Our People Make Our Movies
Midas Touch Media has a growing network of artists who have given their time and talents to our films. Meet some of the people who make our movies a reality.
Jenny Stodd, Actor
Jenny grew up in the midwest, where she received a B.A. in Theatre from St. Ambrose University. She is primarily a stage actor, but has dabbled in commercials and voice over work as well. Favorite regional credits include Little Sally in "Urinetown", Maria Elena in "The Buddy Holly Story", and Patty Simcox in "Grease". Jenny joined "Team Midas" in 2008.
Todd Meredith, Actor/Musician
Todd has been a Team Midas member since their first film challenge, playing the role of Jackson Filmore V in Decision 2006. Primarily a stage actor and musician, Todd enjoys getting the opportunity to work with his friends on these projects and act on camera, even though his terrible short term memory prevents him from correctly learning his lines and often delays shoots. As well as performing in numerous regional theatrical productions around the country, Todd has formed his own Buddy Holly tribute group, released two Buddy Holly tribute CDs, and is a member of the Beatles tribute band, the Prefab 4. Find out more about him and his other artistic endeavors at www.toddmeredith.com. Credits Decision 2006 - Jackson Filmore V Stacked Deck - Clayton Goodman Spilled Milk - Arron Holiday Exchange - Chris Fire Fight - Charlie Byrne The Speaker - The Anchorman
Robert Keller, Actor
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Phil V. Donahue, Actor
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Robert A. K. Gonyo, Actor/Musician
Robert A. K. Gonyo (Artistic Director) is a theatre artist and musician residing in Brooklyn, NY. Favorite Midas Touch Media credits include the roles of Timmy in Spilled Milk and the Mall Manager in Working Magic; his compositions can be heard in Two Coins and Working Magic. In the theatre, Robert's recent directing credits include Muzungu by David Myers, Samuel Beckett's Cascando (with music ensemble thingNY), Ten Years Later: Voices of the Post-9/11 Generation Speak, as well as his own scripts, the radio plays a deep weakness and Conference (call 518-207-0155 to listen), the one-act Urinal Play, and the ensemble-devised house-party show O Brave New World, all with Co-Op Theatre East, the Manhattan-based theatre company of which he is Artistic Director, as well as Hitchhikers May Be Escaping Convicts, Innsmouth, and Xmas with the Annihilator!!! with EndTimes Productions, and Mission with Mixed Phoenix Theatre Group. In addition to his work with Midas Touch Media and Co-Op Theatre East, Robert is a company member with EndTimes Productions, and the producer of the off-off-Broadway podcast, Go See a Show!. www.robertgonyo.com
Getting the shot.
Cinematographer Matt Soriano gets crammed in some pretty tight spaces to get the angle he needs - like behind a desk in the make-shift audio booth from Spilled Milk.
It starts with an idea.
It actually starts with many ideas. Before Team Midas even gets to a script, they start tossing around ideas for the story, paying special attention to how to incorporate the provided genre, prop, character, and line of dialogue. Here they work out the details of the "ghost movie" genre that ultimately became Clean Death.
Let's make music together.
Music often makes the movie, and making music in 48 hours is often an adventure. Team Midas has been lucky to have had many talented musicians lend their craft to the process over the years, but on Two Coins, non-musically versed director Mike Wickham actually whistled the tune for the short's theme. Then it was up to Robby Gonyo and Matt Del Greco to build the piece around the tune that was sketched out on a notepad (using no music notes at all).
Day for night.
For the night driving scenes in Shifting Gears the team had to get creative for both shooting the car in motion and the darkness. Given the limited schedule, they couldn't wait for nightfall, so they pulled the car indoors, then moved lights on poles to simulate passing streetlights and headlights.
Quick turn-around.
Team Midas actors (like Jenny Stodd, seen here in Spilled Milk) have very little time to prepare for their parts, since the script is written just hours before everyone reports to the first shoot on Saturday morning.
The scene board.
As the group creates the story on Friday night, the scenes are sketched out and tacked up on a bulletin board. This gives everyone a better concept of the big picture and keeps track of what's been shot. Here, Mike Wickham catches Robert Keller up to speed on his first Team Midas project, Stacked Deck.
Wearing different hats.
When assembling a group of artists to volunteer their weekend to make a movie, it is important to find multi-talented individuals. Like actors who can do makeup (seen here Kathryn Czynski) and directors of photography who don't mind getting on the other side of the camera - like Matt Soriano, who played the homeless Gustav Slavinski in Decision 2006.
