OUTSOURCED

Amost Famous Filmmakers

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:10:27 PDT

Seattle is an indie-film-adoring town. So who will be our first breakout indie filmmaker?

Seattle loves independent film. The city is home to more than 10 cinemas screening indie flicks daily. Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), the biggest, longest-running film festival in the country, just celebrated its 35th year and filled 142,500 seats last summer—almost a quarter of the city’s population. Local independent-media organizations Northwest Film Forum and 911 Media Arts have more than 30 years between them.

“This is a film-mad city,” says Lyall Bush, executive director of Northwest Film Forum, Seattle’s only cinematheque and an institutional backer of independent film. “Per capita we’re the 10th largest market in the nation. We watch a lot of movies.”

And we make them. Walk into Ravenna’s Scarecrow Video, one of the largest independent video-rental stores in the country, and you’ll find almost 200 short and feature-length films made locally and regionally.

OK, so name a few. We’ll wait. Uh-huh.

Even though Seattle is film mad, the city’s indie-filmmaking scene still cannot claim to be home to a breakout indie filmmaker like Portland’s Gus Van Sant (Drugstore Cowboy, My Own Private Idaho) or Austin’s Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused). Notably, while Van Sant, Linklater and others such as Steven Soderbergh (Sex, Lies, and Videotape) were conducting an indie-film train that carried a national consciousness in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Seattle was full-bore busy exporting another brand of indie entertainment: grunge music. Local filmmakers have been chasing this train ever since.

Complete article HERE

MTV and the Univ of Rhode Island

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:09:17 PDT

For those of you in Rhode Island, I'll be giving a presentation as part of the 2009 Honors Colloquium at the University of Rhode Island. You can check out the details HERE.

Our Outsourced TV show is still in development with NBC and it sounds like it may be picking up steam again, stay tuned.

Right now I'm racing around Seattle shooting a series of mini-docs on Seattle bands that are featured in the MTV series $5 Cover Seattle which will air early 2010. More to come...

Outsourced in Poland

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 21:36:37 PDT

Sorry for the lapse in posts, it hasn't been due to a lack of activity. I'm writing a new script and everything else has fallen into the background. I did just get news that Outsourced would be screening in Poland and I thought that was interesting enough to warrant a posting. So for all of you in Poland who have yet to see the film, here you go!

“Poland has become an important destination for Bollywood in eastern Europe. What the Soviet Union was for Raj Kapoor in the 1950s and 1960s...
Tarun Mansukhani’s “Dostana”, John Jeffcoat’s “Outsourced”, Atul Agnihori’s “Hello”, and Vijay Krishna Acharya’s “Tashan” will also be screened during the festival.

“The set of films will present the true and various colours of a contemporary India to a Polish audience. We await the verdict of Polish audience,” said Srikumar Menon, head of the commercial wing at the Indian embassy here.

Read the entire article HERE

Outsourced releases in India January 2nd

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:25:10 PST

After many false starts, Outsourced will be released theatrically all over India on January 2nd. It's a nice way to kick off the new year. We don't have all the details on screening locations but it should be playing at multiplexes in all of the Major cities. Tell your friends and family in India and Happy New Year!

Outsourced on iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 21:45:19 PST

For those of you who watch movies on iTunes, I'm happy to announce that you can find Outsourced there to Rent, Buy, or Gift (a last minute Christmas present with no shipping charges!).

The Canadian Release

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:24:13 PST

CinemaVault has been rolling Outsourced out in theaters across Canada. Here are some of the dates and a link to the CinemaVault website:

Toronto ON - Now Playing - Carlton Cinemas
Calgary AB - Now Playing - Uptown Stage & Screen
Edmonton AB - December 12 - Princess Theatre
Ottawa ON - December 12 - Bytowne Theatre
Kitchener Waterloo ON - December 12 - Princess Cinema
London ON - December 19 - Hyland Theatre

Outsourced Hits Costa Rica

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:15:39 PST

Outsourced continues to play venues across the US and abroad, most recently winning the Best Narrative Feature Award at the Montezuma International Film Festival in Costa Rica.

We have also heard that January 2nd has become our release date in India. Still no word on the UK.

Outsourced Returns to Seattle!

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:54:13 PDT

If you missed OUTSOURCED on the big screen in Seattle, you'll get another chance this week when it plays at Seattle's only pizza & beer movie theater, Central Cinema , September 18th- 25th. For directions and screening times go HERE.

Director and co-writer, John Jeffcoat, will be on hand FRIDAY night at the 7pm screening to introduce the film and chat over a cold brew and some tasty pizza. Don't miss out!

No Outsourced in Blockbuster or Walmart

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 12:07:16 PDT

Outsourced ranked #1 in the Netflix most watched instant downloads last week but it is still not available in Blockbuster or Walmart. If you buy or rent movies from either of these places be sure to request Outsourced and ask them why they don't carry it.

Aside from Netflix you can find Outsourced on Amazon.com, Hollywood Video, Target, Best Buy, and many other independent video stores.

