Back in the day, 2002 to be exact, a couple actors appeared in a segment called 'Folklore', one of a four part anthology in Fearmakers first film, Death4Told. In that segment, Rich Sommer (left) played Donnie, a tough guy jock with a sensitive side and Nar Williams (right) played Travis, a jokester with a penchant for ghost stories. Well not to ruin the ending for all those on their way out the door to find this little unwonted gem of a movie, but both guys die.
Thankfully, their careers didn't die with their characters. Rich moved to NYC, did some commercial work (you might have seen him in a Verizon 'dropped call' ad), had a part in The Devil Wears Prada and appearances on a couple TV shows and then hit the jackpot with a supporting role on AMC's Emmy winning series Mad Men. Rich plays Harry Crank, a bow tie wearing ad exec. He shares a SAG award with the rest of the cast for Best Ensemble, and I'm sure he'd tell you life is much better now than getting shot in the ass with a BB gun.
Nar went to Texas, 'cause you know everything's bigger in Texas, including the movies. He got a small part as a pizza delivery guy in Man of the House starring Tommy Lee Jones. Then, like so many actors before him, he made his way to LA. The self proclaimed uber nerd is now the host of the Science Channel series Science of the Movies, a very cool show if you're in to nerds or movies. Nar also hosts a web show called Head's Up on www.craveonline.com where he reviews all things geek. The show is well made and very funny.
One of the cool things about low budget movies, especially horror, is the chance to work with someone at the beginning of their careers. Sometimes you also work with people at the end of their careers but that's a different story. But actors like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston, Johnny Depp, the list goes on and on, all got their break in a low budget, shitty horror movies. We hope that when Rich and Nar are super famous like Leonardo DiCaprio and Kevin Bacon, they can look back on their careers and see that black smudge that is Death4Told and embrace it knowing that movies like that only kill MOST actors' careers. Seriously guys, call us sometime. Please.
Check our Nar hosting Science of the Movies on the Science Channel Tuesdays at 9pm. And see Rich in Mad Men which begins its 3rd season in August on AMC. Congrats gentlemen, you deserve it!
A friend, who ironically worked on Fearmakers' first feature Death4Told, is now a web designer. He recently told me about a class he took and particularly about a book he had to get for that class. The book was Motion Graphic Design: Applied History and Aesthetics by Jon Krasner. In the companion DVD there was something interesting, the opening titles were there as examples of professional work in motion graphic design. Pretty cool that the work appearing in the film was being used to teach others. Steelcoast Creative, the designers of the opening title sequence, did a tremendous job and have been working on our projects ever since. In fact they've worked on EVERY project ever since including our sub-division Strange Stuff.
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