Loveland Magazine

“Hamill” An Exclusive Interview with Director Oren Kaplan

Inspired by the life of Deaf UFC Fighter, Matt Hamill From Loveland, Ohio...

Hamill Tells the Story of What it Takes to be a Champion, On and Off the Mat

by Ricky Mulvey

Hamill is a coming of age drama depicting the struggles and successes of what it takes to become a champion. Raised among those with the ability to hear, Matt Hamill later finds himself no less an outsider amidst the Deaf Community. But through sheer determination, he uses his 'perceived' disability as an asset, and becomes not only the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship, but an inspirational force to both hearing and deaf alike.

Hamill was born deaf, so his grandfather signed him up for the elementary school wrestling team to raise his self-esteem and help him fit in the hearing world. It worked. In fact, Hamill's career has been so compelling that a production company on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology is filming a movie about his life.

Hamill, who grew up in Loveland, Ohio, won three NCAA Division III national wrestling championships as a student at RIT. Now he's a professional fighter in the UFC — Ultimate Fighting Championship. Hamill is being portrayed by deaf actor Russell Harvard, who played the role of H.W. Plainview as an adult in the movie There Will be Blood. Susan Gibney (Crossing Jordan) has joined the cast to play Matt's Mother.

Hamill's grandfather, Loveland's legendary Stan McCoy, will be played by Raymond J. Barry (Training Day, Walk Hard, Dead Man Walking).

Loveland legend Matt Hamill is going to Hollywood. Hamill is a college champion wrestler and a UFC fighter with a record 8-2. If you are not familiar with the UFC, it is the most internationally renowned MMA (which stands for mixed martial arts) promotional company in existence. MMA is a combination of kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and other fighting styles which are used to either knockout or "submit" your opponent. Basically the UFC is to MMA, what the NFL is to football.
 
A biographical film is in the works about Hamill. I found out more about this movie from its director Oren Kaplan, who has directed internet sensations such as “The Lone Wolf,” “Modern Day Jesus,” and “My Alibi.” Kaplan has worked with the likes of Margaret Cho and Alison Brie (featured in Community and Mad Men.) He has also done promotional work for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. 

Question - When will Loveland be able to see the film?

Kaplan - That’s a great question we would like to know the answer to.  We are going to try to get the film in the Tribeca Film Festival (in New York, in May), and we’ll see how that goes. Hopefully we will find a distributor, and will be able to show it in Loveland, even if it’s for just a special short term screening of just a weekend.

Q - How accurate the movie’s portrayal of Matt Hamill’s life?

K - Its incredibly accurate, the entire script is based off of multiple hour interviews that we had with him. While we were shooting Matt and some of the other character inspirations visited the set and they are very excited about the footage. Probably one of the best compliments we got was during Matt’s visit. We were shooting the college national championship wrestling scene. Matt said it felt like he was at the championship again, which is cool because we made the set from scratch.

Q - How is Loveland depicted in the movie?

K - We shot in upstate New York, which is lush, pleasant, and suburban, so we felt it was appropriate. The film will show it as a slower paced town, so whether Loveland really was a slower paced town in the 1980’s… well we took some creative license.

Q - The star of the movie Russell Harvard (who plays Matt Hamill) is deaf, what challenges did you face in directing him?

K - Well working with deaf actors was by far the most interesting part of the whole experience. I had never met a deaf person until a month before I started working on the movie. I had to learn sign language since most of our crew was deaf as well. One of the most powerful tools you have as a director is your voice. When you work with the deaf it’s all through visuals, so there is a lot of running around and displaying through actions of what you want.

A funnier moment we had when directing Russell was when we were filming a scene where Matt was running away. In the shot Russell kept on running when I yelled cut, so we had to send about half our crew down to get him to stop.

Q - Are we going to see Matt’s UFC career?

K - We actually have not shot those scenes. We weave through the movie in all the emotional turning points in a UFC fight of his. The framework of the film is the UFC part of his life, but the story is more about Matt coming out of Loveland trying to figure out who he is, and accepting the fact that he is deaf.

 (When shooting in Rochester an unseemly citizen, who has yet to be caught, stole some invaluable costumes used in the movie.)