For right now, the only place to buy the soundtrack is still www.outsourcedthemovie.com

USA TODAY features Outsourced

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:43:30 PDT

USA Today's 'Watch, Listen & Read: The month in media' features OUTSOURCED:

Seattle-based director and co-writer John Jeffcoat researched what life is like on the other end of the phone by visiting call centers in Bangalore and by collecting stories from a source who does training for Microsoft.
One of Jeffcoat's initial aims was to excite Americans about investigating other cultures, but he's been surprised by the attention the film has drawn in the business world and academia.

"I spoke recently at the University of Washington to a group of business students who are about to go to India," Jeffcoat says. "And ShadowCatcher (the film's independent production company) has been producing a curriculum to send to schools because there was an interest in it."
The movie also caught the eye of NBC. Jeffcoat is currently co-writing a pilot for a TV version, which he's billing as a global workplace comedy featuring ex-pats from different companies working under one Indian call-center roof.

Read the entire USA Today column HERE

On DVD in the US, OUTSOURCED

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 10:22:55 PDT

Outsourced is now available on DVD throughout the US on Netflix, Amazon.com and other retail and video stores nationwide. If your local video store is not carrying it, tell them to get it! This DVD includes several bonus features previously unavailable including:
- Director, Producer, actor commentary
- Storyboard to Film comparison
- Interview with director John Jeffcoat
- "What did they say" scene translations
- Behind-the-scenes documentary
- "Holi" music Video

If you still have your heart set on seeing it on the big screen, check www.outsourcedthemovie.com for theatrical locations. There are still a number of theaters that will be screening the film through September.

Outsourced hits Theaters in Canada!

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 12:19:27 PDT

Outsourced will begin its Canadian theatrical release this weekend. Reviews from Toronto and Vancouver papers are below.

Outsourced
By Ken Eisner
Publish Date: August 28, 2008

Starring Josh Hamilton and Ayesha Dharker. Rated PG. Opens Friday, August 29, at the Ridge Theatre

Outsourced, a culture-clash comedy that hits almost everything right, manages to make sharp points about the harshness of globalization without losing sight of the individuals affected by economic ebb and flow.

Kicking and Screaming’s Josh Hamilton is a perfect Everyguy for the role of Todd Anderson, a mid-level telemarketing manager whose world is literally upended when his Pacific Northwest company is suddenly out-you-know-whatted to India, and he’s sent there to supervise the new call centre. Naturally, Todd—dubbed Mr. Toad by everyone he meets in a more rustic town near Bombay—is flabbergasted by the way things work, or don’t. Wandering cows, errant electricity, unfamiliar toilets, and too many family photos in the cubicle are just some of the things soon freaking him out.

Cynical Yank that he is, Todd isn’t entirely closed to new experiences, especially when they come attached to the centre’s best worker, vivacious Asha (Ayesha Dharker). With her giant eyes, razor wit, and mile-wide smile, she undoes some of his assumptions, but the script, by Seattle-based director John Jeffcoat and writer-producer George Wing (50 First Dates), doesn’t depend on the romantic angle to get everything across. And the comedy doesn’t blunt its message about corporate greed, which places cheap labour above all other values. (It would never occur to Todd’s boss, amusingly played by Matt Smith, that there are moral issues attached to any of his checkbook decisions.)

In the end, the good-looking Outsourced steals our hearts with a view of India, and the changing world, that is neither starry-eyed nor overly condescending, even if the outcome is predictable. Come to think of it, this movie is so good, I’ll take two.

In TORONTO:

Outsourced
Take this call
by Glenn Sumi

NOW Rating NNNNN (equivalent to 4 stars)

Movies with great premises usually begin well, then lose steam. Not this one.

Todd (Josh Hamilton) manages a call centre for a company that produces kitschy Americana. When the operation is outsourced to India, he’s forced to move there to train his replacements to take calls and sound like Yanks.

What ensues is part culture-clash comedy, part critique of global exploitation and (sounds cheesy but it’s not) part romantic comedy.

The script is fresh and lively, never more so than in a montage featuring Indians quoting scenes from famous U.S. movies. Boy-next-door Hamilton (Kicking And Screaming, The Bourne Identity) shows lots of comic charm, and Ayesha Dharker as his feisty protege has a smile that could light up Bombay.

A winner.

Outsourced DVD Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 15:21:49 PDT

On September 2nd Outsourced will be released on DVD throughout the US. You can place it in your queue in Netflix today. Blogcritics.org have already released two reviews ad you can read them here:

Outsourced is a clever, sweet, and surprisingly hilarious movie that uses lighthearted humor and charm to win over just about anyone in need of a carefree movie experience. The combination of likable characters, modest humor, and a cute love story make for a purely enjoyable romantic comedy. With more comedy than romance, the film easily overcomes being predicable and cliched. Director John Jeffcoat has a fondness for his characters and simply guides them in the right direction every step of the way. Not only is it a hugely enjoyable film, but also a beautifully rendered love story.
LINK to complete review

And...

