three world premieres in one month!

I'm proud to announce that three films I star in will be having their world premieres within thirty days of each other, beginning 05 September in Los Angeles! It's like the film hose has been kinked for awhile, and all of a sudden it's been let loose all at once.

First, a short film I shot in LA entitled 'The Ass' will premiere at the LA Shorts Fest downtown on Saturday 05 September. It was a collaboration with Paul Santana, a commercial director whom I previously worked with on another short film with the now-famous magician Collins Key.

More info and tickets for the fest can be found here: LA Shorts Fest. To watch the film, go here: The Ass.

The next premiere will occur in Louisville, KY on Thursday 01 October at the Louisville International Film Festival (LIFF). 'Life's Highlights' was a short that was commissioned for a Brazilian writer to fly and produce in Los Angeles, mentioned in a previous blog entry. I was lucky enough to be cast in the film, and LIFF was the only festival it was submitted to. You can watch the film here: Life's Highlights.

And finally, the feature film 'Split' will be having its world premiere in its hometown on Sunday 04 October! This one's been a long time coming, and we're so happy to be able to share it with the world! I play the romantic lead who may or may not get the girl in the end. More info about the film and festival can be found here: IF Film Fest.

You can watch the trailer below.

oh, hello 2015.

It seems every new post that I make has the obligatory beginning of "It's been so long since I've posted!" And it's true; I don't write often, and I've never had any complaints about it. In this modern Facebook/Instagram look-at-me-and-all-the-cool-things-I'm-doing era combined with my general lack of sharing news, I feel that the people who need to know already know. "But what about your fans, Guetig, and the people that 'don't know'?"

Let's just say I'm having a difficult time balancing my private vs public persona, and whilst I lean toward the private, the industry I'm in yearns for more. As an actor, I'm often required to be active, social, and networking at all times for the benefit of being seen, being heard, and being valid. "Outta sight, outta mind", as the saying goes. And since I'm nowhere near famous, I can still control what levels of news leaks out into the ether, regardless of what my publicist says she needs to push.

With that in mind, I have some news to share. It's been nine months since my last confession, and while it's definitely not baby related ('cause everyone seems to be havin' babies around me), I suppose it does involve some rebirths. For the sake of ease and time, I'll simply list them below:

- I spent the summer in Europe again as the Director of Operations for the Global Young Leaders Conference, an international relations forum for 300 high school students from 42 countries. This was my fifth time with the program, and this time I was pretty much in charge. At times it was amazing to call the shots, and sometimes it was extremely stressful and overwhelming to be in charge of moving 300 minors through three countries. Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Munich, and Salzburg were on the docket this year, all quite familiar to me except for Berlin. What an interesting, wonderful, cosmopolitan city that is, eh?

- The romantic comedy, Split, that I filmed two years(!) ago is getting finished! My costars and I had ADR sessions in LA, NYC, and Louisville to help fill out the audio. (ADR stands for automated dialogue replacement, by the way; it's a standard post-production procedure for improving audio quality or changing dialogue.) I'll be sharing more news when it's officially out, I promise.

- I booked a commercial for the Kansas Lottery! It was shot in LA and aired regionally in Kansas. Did you see it? Do you live in Kansas? Was it funny?

- I starred in five episodes of the award-winning web series Jon and Jen Are Married, created by my super-talented friend Greg Fitzsimmons.

- A short film I shot years ago finally came out! The Brazilian writer won a grant to fly to LA to shoot it, and I was lucky enough to be in it. As soon as I get an electronic link, I'll share it.

- I was cast in an award-winning director's short film, playing the husband of his real-life wife. Stay tuned.

- I was the voice of a New Zealand shoe company for a commercial produced by a Brazilian agency in Brazil. Weird, I know. Watch/listen to the spot here!

- I've been getting a lot of voice over auditions for animated pilots, radio/TV commercials, and video games. Been slowing down on the TV/film front for awhile because...

- I now work at Disney|ABC! I am the assistant to the VP of Creative Services and Events, which basically means I support my team as we handle any events for the Disney and ABC channels, both internal and external. That's everything from executive meetings to screenings to press tours to the Oscars. I haven't had a 9a-6p job in awhile, but this one is different all the time and comes with lots of perks. I mean, it is Disney|ABC. Have I met any famous people? Yes, yes I have.