Q - Tell me about how the theft of the costumes affected the shooting

K - We were working 16-18 hour days so by the time we were finished we were too tired to do anything but sleep. Mostly they stole prom dresses and other high school outfits. I don’t believe we were targeted as movie people, because we were in a very accessible lot. My guess is there is some crack addict in Rochester (laughs) that now owns a bunch of prom dresses.

Q - How did you come upon this story?

K - The writers Eben Kostbar and Joe McKeelheer brought me upon the story. Eben saw the Ultimate Fighter and was very excited.  Joe saw it as barbaric, but discovered the awesome people behind it and how they viewed it as a sport. A good example  of the relationships from in Mixed Martial Arts is Rich Franklin. He is a guy Matt lost to in the UFC octagon, but will make an appearance in the movie. So Eben sent Matt a message on MySpace and the film took off from there.

Q - The original star was supposed to be Eben Kostbar, why did it change to Russell Harvard?

K - Before Eben and Joe had really been exposed to deaf culture they didn’t realize the mistake they had made, but it was a very quick understanding. Deaf audiences are going to be a major fan base for us and we really want to respect them. We found Russell Harvard who’s amazing deaf or not and I do realize that’s cliché but the guy was in “There Will Be Blood”!

Q - Was this created for drama or fight fans?

K - Well I know deaf fans will be happy and for sure Matt Hamill fans will be satisfied. I think will be an equal mix of wrestling, fight, and drama fans though because there is something in the movie for all of them. The real heart of the movie is Matt Hamill’s story.

Q - What would you like the people of Loveland to know?

K - We appreciate that they have the town that made Matt Hamill. I’ve never been to Loveland, but it sounds awesome from what I have read and heard about it. Plus it’s got a great name!

Q - Are you a Mixed Martial Arts fan yourself?

K  - I wasn’t that familiar with it before this project.  I think it’s cool that that Matt brings the non-traditional fans to the sport.

Q - When will we get a preview?

K  - May 2010.

OREN KAPLAN

Oren Kaplan grew up in Israel and California. After graduating from UCLA with a degree in Computer Science and Engineering, Oren decided to take his technical skills and apply them to the arts. He began self-distributing his short films online, and quickly became a leading director in the world of New Media. He was commissioned to direct the series "Sourced Out" for Turner's SuperDeluxe network. Based on the success of that series, he was asked to direct two additional series for Turner, a series for Comcast's Ziddio website, and another series for Fremantle Media.

After several of his online videos generated millions of views and media attention, Oren was offered a full-time directing position at Disney. His first project was the ABC Family dramedy, 'My Alibi'. At Disney, he won a Telly award for a video he directed for publisher Simon & Schuster and guest-directed a Webby-nominated episode of Take180.com's 'The Juice Box' called 'The Twilight Before Christmas.' His feature film credits include 2nd Unit Directing the Lionsgate film, 'The Hamiltons', and serving as Executive Producer on the philosophical thriller, 'Godspeed'.

Scott & Wendy Schlesner Feel Extremely Fortunate This Thanksgiving

On Sunday, May 17, 2009, Cole Schlesner was on the pitchers mound in Loveland and was struck in the head by a line drive hit. As Cole was air lifted to Cincinnati Children's Hospital, the Greater Loveland community, and in fact people from all around the country, immediately stopped in their tracks to pray for his recovery. Below is a message of thanksgiving from parents, Scott and Wendy Schlesner.

I would like to humbly share a story with you that has been a tremendous help to me and my family.

by Scott Schlesner

November 17 was the six month milestone since our son was injured. We feel blessed that Cole survived, and is doing so well on his road to recovery. His Neurosurgeon recently told us that based on the severity of Cole’s traumatic brain injury, his progress thus far has been “miraculous.”

When we asked what we can expect going forward, Dr. Mangano said he’s cautiously optimistic that Cole can achieve a full and complete recovery--but there are no guarantees. Each traumatic brain injury is unique, and only time will tell how far he recovers. I want to mention that we feel extremely fortunate to have Dr. Mangano as Cole’s physician. In addition to being one of the best Pediatric Neurosurgeons on the planet, he’s an incredible human being. He has always communicated the brutal facts, but also has also provided us with hope…and that hope has kept us strong. Based on Cole’s incredible Faith, determination, and positive attitude, we believe he can achieve a full and complete recovery.

