Special ROCK WAY ♥

Rock Way

by Jordan Ross

It's not who remembers you, it's how you are remembered.

WHAT IS ROCK WAY?

ROCK WAY is a story of four teenagers walking their own paths as they try to find the best version of themselves in the small suburban town of Rock Way, Pennsylvania. Nick Bradley is a privileged high school junior who has been given everything he needs to succeed, and more. He’s smart, charming, and perfectly complacent with the way his life has played out thus far. Unfortunately for Nick and his family, even the most perfect lives are never quite what they seem. In an attempt to give his family more than he had growing up, Nick’s father, Todd Bradley, orchestrated an embezzlement scandal; hidden from the eyes of the community that trusted him, Todd stole millions of dollars from its residents. When the truth finally comes to light, Todd’s illegal activities slowly tear the Bradley family apart. The crime also has devastating effects on Nick’s relationships with the people around him, including Max Hayes, his best friend; April Ryan, the girl of his dreams; and Stephanie Hall, the girl in the back of the class. In the midst of all the secrets and lies, the students of South High are each searching for something to believe in. They want to relate, to feel, and maybe even find the answers to the questions they are too afraid to ask. Who am I? What defines me? How will I be remembered? As Nick and his friends come to terms with the fact that life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, they find that it’s not who remembers you; it’s how you are remembered.

PROJECT INFO:

PRE-PRODUCTION: WE ARE ALREADY WAY AHEAD OF SCHEDULE AS WE RUN FULL SPEED TOWARDS OUR GOAL OF FILMING IN LATE MAY. WE ARE ALMOST COMPLETELY CAST, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO OUR KEY CREATIVE DEPARTMENT HEADS BEGINNING WORK IN ONE MONTHS TIME. 

PRODUCTION: THE PILOT OF ROCK WAY WILL TAKE NINE DAYS TO SHOOT, AT THE END OF MAY AND INTO THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE. WE WILL BE SHOOTING ON THE (UNBELIEVABLE) RED EPIC TO BRING YOU A REAL, CLEAN, AND BEAUTIFUL HOUR OF TELEVISION.

POST-PRODUCTION:  WE WILL BEGIN EDITING AND SCULPTING A ROUGHLY 55 MINUTES EPISODE IMMEDIATELY AFTER PRODUCTION FINISHES.

WHY "ROCK WAY" AND WHY NOW?:

There are many people out there who may believe that the high school genre has exhausted itself. Some see remakes of television shows like Beverly Hills 90210, and wonder what exactly the point is. The point is that every teenager is looking for something to believe in. They want to relate, to feel, and maybe even find answers to the questions they are too afraid to ask. With another year come another batch of teenagers. They will tune in to see new stories, and, meet new characters, but also to learn something about themselves. As long as there are young adults yearning for something, the high school genre will continue to inspire, continue to convey the emotions we don’t know how to convey, and continue to remind people, invariably, that they are not alone. Rock Way tackles the genre in a realistic and captivating way. I know that a new batch of teenagers will find in our show what thousands have found in its predecessors.

WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP:

You might be wondering why we're trying to raise $50,000. Why THAT number, exactly? There is so much that goes into making a film— the non-glamorous aspects which lead to the polished final product you tune in to every week. When telling a story, of any length, you are creating a world. When you see an image from a film or television show, understand that everything you see (and don't see) has been planned and arranged with a specific purpose. From the location that was chosen or the set that was built, to the set dressing and decoration that fills the space, to the props that color a scene and the costumes your favorite characters wear; everything has been bought and created with a specific story-telling purpose in mind. It takes very skilled and talented individuals to accomplish these tasks. On top of everything you see there are the lights and camera equipment, and their technicians, which also require incredible expertise to execute.

Once you've got your crew, actors, equipment, location, food, logistics (parking etc.), and insurance; it all adds up. For the Rock Way Team to go from concept to the screen, and ultimately to series, we need to produce the best pilot possible. Our production team is of the highest calibre, our cast could not be more perfect, committed and talented - and now we're looking for the very last piece to our puzzle: YOU. 

The creative forces [bio’s below] behind this project are all donating their time, effort and skill to the project but that still isn’t enough to pull it all together. If all of you -- friends, family, and fans --donate what you can (even if it's just a little) we will easily attain our pilot budget, along with the help of equally enthusiastic members of the television community.

On behalf of our creator Jordan Ross, director Matt McInnis, supervising producer Carina Mackenzie, and your favorite Rock Way stars Stephen Lunsford, Drew Seeley, Katherine Mari Stevens, Molly McCook and Katie Wallace - THANK YOU for the outpouring of interest and support. We will go to work every day with the sole purpose of creating a pilot that will lead to seasons worth of television for you to enjoy, laugh and cry with. Rock Way will be a staple and a flag pole for this generation - if you will afford us the opportunity.

THE TEAM:

STEPHEN LUNSFORD (Nick Bradley)

(Twitter/Instagram: @lunsfuhd)

STEPHEN LUNSFORD was born in Sacramento, California before relocating with his mother to Orlando, Florida. As a young boy, Stephen spent many hours in the principal's office for his portrayal of the "class clown." As a way to release some of his built up creative energy, his mother enrolled him in acting class, a decision that has proven to be a wise one for this up and coming young star! You may recognize him from "Kamon Rider: Dragon Knight" and more recently, from MTV's breakout hit "Teen Wolf" and ABC Family's "Switched at Birth." He is excited to help bring "Rock Way" to life and tell a story that he hopes gives others something to believe in.