- What else did you miss? I worked the US Sumo Open, went sledding in the Alps, hung out with Jeff Bridges and Johnny Depp, watched Purple Rain in a cemetery, watched Germany play in the World Cup IN BERLIN, went to my first NBA game, went to my first Rose Bowl, cooked my first turkey, and saw some of my favorite people get married and have babies.

Am I bragging? YOU BET I AM.

'one big holiday' is available on itunes!

Three years ago I made a film with some talented people about some talented people. What transpired in that week was a beautiful experience, and I like to think that its beauty translates to the screen within One Big Holiday.

The short documentary was first released in May 2011 with My Morning Jacket's album Circuital in the deluxe box set. It was an awesome honor that the band chose to include the film and share with its devoted fans. And now, I am proud to say that it is available to everyone on iTunes! Get it here.

Fans of My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville will dig the film, and those who are unfamiliar with neither may fall in love with both. Or not. But how will you know if you don't watch it?

I am indebted to everyone who made the film possible: the fellas in the band and their manager Mike Martinovich for allowing us in for a week, the fine folks we interviewed, the gracious people who donated money and food, and my hardworking and trusting crew. And finally, without the big-picture idea from Director Michael Feld, none of this would have been possible.

I hope you enjoy the film.

*Show poster above, credit to Brandon Jones (http://www.branjofarms.com)

i booked a feature film!

After submitting a taped audition several months ago, it is my great pleasure to announce I was cast as the male lead in an indie romantic comedy about bowling! And after three laborious and exciting weeks on set in Louisville, Kentucky, we wrapped filming this past Monday night!

The story goes like this: As her 30th birthday looms, an over-achieving woman with a thing for bowlers decides she must meet and marry the man of her dreams in just under a month. Two viable options present themselves, one a gorgeous hand model (not played by me) and a dude who works at the local movie store (you guessed it). The love story coincides with a huge Lebowski Fest-style bowling tournament that culminates in the woman having to choose between the 7 or the 10. Yep, the most difficult split in the bowling world.

I met some amazing people working on this film, both cast and crew. We had a wonderfully fun time bringing the characters to life, and I can't wait to see how all the footage is put together into the feature.

Check out the Facebook page for more information and photos: https://www.facebook.com/SplitTheMovie

one big holiday festival photos!

Here are a few more photos from Flyover Film Festival in Louisville several months ago.
During the opening night screening


Christopher Guetig, Jim James, Michael Feld


Q&A with Stu Pollard


Festival Director Ryan Daly, Board Member-Producer Stu Pollard, Board Member-Actor William Mapother, filmmakers Evan Sennett and Matthew Rivera, Producer Gill Holland, Christopher Guetig, Jim James, Michael Feld

festival press for 'one big holiday'!

What a grand week it was! A homegrown boy who made a hometown film about a homegrown band returning to his hometown to show his homegrown film. Ah, yes, it was exciting for me to return to the place I love so much, and even more fun to have the opportunity to talk about One Big Holiday on a morning show, radio, newspapers, and even a podcast. Below you will find a smattering of infotainment about the film and my connection to Louisville.

Voice-Tribune
http://www.voice-tribune.com/news/profile/a-louisville-love-story/


NPR, WFPL 89.3
http://wfpl.org/post/back-band-drummer-turned-filmmaker-produces-my-morning-jacket-documentary#.T85me_CB3rp.email


WHAS Great Day Live
http://www.whas11.com/great-day-live/video/Its-time-for-the-Flyover-Film-Festival-157818585.html

me on a podcast!

Why hello there! It's been a crazy coupla months, hence why I've neglected this little blog. My documentary about My Morning Jacket had its premiere in the city it was made in (Louisville, KY), and I consequently did a lot of press prior to and during the film festival.

Here is one fun piece of press that is 5% about the film and 95% funsense. Thanks to my friend Alex for having me on his podcast. You can check it out here: http://probablynotpodcast.podbean.com/2012/06/12/probably-not-podbomb-4-with-christopher-guetig/

I'll post some of the other press soon.

'one big holiday' to open louisville festival!

One Big Holiday has been selected to open Flyover Film Festival in Louisville! It will screen as part of a shorts program on Thursday 07 June at the Speed Art Museum, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. Michael Feld (Director) and I will both be traveling to Louisville for the festival weekend, and are proud to return to the city that made this film possible.

This is sure to sell out, so get your tickets soon! More info to come!

one big holiday page created!

Hello again!

