L.A. Screening A Huge Success!!

Jason London at the Majestic Crest Theater

Thursday March 11^th at the gorgeous Majestic Crest Theatre in Westwood was a fantastic evening for The Putt Putt Syndrome. The flashing lights of the historic marquee introduced old Hollywood glamour into the evening, and provided the perfect setting for what turned out to be a truly memorable event. The Majestic Crest was filled to capacity, and the lobby was absolutely packed and buzzing with activity both before and after the screening. The level of enthusiasm and anticipation of the film's first LA audience was definitely in the air, especially when the leading actors and celebrity guests arrived on the red carpet.

Leading actress Thea Gilll

Guests included Putt Putt actors Jason London, Thea Gill, Veronica Diaz, Tom Gibis, Karen Strassman, and Vincent Maeder. Other celebrity guests included international film actress Bai Ling, Tim Pocock from “X-Men Orginis: Wolverine”, “The Young and the Restless” actress Kate Linder, Matt Riedy from Nickelodeon’s “Big Time Rush”, and longtime host of Entertainment Tonight, Bob Goen. Multiple photographers and reporters were there to capture the infectious energy, including Ron Russell, host of “Setting The Record Straight” and Tracy Pattin of “Sizzle In The Middle”. A press junket was also part of the evening as talent paraded in front of the camera for interviews starting with director Allen Cognata, then the lead cast and finally special guests.

Check out red carpet pictures here ... RED CARPET PHOTOS. (Photos By Miguel Torres. http://www.migueltorresphoto.com/)

The large turnout for this independent feature screening in Hollywood was particularly unusual, as there are a myriad amount of film related events happening there every evening. This low budget film could have been lost in the shuffle, but the personal nature of the plot appeared to really interest the attending audience. The lobby was filled with people sharing their very personal struggles with the Putt Putt Syndrome and the huge effort it requires to truly have a good marriage these days. Audience member Angie Gega mentioned the movie had a universal theme in life: “If you look at the bigger picture, the structure is the same for any relationship you choose to have...Nothing stays with you forever, it’s up to you to keep things with you…It’s called constant work, appreciation, passion, an unending desire to keep the energy level and passion up, and not fall in the putt putt syndrome. ” The film really gets people to analyze life and their own struggles in relationships, while looking forward towards the future with hope.

The film’s comedic nature really touched people infusing them with a sense of hope and a bit of humor about the film's core theme. And as the audience exited the theater with big smiles it was evident that they had a great time. One guest even described feeling a wave of laughter move through the entire theater during several moments in the film. The evening continued at the after-party held at one of LA's newest hot spots The Upper West where guests connected and shared stories about their personal experiences and own opinions on the Putt Putt Syndrome. Support from sponsors CortiSlim, Mark and Katie Schultz, Stella and Booya Tequila really made the evening unforgettable. The producers also thanked the LA cast and crew who made the trek out to Maine to be part of this collaborative process. "It is this herculean effort demonstrated by everyone involved with the film that ensures our film will be a big success," they added.

Director/Writer Producer Allen Cognata - Producers Rene Veilleux and Donald Roman Lopez with reporter Ron Russel

The next steps for the film include submissions to film festivals and meeting with the many distributors who have already shown an interest in the film. This is wonderful considering the film has only had three private screenings so far! Continue to spread the word about The Putt Putt Syndrome through Facebook, and trailer, and stay tuned for more updates in the coming weeks including a fun video behind the scenes at the big event!

Check out this new video of regular folks on the street discussing the epidemic of the syndrome: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_8MWbG9mGM

(Story by Nicole Albee)