Broadway, Off-Broadway and Cabaret Artist Heather Spore To Premiere First Film as Producer, MAKE ME FAMOUS, October 17th in New York City
The documentary about 80s artist Edward Brezinski makes its debut at NEWFEST.
By: Stephen Mosher Oct. 10, 2021
When Heather Spore left the Broadway production of Wicked, she had the same question every actor newly out of work has: what to do now? In her wildest dreams, Spore could not have guessed that she would become a film producer. A musical theater actress her entire life, Heather easily boasted noted achievements like being a member of the closing cast of the original Sullivan Street The Fantasticks, acting in the cult musical The Last Starfighter, appearing at 54 Below and staying with the Wicked family for over twelve years, but when her husband, film actor Brian Vincent, decided he wanted to helm a documentary film about virtually unknown painter Edward Brezinski, devoted wife (and fan) Spore said to her spouse, "How may I help?" and, thus, ensued years of on-the-job learning about how to make a movie.
With Brian Vincent acting as producer, director, and artistic leader of the project, the Texas-born soprano took on every post that needed filling along the way, at times acting as cinematographer, grip, researcher, pack mule, organizer, chief, cook, and bottle washer because (as is usually the case when spouses work together on a project, especially an artistic one) it is all about partnership, and Brian Vincent and Heather Spore are partners.
Today those partners are one week away from the New York City premiere of MAKE ME FAMOUS.
In the words of their own press release, Make Me Famous is thus described:
An investigation into painter Edward Brezinski's legacy and mysterious disappearance becomes a sharp, witty portrait of NYC's 1980s downtown art scene. Gallery owners and fellow artists dish on insider gossip, name drop, and contradict each other in telling the story, resulting in an irresistible snapshot of an unknown artist that captures the spirit of an iconic era.
Cast: Edward Brezinski, David McDermott, Peter McGough, Marguerite Van Cook, James Romberger, Eric Bogosian, Claudia Summers, Kenny Scharf, Richard Hambleton, Patti Astor, Sur Rodney Sur, Walter Robinson, Marcus Leatherdale, Robert Hawkins, Mark Kostabi, Frank Holliday, Duncan Hannah, Annina Nosei, Miguel Pinero and Jean Michel Basquiat.
In an October 7th article by David Reddish (HERE) on Queerty, the film is chosen as a MUST SEE with this description:
This new documentary chronicles the New York City queer art scene circa the 1980s, when urban decay, AIDS and the crack epidemic threatened the lives of artists on a daily basis. The film focuses on the life of Edward Brezinski, a friend of celebrated artists Keith Haring, David Wojnarowicz, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. While Brezinski never would reach the same levels of fame, he became a force within the art underground, exemplified by his ever-ambitious quest for success. Featuring new interviews and archive footage, the 80s and Brezinksi come back to life, chronicling a celebrated moment in art history, and culminating in his mysterious disappearance.
Writing and producing the film together, Vincent and Spore have done a deep dive into the art scene of the Eighties, interviewing a series of eccentrics who reveal the unsung painter through memories of both Edward's antics and his extreme artistic drive while exposing the history of the Lower East Side art movement in the 80s from an insider's point of view. Through an investigation in the south of France, Heather and Brian also unearth the truth about what happened to Brezinski and his mysterious "death" in the Cote d'Azur. With the support of the artists and photographers of the movement, the film is a rich time capsule of the '80s art world from a moment in time when creativity was the ultimate prize. Over seven hundred images have been compiled from the era. Original art was commissioned for the film by '80s artists Richard Hambleton, James Romberger, and Marguerite Van Cook. MAKE ME FAMOUS presents never before seen video archival from the '80s art world and clips of the era's highly influential art films. The film has an original New Wave score by Jeremiah Bornfield ("Hitchcock/Truffaut," "Diane.") The film was shot in NYC, LA, Detroit, Ireland, France, and Berlin.
A graduate of the Juilliard School drama division with over a dozen feature films on his resume Brian Vincent met Heather Spore on the sidewalk of the block where they lived, two doors away from each other. Now married eleven years, six of which have been spent creating MAKE ME FAMOUS, the Freshman filmmakers spent the quarantine and the months following the reopening of New York City with Brian applying to film festivals while Heather studied up on the technical side of filmmaking and (especially) on marketing, advertising, and the power of social media in getting a film to the public. Now on the cusp of opening MAKE ME FAMOUS at the NEWFEST Film Festival on October 17th (Ticket link HERE), Spore herself is considering launching a business assisting others in marketing through social media, a self-made expert on the subject. As many already know, but Spore can attest to, the internet is a wealth of learning opportunities, and the entire journey into film production (from first day of shooting to opening night) has been an eye-opening voyage of discovery and an ongoing lesson in just how much one can learn online to better one's trajectory. Heather jokes that their focus on their careers came before having a family, so MAKE ME FAMOUS is her child, and care for it, she will. Both Spore and Vincent will be front and center on October 17th when MAKE ME FAMOUS premieres at NEWFEST with a Q&A after.
Along the MAKE ME FAMOUS road, Brian and Heather have found themselves becoming a part of a new community. After living all of their adult lives as members of the show business community, their deep dive into Edward and the other artists of the Eighties led them into studios and living rooms as they have interviewed and discussed the decade, the artists, and the lasting effect on the industry and community of today. Embraced by those interviewees, Mr. and Mrs. Movie Maker have garnered new experiences and new friends, many of whom have pledged to be at this opening night. This will not be the only new family into which Heather and Brian will be inducted because of MAKE ME FAMOUS, since the film festival circuit comes with a new set of friends, contacts, and artists to know, which, in turn, leads to the filmmaking community at large.
Sunday night at 7, Brian and Heather will take a step into a broader consciousness in a new world rich with adventure, all because of their determination to tell the story of Edward Brezinski, an artist who was unable to achieve any success, in life or death.
Finally, his story will be told.
For information and tickets to the NEWFEST premiere of MAKE ME FAMOUS visit the NEWFEST website HERE.
MAKE ME FAMOUS is on all social media platforms:
Instagram HERE
Facebook HERE
Twitter HERE
THIS is the MAKE ME FAMOUS Website.
See Heather Spore in action at Feinstein's/54 Below HERE
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