Kelsey Zukowski is one of the reigning queens of indie horror. And now she is about to captivate internet-based television! Yes, Kelsey Zukowski will be one of the hosts for a new segment called “Filming ‘Round Midtown,” which appears on a show called “Looped In” on an internet based TV station called EGen TV. The goal of “Filming ‘Road Midtown” is to showcase independent film and news in the great Midwest. Kelsey will be joined by the equally fantastic Heather Dorff, Deann Baker, and Tina Renee Grace. “Filming ‘Round Midtown” premieres TONIGHT on EGen TV at 9PM Central. Click here to view the show’s page on EGen’s official website where you can also find links to watch the show.
Egen TV, Evolving Global Entertainment Network , is an internet-based television network; optimized TV of the future. The network features the show, Looped In, which focuses all things Midwest. It airs Monday-Friday at 9 PM CST.
In February, they will be launching a new segment within the show, Filming‘Round Midtown, Wednesday nights. Heather Dorff, Deann Baker, Kelsey Zukowski, and Tina Renee Grace will be producers and hosts on the show, Dorff and Baker being the primary hosts. The segment will focus on Midwest independent film and news. They are striving to make it a reputable and trusted source for anything and everything going on in independent film in the Midwest and eventually all over the country. The show’s name derives from single webisode featured on YouTube by Baker with a similar focus on bringing attention to Midwest independent film projects.
Filming ‘Round Midtown will feature not only upcoming projects, but it will also highlight the individuals involved in making them a reality. Everyone from actors to editors will be featured on the show’s “Hire Me” segment, which profiles the individual and lets the audience know about their upcoming projects, how they can get in contact with them, and a 1 minute reel or example of their work. There will also be interviews with individuals behind independent film projects the show is highlighting about a specific project. On occasion, the show will also be featuring a special event, such as Midwest film festivals and special screenings. Another special edition feature will be Sunday screenings where a feature film or a block of shorts will be shown on the program; premiering throughout the network.
Every week Filming ‘Round Midtown will have a segment notifying its audience about casting calls going on in the area. As long as it is a credible film it will be covered on the show whether it’s indie, paid, non-paid, union, non-union, commercial, or music videos. Filming ‘Round Town will be keeping up to date with casting call postings, agencies, and casting directors; doing the leg work so you can tune in to one source and have all the information right before you.
The team behind Filming ‘Round Midtown are all very integrated in to Midwest independent filmmaking themselves, giving them knowledge and connections to allow others to take advantage of these same opportunities. Dorff, Zukowski, and Grace have worked side by side many times including on independent horror/dark drama films, Afraid of Sunrise, What They Say, and Zukowski’s upcoming directorial debut in the gritty psychological slasher, The Hazed. Baker first worked with Dorff on the slasher short, Event Invitation, that tackles harming effects of bullying and gruesome revenge. All four of them really live and breath independent film. They believe in these projects and created this show so attention could be brought to films and the individuals behind them that are so full of creativity, passion, and insight.
The Team
Heather Dorff:
Heather was born and raised outside of Chicago, IL until she was 11 years old when she moved to Rome, Georgia. Heather realized her passion for acting through high school and community theater productions while in Georgia. Upon her return back to Chicago, she decided to explore her attraction to acting further through Act One Studios. Not long after starting this training Heather landed her first acting roles in music videos featuring Ross Crean and Etare Neged. Shortly after, she received her breakout role in short film vampire thriller, Afraid of Sunrise. From there she received a number of featured and lead roles in Kevin Jamison’s ‘Inhumane’, Matthew Cichella’s ‘Poetic’, Darkrider Studio’s ‘Mother’s Blood’, Matt Hendricks’ ‘Pretty Infections’ and Boomstick Film’s feature ‘Spades’ which also stars Juan Riedinger. Heather won her first award for Best Actress at the 2011 Chicago Horror Film Festival for her role in the short film, ‘What They Say’, which she also wrote and produced. She has signed on to star or produce in more than 5 feature films and projects in 2012.
Heather is extremely excited to be producing and hosting ‘Filming Round Midtown’ on ‘Looped In’ as she believes it will soon become a “one stop shop go to source for Midwest indie film news and casting information that has been long lacking in easy to find resources for industry fans and professionals alike in the Chicago and Midwest community”.
Deann Baker:
Once upon a time there was a chick named Deann Baker that grew up watching Action Films, listening to Hans Zimmer, and pretending to be a Moon Ranger (a mix between one of the characters from Sailor Moon and a Power Ranger.) These strange characteristics only pointed her in one direction; to earn a bachelors degree in film from Columbia College.
Now living in Chicago she works during the day as an editor and videographer for Silk Road Rising and at night she composes original orchestrated scores for independent films as well as attempting to act.
“With my whole life revolving around the entertainment business it was only natural for me to embrace the opportunity given to me by Heather Dorff to co-host/co-produce Filming Round Midtown, a segment on Looped In which airs on EGen.tv. Working alongside amazing people like Kelsey Zukowski and Tina Renee Grace, I hope to make some kind of dent in contributing information, humor, and a little spark of oddness to the show. “
Kelsey Zukowski:
Kelsey graduated from DePaul University with a Bachelors of Arts in Digital Cinema and a concentration in Screenwriting. Among her first roles in independent film were in Lewis from the Psycho Street anthology, The Autumn Offering’s “Born Dead” music video, and the feature film, Melon Heads, which was based on an urban legend from near her hometown. More recently she wrote/starred in the award-winning dark drama, What They Say.
Kelsey will be making her directorial debut with the psychological slasher feature film, The Hazed. She is very involved in the project as she also wrote the script, stars in it, and is producing it. This spring, she begins production on Words Like Knives, another twisted horror film she wrote and stars in that deals with one girl’s dwindling sanity as rumor and reality blur and real life horrors are forced to be examined.
“I’m extremely excited to be a producer and guest host on Filming ‘Round Midtown, I would be thrilled to be involved with the show in any way. Film has been my life for quite some time now, tracing back to me at age 14, writing movie reviews to let my experience with a given film go beyond the actual running time. There are so many extremely talented, innovative, and creative individuals and projects going on in the mid-west that deserve recognition; a show like this really needs to be around to get the word out. It wasn’t too long ago that we were all trying to break in to independent film, especially as an actor it can be really time consuming and difficult to find out what’s going on and be able to take advantage of these opportunities. Not only do we bring everything that’s going on to our audience, but we demonstrate just the sheer amount and variety, creating a sense of the community and energy that surrounds it.”
Tina Renee Grace:
Tina Renee Grace was born in East Chicago. She grew up in New Orleans and all around northwest Indiana and spent many summers in LA with family; exposing her to many cultures and lifestyles around the U.S. Her love of acting was born in elementary school when she played the role of Christopher Columbus in her school’s play.
One of her first roles was in Afraid of Sunrise, shortly followed by the award-winning dark drama, What They Say. Tina made a name and presence for herself in the active independent horror scene in Chicago, moving from Indiana to the city in 2011 to commit herself further. She has been in a range of projects since then including The Club, a comedy webseries taking place at a country club. She has several projects coming up in 2012 including the lead role in Kelsey Zukowski’s gritty psychological slasher, The Hazed. She will also be starring in the romantic drama, No Love For Troy, across Spookshow Entertainment’s Willy Adkins. She will be the official host of Adkins’ festival, The Prairie State Film Festival in June, putting her back in the stage setting where her love for performing began.
EGen.TV – Evolving Global Entertainment Network
URL: www.egen.tv
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EGen.tv
Twitter: @EGenTV
Livestream: https://www.livestream.com/egentv
Email: filmingroundmidtown@egen.tv
