The World of "John Deer"

Above: Caught somewhere between the worlds of  humans and animals... John Deer must learn to fit into his new world, dealing with cultural misunderstandings, and the call of nature, while avoiding being eaten.

I've been developing a number of T.V. show ideas of my own over the last few years. One of those deer to my heart is an idea based on my experiences growing up in a small mountain town in Wyoming. I call the project "John Deer".

Above: My town doesn't look like this EXACTLY... but it WAS settled primarily by Danish, Swedish, and English immigrants. After working in Denmark I realized that a lot of what I took for granted as "American" or "Wyoming" building styles were in fact Scandinavian.  Of course I have made a few minor embellishments here.

Above: Like my own home town, the community of Killdeer is rich in folklore, and characters from folklore:  Big Foot, Jackelope, the monster in the lake. But to John Deer... these aren't mere mythological creatures, they are friends. 

Drawing on the richness of my real, (and imagined) Wyoming roots. Spinning yarns, and telling tall tales has long been a tradition in my town.  I plan to incorporate this  style of storytelling into the world of John Deer.

Above: The main characters of the show

I've written quite a number of stories around these characters. I am still looking for a production partner, but am hoping to make a "John Deer" pilot episode in the near future.

Above: Uncle Bob quote: "The closer you are to danger, the closer you are to danger."

Topaz Diary

Above: Fred Hoshiyama, in younger years.

Sometimes you have a pet project that you never feel quite ready for the challenge.  I have been working on "Topaz Diary" with my friend, composer Bill Benson, since college.  The story is about another friend of mine, Fred Hoshiyama, and how his life was completely changed in the "Japanese-American Internment" camps of WWII. The story shows how by simple faith, and a lot of love... a bad situation can be turned into good.  The score will drive most of the film, Bill and I met recently to discuss plans for the project, he has some wonderful musical ideas and I am working out some visual ideas.  

Below: Early inspirational sketches for the story from a few years back. 

To learn more about the internment camps, please visit  HERE.