Two if By Sea: Phoenix Business Journal Cover Story on Us

Today we are in "Two if by Sea" a cover story in the Phoenix Business Journal. Thanks Chris!

Friday, February 20, 2009
Unlikely journeys lead to creation of film businesses
Phoenix Business Journal - by Chris Casacchia

Stephanie Houser Silverman embarked on a new career in the movie business during a shipwreck odyssey in the British West Indies.

Carole Bartholomeaux’s job with a New York Times best-selling author led her to a treasure hunter in Australia.

Eventually, both established film production companies in Phoenix.

The two businesswomen took circuitous routes –– filled with tales of shipwrecks and the open seas –– to the film industry. One day, their own stories may end up on the big screen. But for now, they’re working on movies about other people, and they just struck their first major deals.

Silverman’s company, launch flix, finalized an option agreement with Minneapolis-based Lerner Publishing Group for a feature film based on the story of Holocaust survivor Henry Oertelt, author of the award-winning book “An Unbroken Chain: My Journey Through the Nazi Holocaust.”

Oertelt, a Berlin native, was 12 years old when Adolf Hitler came to power. He witnessed the devastation of Kristallnacht, “the Night of Broken Glass,” on Nov. 9, 1938, with his mother and brother. Many consider that night the start of the Holocaust, as Hitler’s troops burned and demolished Jewish businesses, homes and temples and forced the first 30,000 Jews into concentration camps.

Silverman stumbled upon the opportunity to tell Oertelt’s story onscreen during a serious travel predicament.

In September 2006, she sold her firm, launch PR, to Allison & Partners. On March 1, 2007, she embarked on a sailing trip around the world with her husband, Hayden, an avid sailor, and their golden retriever, Celis (named after a Texas beer).

But four months into their voyage, their 42-foot Fountaine Pajot Venezia catamaran, aptly named Plan B, was hit by lightning, wiping out the electrical system, radar, VHF radio and lighting.

Stranded on the Caribbean islands of Turks and Caicos for three months, Silverman began chronicling their mishap. She rented numerous movies from a store miles inland and read books about screenplays and the film industry in her spare time. The pair’s only real communication with family was via the Internet.

After her husband fixed the boat (the auto pilot had to be shipped back to its manufacturer in France), they continued their journey, traveling to many island nations, including St. Thomas. There, she had a chance encounter with Oertelt’s granddaughter, who told Silverman her grand­father was looking for a screenwriter.

In June 2008, the couple sold their boat in the Virgin Islands. Two months later, Silverman returned to the U.S. and opened the downtown Phoenix office of launch flix.

Oertelt’s screen adaptation is in development. The company is scouting locations in Europe and looking for talent and investors.

“My main concern is putting out a great film on the lowest budget possible,” said Silverman, who also is working on a screenplay dubbed “Plan B.”

Independent movie budgets can range from $2 million to $12 million.

Jennifer Lopez to Star in Plan B the Movie

I have always dreamed of this day. My friend Lynn called from her plane before take off tonight. She just heard that Jennifer Lopez will be starring in a movie called Plan B due out in November, 2009! She was so excited.. I hated to tell her that its the wrong Plan B!

Her film will be about a single woman who conceives twins through artificial insemination (her Plan B), only to meet the man of her dreams (Plan A) the same day. My film is the story of two people who sell everything to travel around the world, get hit by lighting and end up on a little island in the Caribbean. I an currently planning to speak to CAA in January to help give me guidance about selling the script. If you are interested, drop me an email at steph(at)planbadventures dot com.

What a bummer. CBS Films is taking the movie title Plan B. I registered my script under a different working title name. Back to the drawing board for a catchy new title.

The good news is I will definitely be using the momentum from her Plan B exposure to market my Plan B. Shouldn't be long now!

American Film Market, welcome aboard plan b

IMAGINE IF YOU SOLD EVERYTHING YOU OWNED, BOUGHT A SAILBOAT… AND ESCAPED TO A TROPICAL PARADISE.

Plan B is based on a true story of a couple who sold everything to travel around the world on a catamaran with their golden retriever. They get hit by lightning and stuck on a little island in the Caribbean.

Well, that's what happened to us, and now my tear and alcohol stained journal tells the story. Contact me for a synapsis or a copy at steph(at)planbadventures dot com, or for more information, visit launch flix. We are looking for distributors, investors, actors, and crew. We will be taking meetings at the American Film Market in Santa Monica from now through November 12.

It's the perfect time to make an Escape comedy.

“The escapist musical Mamma Mia scored all over the world. It just became the highest grossing British film of all time according to Universal Pictures International.

“In times of economic gloom, people seek affordable and escapist entertainment. Mamma Mia! has really tapped into the public's desire for feel good escapism. An absolute phenomenon." Phil Clapp, chief executive of the Cinema Exhibitors' Association (CEA)"

“If I were a studio head I’d be making a bunch of light escapist movies—including comedies and romances, going forward…” Anne Thompson, Variety..

introducing launch flix

H and I are making progress with our new production company, launch flix. We decided to stick with the LAUNCH brand (my last company) and keep things moving forward. Here's a picture of him shopping for his new camera.

Soon we hope to finalize a deal with the author we have been speaking with and publicly announce our affiliation. We have been busy getting familiar with the biz and are making plans to find a new home for launch flix in Los Angeles.

I continue to work on the Plan B screenplay and hope to get that in development as well.

Follow us over to launchflix and keep in touch!

Action!

It's been a little over a month since we left the Caribbean. Things are happening quickly now that we are on dry land.

