Writer/Director, ES Productions

So tell us a little bit about your film company and how you got started.

Well, we originally started off as a sketch comedy group in Chicago. We’d been performing at different venues in and out of the city for a few years, and had a built up a great local following. We started making a few short films, and enjoyed it so much we decided to focus our energy in that direction exclusively. So far it’s been an incredible ride! The name of our show was Enough Stupid Starts a Fire, and Enough Stupid Productions was born from there!

I’ve seen “The Next Level” and in spots was darn near rolling on the floor. Can you give us some behind the scenes “nuggets” about that project?

Absolutely! Arthur falling out of his shoes was completely unscripted, and he really did down that entire can of Monster in one take. We had such a great time, that there were three times as many outtakes as were shown! Plus the day that we picked up the van that would become our “superhero” van, it broke down literally 50 feet after we drove it off the lot. Needless to say, it was the perfect piece of junk we were looking for. Also, the Forest Sage running away was just a gag we shot for our own amusement, but it ended up being so hilarious, we kept it in the movie! Much to the dismay of Bennie Woodell, the actor who portrayed him. Deep down I think he finds it funny. Or maybe he secretly plots my death, that’s entirely possible too…

Have you pursued Sundance or any similar festivals to debut your work?

We just premiered The Next Level in January, so we just finished a flurry of festival submissions within and outside the country during the first part of the year. Many of them are set to decision this month so keep your fingers crossed for us and check www.enoughstupid.com for updates! If you don’t want to wait for it to be screened at a festival near you, you can always get one from us!

How did you first discover disc golf?

I’m sure it’s the same time that a lot of people did – College. Erin Pallesen, the co-founder of Enough Stupid originally turned me on to the game, and I’ve been an addict ever since. Oddly enough, the name of our group was brainstormed while walking to the third tee at our favorite local course. Plus it always seems like half of our best ideas come when we are playing there, it’s our lucky course.

Was there a defining moment of clarity when you knew you wanted to produce a disc golf movie?

Well, I get about ten minutes alone in the bathroom everyday…no wait, but seriously - Last summer, we found a little more time to play disc golf after we had wrapped up production on our most recent project. While we were playing, as we often do, we began quoting lines from some of our favorite movies, many of which are sports themed. And then it dawned on us right then, why doesn’t this amazing sport have a movie? There’s so much inherent drama in this game, and I believe it is tailor made for film. We know that there are millions of disc golfers out there, who love this game and are passionate about it as we are. If Nascar, ping pong, paintball, and dodgeball all have their film, we thought that it was time disc golfers finally had theirs. Don’t you?

Your next project is a disc golf comedy of sorts. Will you share your vision for the film?

We are big fans of those old classic 80’s ski movies. You know where the slacker has to race against the hot guy down Devil’s Peak to save the Rec Center from getting torn down? Plus we grew up on Karate Kid, Rocky, and Flashdance. Well, maybe not Flashdance. However, we wanted to make a throwback type of sports movie, in the same vein of those classics. However, at the same time we want to put our own spin on it, capture the spirit of the game and the people that play it. That’s why we named the film “Clubless”. One, because we obviously don’t play with clubs like they do in “ball” golf, but also because we feel that disc golf is open to all kinds. There’s no ultra-exclusive country clubs, or the elitest attitude. The most important thing to us is not only to make a hilarious film, but to make one that is worthy of this sport and it’s fans.

How long do expect it to be before we see a finished product?

We will wrap shooting on July 29th as long as everything goes to plan. We already have some amazing bands lined up for what’s going to be an amazing soundtrack. I’m expecting to premiere “Clubless: The Legend of Victor Montango” in Spring of 2008. Just in time for the new season of disc golf to begin!

The disc golf community is a fairly loyal and supportive bunch. Is there anything golfers can do to help?

As an independent film company we depend of the support of the fans. If anyone would like to help, please feel free to contact me directly at james@enoughstupid.com ! Otherwise, you can purchase our new feature comedy The Next Level right from our website at www.enoughstupid.com ! Thanks to everyone who’s already supported “Clubless” and I just can’t wait for everyone to see it! I promise, you’re going to love it!