Just wanted to pass along the newishly-created Facespace page for my film One Big Holiday. There are tons of behind-the-scenes photos from the shoot, as well as great photos of the concert by the super-talented Margot Landen. This page will also feature all festival updates and any other general news that the filmmakers would like to share.

We'd love it if you took a second and "liked" the page so you continue to get all the updates. You can visit it here: https://www.facebook.com/onebigholidayfilm

Thanks!

it's festival time!

Life isn't about how many rejections you get, but rather how many acceptances. With that said, I'd like to proudly announce that my little film One Big Holiday has been accepted into its first festival! Thank you to the LA Film+Music Weekend for including us in your 2012 program!

We have some other excitements on the horizon, but for now we are relishing the idea that a public audience of film and music enthusiasts can see My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville on the big screen. Hooray!

For those of you in Los Angeles, I invite and encourage you to attend the world premiere of One Big Holiday. Visit here for more details: http://www.lafilmweekend.com/one-big-holiday.php

World Premiere: One Big Holiday
LA Film+Music Weekend 2012
Friday 23 March
11:05pm

Downtown Independent Theatre
251 S. Main St
Los Angeles, CA 90012

one big holiday screenings in austria and germany!

I had the great fortune to return to Europe yet again this summer to produce an international relations conference for high school students from 42 countries. As one of the directors of the two-week program, my duty was ultimately to ensure the health and safety of all the students and staff, and logistically move 340 of us through five countries. Easy? Nope. Rewarding and memorable? Yep.

There are many highlights of aiding international teenagers in creating life-long memories and promoting global communication within the Jugendkultur, some of which are indescribable within this silly blog. Many students were traveling abroad for the first time and were awakened by the sheer beauty of Gothic architecture, the spices of Hungarian foods, and the magic of a city untouched by war.

A trip like this, especially when it's the first time away from family and friends, juxtaposes the sense of home with a spirit of adventure. This emotion can be found at the heart of my documentary One Big Holiday, and whilst its journey is a world away from workshops on conflict resolution and cross-cultural communication, it shares the inherent sense of what 'home' means to all of us. At no time do we appreciate where we come from more than when we're away from it.

I had the opportunity to screen the film in both Vienna and Munich, and could not have been prouder to see my hometown of Louisville on the screen in front of colleagues and strangers from around the world. Let's hope this is just the beginning.

the doc has arrived!

It's been an exciting week with the lead-up to the release of One Big Holiday with My Morning Jacket's deluxe box set, and it's been arriving worldwide! It's so incredible to physically see our documentary DVD with all the other packaging of MMJ's sixth, and arguably finest, album Circuital.

The film has been getting a lot of great press, including this fantastic article from Consequence of Sound: http://consequenceofsound.net/2011/05/insight-my-morning-jackets-one-big-holiday/

I am so proud to be part of this release, both as a representative of my hard-working crew and as part of the My Morning Jacket family. The film has been a labor of love and I could not be happier with the final result.

'one big holiday' release!

It's official! The documentary I produced last fall on Louisville and My Morning Jacket is being released Tuesday 31 May with the band's deluxe box set of its new album, Circuital. Titled One Big Holiday, it documents the preparations of a homecoming concert at the newly-opened downtown arena, including interviews with the members of the band, former Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson, ear x-tacy owner John Timmons, members of opening band Wax Fang, and the conductor of the Louisville Youth Orchestra (LYO).

Directed by Michael Feld, the documentary thematically speaks to what it means to follow your dreams and the strength of having a sense of home, no matter where that may be. Beautifully shot in HD, the film combines footage of Louisville, rehearsals with My Morning Jacket and the LYO, interviews, and the concert itself. While I believe fans of the band and the city will love the film, I'm most excited about its universal appeal and showing the world the symbiotic relationship between two of my favorite things: My Morning Jacket and the city of Louisville, Kentucky.

louisville/my morning jacket documentary!

I cannot say too much at this time, but the rumors are true about a film crew being in Louisville, Kentucky for a week in late October. I am proud to say that I am the Executive Producer of a documentary that takes a look at the 16th largest city in America and one of its greatest musical exports. I was part of an extremely talented and handpicked crew from Los Angeles that spent a glorious week amidst the colored foliage and cool temperatures of the River City. It all culminated with the My Morning Jacket concert within the newly-opened downtown arena, and I am terribly excited about the experience. Stay tuned.