July 12th 2023 was the only time in the past year we’ve published a post that was actually written by us. It might actually be the only post we’ve written in the last two years. This blog, which we’ve had since 2012, is far from what it used to be. Traffic has decreased. Visitors have decreased. Sponsors have decreased. Why? We could blame the introduction of newer forms of video based social media. We could blame plenty of things. The truth is simple… we just haven’t put effort into it. We haven’t prioritized it. We’ve been busy. Maintaining a home in the harsh climate of New Orleans isn’t easy. Alana/Fit has a very demanding corporate career, as well as some hobbies she loves, including writing, book clubs, and playing rugby. As for Chris/Hungry/me… I’ve been working on something a little absurd.
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Nearly two years ago, on behalf of my buddy who owns a gym I train at, I met with a Hollywood movie person. I was supposed to negotiate whether or not a movie would be filmed at the gym. Fast forward to today… I am the executive producer on this project; I have spent what feels like countless time, money, and energy on this project; and I still have a ton of work ahead of my on this project. Filming was more or less supposed to take nine months. It took a bit longer, and while we’ve officially wrapped, who knows how many reshoots we’ll have to do. No one really knows how long editing will take. No matter what, this movie will be epic. We aren’t aiming for a billion dollar box office. We are, however, aiming for appearances at Sundance, awards at Tribeca, 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an acquisition from a Netflix/Apple/Disney+ streaming service.
So… what is West of Greatness?
West of Greatness is a story about two young men. These two join a local bodybuilding contest. They want to win the $15,000 cash grand prize. That money will change their lives. Terry will be able to escape his toxic home to take care of his sister. Jerome will be able to move to Los Angeles and pursue his dream of acting. All of their problems will be solved. So they think.
They might discover that building all that muscle is a lot harder than they think. It isn’t easy, or cheap, eating enough to grow. It isn’t easy, or cheap, to join a gym and train. Their problems outside of the gym still exist. Now, they have new problems inside the gym. They’re outsiders and the other competitors, who have been training for years, don’t necessarily care about the attention that the new guys are getting.
The thing is, this year, someone decided to make a documentary about this competition. A local filmmaker wanted to highlight the local contest in this dying city on the Mississippi River, just thirty minutes outside of loud music of downtown New Orleans. She decided that Terry and Jerome were the two competitors that should be followed, since their transformation could be so significant… since their dreams are so real… since their struggle is so brutal. As I said, the other competitors want some of that attention and they aren’t going to make it easy for Terry and Jerome.
Therefore, these two have no choice but to become friends and push through this process together. For 9 grueling months, they’re brothers, but with one prize… who will win?
and…. CUT! End scene. Back to reality.
I trained them. In the beginning of the 14 month process, it was twice a week. Soon it was three times. Then four. Then five. Then six. You get the idea. It took up a lot of time, and while I don’t want to give you any spoilers, these kids grew… a lot.
We wrapped in November. We’ve been editing since then. Cutting trailers. Pitching the movie to companies. Considering distribution. Trying to pay off the expenses from the project. It has been a journey. Our director and myself have been stressed over this nonstop because we know that we need to deliver.
And that is where I’ve been. That is why Hungry & Fit haven’t been given much of any attention for two years. The impact and legacy that can be left with this film, is honestly, most likely far greater than the contributions we’ve made with Hungry & Fit. Regardless of comparison, I felt like it was time for something new.
You can check the website for the film HERE. The newest trailer is front and center. It isn’t the final trailer… just one we made for the Arnold Sports Festival. You can listen to our podcast, that we plan on bringing back soon, on YouTube HERE. I’ve realized that the two of us have tried doing far too much and we should’ve hired more help in the beginning, but please enjoy what we have put out there. There is also a WGNO feature, as well as all of Instagram content.
(Also, I apologize for the lack of media. WordPress has changed quite a bit and it is claiming that every single photo I try to upload is too large in some way. This was never an issue. Well, they scaled down at one point but I managed. I’m not sure if we’ll continue the blog on WordPress. It seems like you’re just paying more for less. I will try to solve it and add photos.)
