Produced in West Seattle a T.V. show heads to the network
Fri, 08/13/2010
It's another rainy August day in Seattle, and the cast and crew of the Divine Marigolds couldn't be happier. In a cramped West Seattle home, 20 crew members, 5 producers and 2 cast members are bursting with creative energy as they film a character vignette to promote The Divine Marigolds.
Maybe it’s the luck of the Irish, but everything seems to be going right for this Seattle based family sitcom slated for Network T.V.
It all started on what was yet another overcast day in early October 2009, much like a day one would experience in old Ireland. Two actor/producers in Seattle, WA were regaling family tales.
The resulting nostalgia planted the seed for the creation of The Divine Marigolds, a new Irish family sitcom. A quirky and wholesome family show much in the vein of 7th Heaven crossed with Arrested Development, culminated from the work of Lisa Coronado, Alder Sherwood, and soon after, writer Hugh Berry. Right away they started putting together the most creative and ambitious production team they could get in Seattle by bringing onboard Producers Will Chase and Jeremiah Kaynor as well as Art Director Jordin Paul Mitchell.
A unique feature of this show, unlike two popular shows shot in the NW (Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure), is that the actors and crew of The Divine Marigolds have been exclusively hired from the WA state area. Washington has a huge pool of talent and crew; supporting this community was paramount on the list of the Producers priorities.
Another priority of the producers was to make Irish tradition a fundamental character in the show. “Staying true to Irish culture and heritage of this area is important to the integrity of the show. Therefore bringing onboard John Keane, of the Seattle Irish Heritage Club as a Cultural Advisor, was a huge boon.” mentioned producer Jeremiah Kaynor. “We have gone to great lengths to stay true and accurate in terms of representing the Irish Community here in Seattle.”
Both of the original creators, Lisa Coronado and Alder Sherwood know first hand what it's like living with a large, loving and boisterous Irish families; they want to stress, however that this show isn’t only about Irish family culture, but ALL family dynamics. Irish just happens to be what they know.
Founded by Lisa Coronado and Alder Sherwood, Corwood Productions is working hand in hand with Seattle’s Hugh Berry of Status Factory Productions and Will Chase of 3rd Eye Films along with local producer Jeremiah Kaynor to put out high quality film and television in the Pacific NW. (This includes their feature film, The Orpheum slated for production in 2011!) Hugh Berry and Will Chase, both actor/producer/directors, along with Jeremiah Kaynor joined to help round out the production team. All together they are a rising power house of film makers in Seattle.
In the Pilot episode of The Divine Marigolds entitled, "Finnegan's Wake" we follow members of the Marigold family as they deal with a daughter's return home after a prolonged absence, growing marital woes, sibling rivalry, annoying neighbors and an untimely death in the family. But it's how this family reacts, in spite of their differences, that results in a heartfelt and hilarious show as it surrounds the family member’s lives.
The show is filmed at some well known locations in West Seattle neighborhoods. First, the family business, Alki Bike and Board, which is an actual popular West Seattle shop that has been a pillar of the Admiral area for years. Next is the popular local Irish Pub, the Celtic Swell, where the family has the wake in the pilot episode and the patriarch of the family uses it as his home away from home to mingle with his fellow Irish born friends. Last but not least, Husky’s Deli, where a certain Marigold member gets lunch for her family on a regular basis and ends up meeting a new worker that becomes an emotional affair.
The Divine Marigolds provides a much need injection of life to Seattle's film industry and it couldn't come at a better time as Seattle faces the loss of the Film Incentive that Washington Film Works has been working hard to hold onto over the last few years. Corwood Productions, along with Executive Producer Larry Owens, was able to boost the Film Incentive in Missouri and is looking to help do the same back home in Washington. “The Divine Marigolds is just the tip of the iceberg.” says Producers Will Chase.
Find more information at the links below.
The Divine Marigolds Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Divine-Marigolds/49284911…
The Divine Marigolds Kickstarter Page: The Divine Marigolds team has been working hard to raise the funding to film the show. You can help support them at: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/403514233/the-divine-marigolds-a-tv…
You also can support their Kickstarter Page by sharing the link: http://kck.st/bco7cC
The Divine Marigolds Twitter: http://twitter.com/divinemarigolds
The Divine Marigolds Webpage: Under development and soon to be up: http://www.thedivinemarigolds.com/
The latest interview with Alder Sherwood and Lisa Coronado was done live on ITVNW on 08/09/10 where they talked about all their work as well as The Divine Marigolds. The interview can be seen at: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/8830959