Over the past six months, I’m certain our family has experienced every conceivable emotion known to humanity. Many people have asked how we’ve been able to muster the strength to “deal with the situation.” Trust me, it hasn’t been easy. But I would like to humbly share a story with you that has been a tremendous help to me and my family.

Right after Cole was Air-Cared to Children’s Hospital for emergency brain surgery, Father Ted Albert, a minister at our church (St. Barnabus Episcopal) arrived to support us in the waiting room. During the long and tense wait, I asked Father Ted if he thought God had intended for this to happen to Cole. In summary, Father Ted explained that God doesn’t cause bad things to happen…that’s why they’re called accidents. Interestingly, he then explained that even in the midst of terrible tragedy, God will attempt to show us His love and compassion, and he encouraged me to look for it.

He was right. I’ve learned there is tremendous good (God’s love) in the world, but you must condition your mind to look for it. Conversely, if you want to find bad things to justify personal anger and sadness, you can, but it will take you down a line of negative thinking that will most likely pervade your life and make you miserable.

About a month ago I realized I had lost site of the lesson from Father Ted, and I was becoming increasingly angry. I allowed the foolish behavior of a few people towards Cole to fuel my negativity, instead of forgiving them. I prayed to God asking for his help, and He responded. The next morning over breakfast, I forced myself to “look for the good” in my day. Miraculously, I realized that for the first time, Cole was going back to school that day without a helmet, bandanna, or hat on his head. His hair had grown back, and he had started to look like a normal kid again. That was something to celebrate! However, if I hadn’t stopped to actually look for it, I’m not sure I would have seen it!

I’ve realized the way we’ve tried to “view” the world after Cole’s accident has made all the difference in how we’ve dealt with it, and ultimately, how Cole has too. Perception indeed, can become reality. Please don’t get me wrong. Our family (especially me) is far from perfect, and this experience has brought us to our knees on many occasions. We’ve felt sadness, fear, frustration, uncertainty, and even anger since Cole was injured. We’ve also learned that there IS good in the world, but you need to have the right mindset to see it.  During the last six months, there have been many kind and compassionate people who've done something special for Cole (or our family) that was completely unexpected... but very much appreciated. These random acts of kindness have made it much easier for us to see the good, and I'd like to highlight a few of the special stories:

1) "Classmates Car Wash"

Sarah Kanitz and Nicole Henderson, both Freshman classmates of Cole, independently organized a car wash for the "Play for 4" not-for-profit philanthropy. Those two, along with other volunteers, spent an entire day at LaRosa's in Loveland washing cars for donations. They raised over $750 for the charity... Thanks, Sarah and Nicole!!! You guys have been loyal friends of Cole, and you'll always have a special place in our hearts!

2) Loveland High School Football

Varsity Football Coach Andrew Marlatt has been an incredible inspiration and motivator to Cole. Even though Cole can't play football, Coach Marlatt has made him feel a special part of the team throughout the season. Coach Marlatt visited Cole in the hospital and brought him a Loveland Varsity football jersey signed by the Seniors. He then invited Cole to speak to the team before the 5th game of the season, which Cole felt honored to do.  Cole talked about his recovery process and how his challenge could be translated to football..."Nothing in life that’s worthwhile ever comes easy. To be successful, it takes commitment, a positive attitude, and effort." Coach Marlatt, you're a great role model, demonstrating that strength and compassion can go hand-in-hand. Thank you for being a great human being! Freshman Football Coach Jeremy Ward has also allowed Cole to ride the bus with the team, and be on the sideline during games...we are grateful to you,

too!

3) Miami University Baseball Team Visit

One of the players heard about Cole, and he organized a visit to our home on Nov. 5th with a dozen of the players and Head Coach Dan Simonds. They presented Cole with a signed jersey, an authentic team bat, and offered to have him throw out the 1st pitch at a game next season. While everyone involved deserves a huge thank you, I find it encouraging that a young man demonstrated the leadership, maturity and selflessness to think of Cole, a kid he had no history or relationship with. Coach Simonds obviously does a terrific job of recruiting talented players who also have tremendous character and class. Thanks, Redhawks! We look forward to seeing you in the spring!

