just that. Help each other. Say you’ll give some days of unpaid work on your friend’s film if they’ll give you some days on yours. Then just do it. Write something. Shoot something. Create some momentum for the bigger and better one that might follow. But put yourself in that productive, creative head space. The good news is that you can write and/or direct your masterpiece anywhere; including in Cleveland. For actors, it’s trickier. There’s commercial and stage work, but not a ton of film opportunities, and virtually no TV here. If you’re serious about making it as a film or TV actor, you might consider spending some months in LA or New York, just trying to get in front of people.
What’s next?
The last film I produced, Compliance, a bloodless psychological horror film inspired by true events, comes out in theaters August 17th. I’m really excited to see how people react to it. It stirred up quite the firestorm of controversy when it premiered at Sundance this past January. Then I’m planning to go back into production on a science fiction thriller this fall. Kind of a crazy year. Never a dull moment!
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Check out Alex’s previous Cool Cleveland interviews with Tyler Davidson:
Tyler Davidson: Take 5 (Part 2): From Sundance to Spirit Awards to Sunshine
Tyler Davidson: Take 5 (Part 1): Spirit Awards and Back to Sundance
Tyler Davidson Close-Up: Cleveland to Sundance
[Pictured: Toy’s House Co-Producer Bob Ruggeri (left) and Producer Tyler Davidson. Photo by Julie Hahn.]
Alex Sukhoy, a globally-networked creative and business professional with two decades of corporate leadership experience, is CEO of Creative Cadence LLC. Her career coaching skills have resulted in numerous success stories for her clients. Alex teaches Screenwriting, Art of Story and Film Appreciation at Tri-C and Business Environment at CSU.
Her five-star rated novellas Chatroom to Bedroom: Chicago and Chatroom to Bedroom: Rochester, New York are now available on iTunes, B&N.com and Amazon.
Alex is currently writing The Dating GPS™, with childhood friend and Relationship Coach Anita Myers.
Follow Alex on Twitter: @creativecadence