DREW SEELEY (Max Hayes)

(Twitter/Instagram: @drewseeley)

DREW SEELEY began acting at age 11 in the Toronto production of Showboat. Career highlights include film (Another Cinderella Story, Freshman Father, The Shortcut), television (Glory Daze, One Tree Hill, this spring’s ‘Lovestuck’) and stage (High School Musical: The Concert, Little Mermaid on Broadway). He is also an accomplished singer/songwriter, and was nominated for an Emmy award for co-writing ‘Getcha Head in the Game,’ from the 6X platinum High School Musical soundtrack. Drew’s debut solo album ‘The Resolution’ was released last year, along with five new music videos which are now up on his YouTube page. He is very active with charities including the ALS association, Art of Elysium, NOH8, and LA Food Bank. Drew is extremely excited to bring "Rock Way" to life with such and talented cast and crew!

MOLLY MCCOOK (April Ryan)

(Twitter/Instagram: @mollyjmccook)

Born into a show business family, MOLLY MCCOOK, always knew she wanted to follow in her parents footsteps. Molly started out starring in musicals at the prestigious Stagedoor Manor in upstate New York and also here in Los Angeles. Here, she originated the title role of Octo in "Octomom: the Musical" and played Ilse in the Ovation nominated production of the Broadway smash hit "Spring Awakening" in Hollywood. McCook then started landing roles in TV shows like "Monk," "10 Things I Hate About You," "Free Agents," a recurring part on TBS' "Glory Daze," and performed a duet with Neil Patrick Harris on "Glee." She has recently started her film career with 2 movies. One of which, Excision, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival of 2012. McCook continues her acting career with a music career on the side and is currently writing and recording her own album

KATIE WALLACE (Stephanie Hall)

(Twitter/Instagram: @wallacekatie)

KATIE WALLACE studied acting at New York University’s prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at the Lee Strasberg Theater and Film Institute. She began acting on stage professionally at age 14 and has continued to perform regionally around the Midwest and East Coast. She made her film debut in 2009 in the independent mockumentary Small Town Culture War, taking 2ndPlace for Audience Choice at the Show Me International Film Festival. She then starred in numerous shorts, including the Pulitzer nominated Calling the Loop, This Girl, and Linger. While continuing to study and perform in New York City, Katie was awarded “Best Performance” by Alec Baldwin at the Tisch 48 Film Festival. She moved to LA 2 years ago to pursue television and has most recently had guest stints on MTV’s Awkward, Lionsgate’s School Dance, and Jordan Ross’ other series, Never Fade Away. She has been involved with Rock Way for over a year and is THRILLED to see it come to fruition!

KATHERINE MARI STEVENS (Carter Allen)

(Twitter/Instagram: @thekatiestevens)

KATHERINE MARI STEVENS grew up in Middlebury, CT. She has been singing and acting her entire life. In 2010, she was the 8th finalist on the 9th season of FOX's worldwide phenomenon "American Idol." She has appeared on "David Letterman," "The Ellen Degeneres Show," "The Today Show," and "Good Morning America." Acting has been another love of hers for much of her life, and she is so excited to be a part of Rock Way where she will be portraying the role of Carter Allen.

ALSO STARRING: 

ERIC ROBERTS (The Dark Knight) as Jack Hayes, JEREMY LONDON (ABC's Party of Five and The WB's 7th Heaven) as Todd Bradley, JOHN MCCOOK (CBS' The Bold & The Beautiful) and more!

JORDAN ROSS (Creator/Producer)

(Twitter/Instagram: @scriptwriterjrs)

JORDAN ROSS graduated from Temple University in Philadelphia with a B.A. in Film & Television (with a specialty in Screenwriting) in 2010. He took second place in the 2012 Storyboard TV Writing Competition for his mystery/drama thriller, Winter Harbor. He is currently the show runner on a web series called Never Fade Away, which he writes and produces with I95 Pictures. This past winter, he wrote and produced the Christmas short, "Christmas Without You." Rock Way is a labor of love that has taken him years to bring to fruition and he can't wait to share it with you.

MATT MCINNIS (Director/Producer)

(Twitter/Instagram: @matt_mcinnis)

Having been around a camera since a very young age, MATT MCINNIS has spent the last four years working alongside producers and directors of some of the most popular television shows to come out of Vancouver in the last decade. During that time he's directed multiple award winning short films, the most recent being "The Unvarnished Boy", which screened to much enthusiasm at the New York City International Film Festival. Having worked in Los Angeles, Toronto and Vancouver, he has been afforded the opportunity to learn from industry leaders and mentored by both Oscar and Emmy Award winning members of the film & television industry. 2013 will see his feature directorial debut with the much-buzzed-about "Rocketship Misfits", as well as the further development of two drama television pilots and a half hour single camera comedy for cable television. 

CARINA ADLY MACKENZIE (Supervising Producer)

(Twitter/Instagram: @cadlymack)

CARINA ADLY MACKENZIE grew up in Connecticut, went to school at the University of Colorado, and landed in California. She is currently Staff Editor for Zap2it.com, where she writes TV reviews and occasionally interviews extremely good-looking people about the inner turmoil of teenage vampires and vigilante superheroes.

CREDITS:

ALL PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE WONDERFUL CHARLIE BUHLER! https://www.facebook.com/charliebuhler1?fref=ts

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