4) "Support Cole"

Daniel Canada, Adam Engel and Kyle Miller, all Seniors at Loveland High School, organized a fundraiser for Cole. They raised over $1,200 through donations and the sale of over 150 "Support Cole" t-shirts at LHS. The students and teachers wore these bright orange shirts the first day Cole returned to school after his 2nd reconstructive surgery and three-week recovery. The group picture of everyone wearing these shirts brought tears of joy to our eyes. Daniel estimated that all in all, about half of the Student Body was involved. They used the proceeds to purchase 24 sessions with a personal fitness trainer (Steve Lakes with The Edge Training Institute) to help Cole regain the strength in his right side, which has had a deficit since his injury. To all of the LHS students, faculty and supporters, but especially Daniel, Adam and Kyle: Our family has been humbled by your kindness. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for your Leadership in supporting Cole, and for your kindness and compassion. We love you all!

We hope these wonderful stories strengthen your faith in God and humanity, and prove that that there is indeed, plenty of love and goodness in this world! As we roll into the Thanksgiving, we will count the people involved in the stories above - in our blessings!

God Bless,
Scott & Wendy Schlesner

 

Put the Loveland Initiative on Your Gift List

Loveland Christmas Tradition Now in 12th Year

Terri Rogers said, "Loveland Initiative is proud once again to host the 12th Annual Christmas Toy Store. Christmas is a wonderful time of the year, especially for children. With our annual Toy Store, we make it just as wonderful for low-income parents."

Read the full story here about this Loveland Christmas tradition, now in its 12th year.

And, Download this printable shopping list to take with you as you begin your Christmas gift buying. SUGGESTED GIFT LIST

Loveland, Ohio Artist, Monica Anne Achberger Receives National Award

"Riverside Park" received the Jack Richeson Co. Award

by David Miller

LOVELAND, OHIO - Loveland artist Monica Anne Achberger's oil painting titled "Riverside Park" received the Jack Richeson Co. Award at this years 10th Annual National Juried Exhibition of the American Impressionist Society (AIS). "To be included in this prestigious and extremely high quality show is an honor in itself," said Achberger.

Only 189 pieces were accepted out of almost 650 entries. The judge for this year's exhibition was AIS Master Artist Quang Ho.

Achberger works primarily in oils. Her subjects encompass landscape, still life, figures and "dreamscapes." She has won various awards at local and national shows, and has commissioned pieces in both private and public collections. She says she often works on location, "en plein air."

Achberger said, "I am drawn to creating my personal response and interpretation of the places I have been. The uplifting emotions of my paintings mirror my positive outlook on life"

In 2005, Achberger won the First Place Award in the Cincinnati International Wine Festival National Poster Competition, and in 2004, the Peoples Choice Award at the Loveland Winter Art Show. Her work has been exhibited at the Krohn Conservatory, the Women's Art Club of Cincinnati, the University of Cincinnati Clermont College,  the Ohio State Fair Fine Art Exhibit. and the Cincinnati International Flower Show.

She maintains a studio at the Loveland Art Studios on Main Avenue in Loveland. To view more of Monica Anne's artwork visit her website. She can be contacted via e-mail.

The American Impressionist Society 10th Annual National Juried Exhibition is on display until December 1, at the Saks Galleries, Denver Colorado.

The entire exhibit is currently on-line and can be viewed through the AIS website. .

East Kemper Rd. to Close For One Day: Tuesday, December 1

SYMMES TOWNSHIP, OHIO - William W. Brayshaw, the Hamilton County Engineer, has announced that they will be performing pavement restoration on East Kemper Road at Loveland Madeira Road, for one day on Tuesday, December 1.

Any problems/questions regarding this one day closure should be directed to either Kirk Music at Hamilton County Engineer’s Eastern Maintenance Facility at: 513-946-4979 or to Pat Ashcraft at the Hamilton County Engineer’s Permit Construction Department at: 513-946-8430.

Hamilton County’s detour will be routed over Loveland Madeira Rd. to Twightwee and vice versa.

 

Kings Bus Crash Sends 17 Children to Hospitals in Warren County

An accident involving two Kings school buses sent 17 children to three area hospitals today, Nov. 24, for injuries, according to Lebanon police Sgt. Dave Gehringer. Read on...

Breakfast with Santa at Epiphany United Methodist Church

This event has been canceled for this year due to deaths in the Epiphany Church family

Breakfast with Santa at Epiphany Epiphany United Methodist Church will be Saturday, December 5th, 8:30-11:00 AM.