The acting is all quite good. Josh Hamilton hits all the right notes as Todd while he has great chemistry with Ayesha Dharker's Asha. These two really hold down the core of the film. First time feature director John Jeffcoat, who also co-wrote the script with George Wing, directs their performances to great effect. Jeffcoat does a fine job with the material, which is shot beautifully by Teodoro Maniaci.
LINK to complete review

The DVD can also be pre-ordered on Amazon.com.

Outsourced hits Durham

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:43:45 PDT

Here's a review excerpt from the INDY Weekly which gave Outsourced four stars and called it "the year's best romantic comedy by far." Outsourced opens Friday, July 11th in Durham at the Galaxy Cinemas:

Outsourced is a romantic comedy that is actually funny—but not in the unfunny potty gags and sexual humiliation we associate with Steve Carell and Mike Myers. Instead, writer-director John Jeffcoat must write from bemused experience, as he shows Todd's initial alarm at chaos and poverty dissolving as he understands the vibrant social connectedness that makes his American wealth, computer solitaire games and estrangement from his parents seem meaningless compared to India's occasionally baffling but enfolding embrace. —Laura Boyes

Read the entire review HERE

Outsourced Interview (German /English)

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:34:05 PDT

Check out the Prost Amerika website for the latest Outsourced interview with director / co-writer John Jeffcoat in English and German!

HERE

Outsourced Premiere's in France

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:52:09 PDT

Outsourced will make it's French premiere as the closing night film at the Festival International Cinema & Costume De Moulins-sur-Allier which takes place June 26th-29th.

You'll find all of the details HERE

Need a Holiday in Goa???

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:04:37 PDT

Buy an Outsourced DVD and you'll be entered to win a trip to Goa, India. You can also send a LIVE singing telegram from India over the phone to your friends!
Click HERE for details.

You can also spread the word on Facebook by clicking on the 'join' icon in the bottom left corner of the video below.

Dreamago screens Outsourced

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:19:50 PDT

I spent this past weekend as a guest at the Dreamago Screenwriters retreat in Switzerland. Outsourced was screened to open the week-long workshop of international writers. The goal of the organization is to "help develop, support and promote films that make a difference." Stephen Frears was their guest last year and it was an honor to be there with Outsourced this year.

Pascale Rey's passion for Dreamago and the wonderful people that help support her vision make the organization something very unique and exciting. I would encourage anyone with a screenplay in English, French or Spanish to submit to one of their programs. http://www.dreamago.com

A breakout hit in Germany!

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 10:41:32 PDT

So I just found out we had a great opening in Germany! According to our contacts:

Outsourced opened to the second highest per screen average after Hollywood blockbuster "21." Danke to all our German fans, and please continue to spread the word!

Exciting news and hopefully this will be the start of the Outsourced European tour!

OUTSOURCED German Trailer from Strangelife on Vimeo.

German Television Interview

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 22:08:34 PDT

For those of you who speak German or just like to watch people speak German, check out this link to a popular German news show that Intervewed director John Jeffcoat and actor Josh Hamilton while they were in Berlin, Germany for the Premiere of Outsourced.
GERMAN TV INTERVIEW

A Great Time in Berlin

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:03:36 PDT

Outsourced releases in theaters across Germany this weekend. Thanks to everyone who helped out with our premiere on the 9th, it was a great introduction to Berlin!

Outsourced Premiere in Berlin from Strangelife on Vimeo.

Premiere in Berlin!

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 14:59:09 PDT

Outsourced will open in theaters across Germany tomorrow. We attended the premiere in Berlin tonight to a wonderful response. Thank you to everyone who attended. Josh and I had a great time and are excited to spend another night on the town tomorrow!

Video to come soon...

- john

Ashland Video Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 21:36:25 PDT

Ashland Film Festival: Day 1 from Strangelife on Vimeo.

Ashland Film Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:47:32 PDT

A big thank you to everyone who attended our screening in Ashland, Oregon tonight. We had a great sell-out at the Varsity and such a wonderfully warm reception.

We're screening again Saturday night and George and I will be back for a Q & A after the screening (there will be an additional screening on Monday). Stay tuned for a short video blog from our trip to Ashland. It's been a great trip so far! Also had a chance to catch the great new film from our friend Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance", and a fascinating documentary by my old roommate Glenn Thomas called "An Ideal World" about the virtual world 'Second Life.'

Great vegetarian Sheppard's Pie at the Black Sheep!!! Almost as good as my wife's.

Pictures and Video to follow....

- john

Outsourced in Germany

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Anderson & Ethan Smalls) — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:40:38 PDT

On April 10th Outsourced will hit theaters in Germany. Our German friends have been busy dubbing the film in German in preperation for the release and for a sample of their handiwork check out the German-language trailer and website here: German Website

There will be a German premiere in Berlin on April 9th. Actor Josh Hamilton (Todd Anderson) and director / co-writer John Jeffcoat will be there for the event. Stay tuned for more details and photos from the event!