I am moving forward in setting up a production company so we can produce independent films. Right now, I'm trying to come up with a catchy name, and like all my former clients, I want the dot com that goes with it, too. (Unfortunately Brad Pitt's production company is already called Plan B, or I would have picked that.) Then, we'll move to a new web site.

Our first project may take us in a completely different direction than the Plan B comedy. Right now, it's too early for details but all I can say is that I'm overjoyed about the quality of the new project. It's an intense and meaningful life story of a close friend's family and I am honored that they are interested in working with me. I'll post the details as soon as it makes sense.

I'll also be looking for investors in the film and production company as well as crew.. so keep in touch!

It's crazy that somehow our time off lead me on this new path but I am loving every minute of it. Meanwhile, H is looking at opening a restaurant in downtown Phoenix with a very talented chef. Yum.

Don’t Stop the Carnival: One last island – Water Island

Yesterday we had the best day. We woke in C’s place, at Point Pleasant Resort with an amazing 180 degree view (see pic from one side of the deck) of Water Bay at St. John, Tortola, and Congo and Levongo Cay, and Thatch Cay. After we had coffee and relaxed on a couch (a luxury for people who have not had one, or a TV for so long) we got dressed and went to Water Island with J. He drove us in an open air jeep that has a tie dyed roof, very island. When we arrived at Crown Bay Marina, there was Plan B. We walked by but when we did, we saw movement in the salon and decided not to say hi. Yesterday H was kind enough to help T move the boat from the American Yacht Harbor to Crown Bay Marina. His dog was already out of sorts from all the changes from moving from England, and it got sick underway. In fact, we have been told that Saturday was one of the roughest days on the water that they have had in quite awhile – definitely since we have been here. So, hang in there, T and B – it’s all down hill from here! (Course I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t thrilled that I didn’t have to be on that trip.)

Our friend J from Jester came over in his new dinghy and gave us a ride to his boat, where his friend L was hanging out. It was really nice to sit on someone else’s sailboat. Jester is a 38 foot Irwin that J charters in the area. J told us that Kenny Chesney’s people contacted him awhile ago when they were coming to do a video to charter his boat for crew for a few days when they were shooting at Jost Van Dyke, but he was booked up. (Which song, does anyone know?)

After a drink on Jester, we went into Honeymoon Beach at Water Island (the inspiration for Don’t Stop the Carnival, a fabulous book about island life). It is a very quaint beach with two little beach bars – Heidi’s Honeymoon Grill and Joe’s Beach Shack. After a succulent burger (their description on the menu) H and I went for a quick swim and immediately saw a sting ray and some other basic fish. When I went back for a second swim in the afternoon, I actually saw a fish I hadn’t seen before – gorgeous blue and green patterned.. I’ll have to look it up in our fish guide book when we get home.

Later we took the dinghy to a little place in Frenchtown, back in St. Thomas, that said it was their last day. We then drove up to say goodbye to our friends from Happyface Foods, J and J. They recently moved and have a darling place on the North end with gorgeous views of Megans Bay, one of the top ten beaches in the world according to the Fromers Guide. (And if you haven't tried their delicious all natural Happyface ice cream, you must! Go to their Four Winds location and tell them Plan B sent you. Our favorite flavor is Mint Chip, see photo of H on boat enjoying one last splurge!) Finally we went back to Pointe Pleasant and shared our last mahi mahi sandwich for awhile.

We just turned the dial to Regis and Kelly and she was just saying she was at Rawhide, at the Pointe at South Mountain this past weekend, which is where our townhouse is. She was showing pictures from her visit to Arizona. Weird! Well, that’s where we’re headed, to pick up Celis and then head out to the mountains.

Goodbye St. Tizzy! Goodbye C, J and J, J, J, and all our other locals! We had a ball. We are so glad that we had Celis with us when we met you, otherwise, we would have been very lonely, that’s for sure. Ciao.

SOLD!!!!!!

We did it. It’s over. We have sold Plan B to a very nice guy we’ll call T, and his adorable, cuddly dog, B. This happened in record time – two days after our listing went up on the Internet with Catamarans.com, we got an offer, and negotiated with that buyer resulting in our sale. Our buyer is from England, which didn’t surprise us based on the value of the dollar today. He is planning to eventually sail to Croatia and charter there. At this point, he plans to keep the name of the boat. Especially when we told him about my screenplay and that in a few years, he’ll be able to charge a premium to sail on the original “Plan B.”

Good luck to T and B, and thank you to all our friends and family who supported us through this tumultuous time getting through our deal and paperwork. And it’s not quite over, as we just discovered the airline wants over $500.00 to change our tickets, so we will have to “suck it up” and stay on the island until Monday.

I had mixed feelings this afternoon. Naturally I’m thrilled to go home and see all our friends and family, and Celis! (It’s been over two months since we shipped her home to beat the airline heat restrictions.) But I’m sad our cruising days are over. It was definitely the most exciting – and challenging – time of our lives. Some of the best parts of our trip? Sharing the boat with our friends and family, catching a mahi mahi for dinner, snorkeling in the crystal clear waters of the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, spotting dolphins and turtles, laying in the trampoline while underway, Celis fetching her water toys off the back of the boat, listening to a music festival from the boat in Tortola and meeting wonderful people all along the way. Last weekend, we were in an anchorage called Cinnamon Bay (just like the Kenny Chesney song) and we saw a spotted bat ray breach out of the water next to the boat. It was amazing.

Now the blog can take a whole new direction, the evolution of a screenplay. We are headed to the mountains for the fourth and see family and then I will start the journey of a screenwriter. As I’ve already mentioned, I have been working on a screenplay based on our experiences. We are very excited and thankful for our health, our sanity and the amazing friends and memories we have collected over the last year and a half.

Shalom.