A pancake breakfast will be served starting at 8:30.  Santa will make an appearance and check every boy and girls Christmas list, have his picture taken with each child and provide helpers for the children to do holiday crafts.

Directions

Township Leading the Effort to Support Military Families

Deerfield First in Warren County to Sign Community Covenant Document


DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP, OHIO - The Deerfield Board of Trustees is leading the way to support military personnel and their families. The Board is the first in Warren County to sign the Community Covenant Document, a partnership between the Armed Forces and government leaders to support those who serve.

Army Reserve Ambassador Stephen Ackman presented to the Board the needs of military personnel and their families that are sometimes overlooked, especially upon return to the states. He outlined how government, business and community groups can support these families before, during and after deployment.

“By signing this document, Deerfield leads the way toward building a partnership with our military,” Ackman said.

PROCLAMATION SUPPORTING DEERFIELD RESIDENTS
WHO ARE SERVING OR HAVE SERVED IN UNITED STATES MILITARY AND DECLARING THE WEEK OF NOVEMBER 8 THROUGH 14, 2009

AS A SPECIAL WEEK OF RECOGNITION

               WHEREAS, with deep gratitude to the members of Deerfield Honors Veterans, Deerfield Township will dedicate Veterans Plaza in Cottell Park on Sunday, November 8, 2009; and

               WHEREAS, November 11, 2009 is Veterans’ Day, a day when citizens of the United States of America honor Veterans; and

               WHEREAS, Deerfield residents have served honorably in the Military Forces of the United States in every war since the Revolutionary War; and

               WHEREAS, Deerfield residents who serve in the United States Military and their families are special members of our Community;

               NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of Trustees of Deerfield Township, Warren County, State of Ohio:

SECTION 1. That Deerfield Township recognizes: that America’s Military Forces and their families make a commitment to our Nation and Community every day; that the strength of our warriors comes from the strength of their families; and that the strength of  military families is supported by the strength of the Community;

SECTION 2. That Deerfield Township, by its Trustees, residents, employers, educators and civic and business leaders are committed to building a partnership to support the strength, resilience and readiness of America’s Military and their families; and

SECTION 3. That the week of November 8 through 14, 2009 is declared a special week of recognition for our Veterans and those Deerfield residents currently serving in the Military and their families.

Up-date: H1N1 vaccinations in Clermont County

“To say it is busy would be an understatement!” said Clermont County Health Commissioner Marty Lambert.  “In a typical year we provide around 1,000 seasonal flu shots to Clermont County citizens; I anticipate that we will provide up to 40,000 H1N1 vaccinations by the end of this flu season.” The Centers for Disease Control is reporting the number of flu cases is beginning to decline locally and across the state.  One H1N1 death has been confirmed in Clermont County.

As the Clermont County General Health District winds up its first round of countywide H1N1 school vaccination clinics, it’s estimated that almost 14,000 children in Clermont County have received vaccinations.  That number includes school age children and their younger siblings; children 9 and under will receive a second dose of the vaccine at the schools in mid-December.  Over 3,100 vaccines have been provided to other high risk groups including emergency personnel and health care workers, pregnant women, caregivers of young children, and adults with chronic health conditions at the General Health District Clinic.

Among those vaccination clinics currently scheduled (High Risk, Tier 1 individuals only):

• Tuesday, November 24 at Clermont County Development Disabilities
• Closed clinic for CCDD staff and clients only
• Wednesday, November 25 at Medical Social Services Building, from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Open clinic for those 24 and younger. No appointment needed, on first come, first served basis

•  Tuesday, December 1 at Daycare Clinic at Child Focus
• Open evening clinic for children 5 yrs. and younger, pregnant women, and caregivers of children under 6 months of age
•  Saturday, December 5 at Daycare Clinic at Clermont County Fairgrounds, 4H Building

For children 5 yrs. and younger, pregnant women, and caregivers of children under 6 months

**Another clinic is being planned in early December for UC Clermont students.

“At this time I do not anticipate that we will be able to offer vaccination clinics to the general public until late December or early January,” said Lambert.  For more information about the clinics listed above, visit the Web site www.ClermontHealthDistrict.org or check the Clermont Flu Hotline at (513) 588-5121.