Campaign HQ. Spilled Milk had one of the more complicated sets Team Midas has ever built to serve as the headquarters of a political campaign. The upper room of the Valhalla Ambulance Corps had to be arranged and decorated to accomodate shooting the seven actors from all angles.
New camera - new possibilies. No Good Deed was the first Team Midas short to be shot in HD and the smaller DSLR camera opened up more angle options - like a handle bar view of Stephen Hensel.
Composer at work.
Robert A. K. Gonyo uses Apple's Garage Band to compose the music for Two Coins.
The little things.
Team Midas has always prided itself in its attention to detail, especially in creating props and set pieces for its shorts. Access to the full print shop at Tremont Offset and having a graphic artist on hand is also helpful, as Rob Del Greco demonstrates while creating "Mom's Fortune Cookie" lables for Working Magic.
A rare luxury.
Given the time constraints of a 48 hour film competition, rehearsal time is something that needs to be crammed in when it can. Here on the set of Stacked Deck, Ken Jubie, Robert Keller, and Todd Meredith go over lines while the set is built around them (note how the beer bottles haven't been affixed with their "Mom's" labels yet).
Big budget costume.
When Team Midas was given the opportunity to compete in the Visa "Life Takes" Challenge, they were also given a $500 gift card for the production of Two Coins. Much of that money went to building the costume for "Death" (played by Robert Keller), a multi-layered outfit being assembled here by Kathryn Czynski and inspired by the "Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come" from The Muppet Christmas Carol.
Confined spaces.
Space is often at a premium on a Team Midas set, as the group has to work with what they've got and minimze travel time. This room of Tremont Offset in the Bronx has been used for many scenes and in Working Magic it pulled double duty. For the opening mall office scene, the same wall was used behind both actors. After one angle was shot, the desk was turned around and the room redecorated to seem like the opposite side of the office.
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Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla dui. Fusce feugiat malesuada odio. Morbi nunc odio, gravida at, cursus nec, luctus a, lorem. Maecenas tristique orci ac sem. Duis ultricies pharetra magna. Donec accumsan malesuada orci. Donec sit amet eros. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Mauris fermentum dictum magna. Sed laoreet aliquam leo. Ut tellus dolor, dapibus eget, elementum vel, cursus eleifend, elit. Phasellus porta. Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque.
Comedy (8 minutes) 2006
Welcome to the hidden and hapless hamlet of Filmore, birthplace of hard throwing hurlers and learned lumberjacks. But of all the shooting stars who have ever risen from these humble beginnings, none have shot so high, or fallen as far, as Bobbie Soxer. Now the downtrodden grown up child actor is entering politics, boldly taking on the latest in a long line of town golden boys. In a village with this many characters, it's a story that can only unfold in Filmore. Produced for the 2006 National Film Challenge.
Where it all began.
When Rob Del Greco and Mike Wickham gathered together their group of filmmaking friends and founded Team Midas, they had no idea the success the team would achieve on their very first venture.
Shot in the upstate New York town of Voorheesville, Decision 2006 propelled the team into the national spotlight. Finishing in the top fifteen of over 200 films, Decision 2006 was awarded best use of the line "If it doesn't work, give it a shake" at the 2007 Filmapalooza in Albuquerque, NM.
National Film Challenge 2006 Finalist
Best Use of Line, Eastern Time Zone, NFC 2006
Drama (5 minutes) 2007
Three days in the life of Trebor Herrick, a successful young man.
A cinematic poem. Tempus Fugit was written to be an entry in the short-lived FOX reality show, "On the Lot" before eligability requirements made submission impossible. Production moved forward though, and the original time limit of five minutes was observed, creating a sort, layered piece.
Drama/Western (8 minutes) 2007
A dark, smoke filled warehouse is the setting for an after-hours high stakes poker game. Friends, enemies, and strangers are uncovered as the last hands are played, and the stakes rise even higher as the players' pasts are revealed. Who can you read? Who can you trust? All bets are off when the deck is stacked against you.
Produced for the New York City 48 Hour Film Competition
The Big City
For its second film, Team Midas moved production to New York City and the Midas Touch Media headquarters in the Bronx, the site for their next eight films. The challenge: shoot a western genre film in The Big Apple. Bending traditional conventions, the team came up with a modern tale that pays homage to the theme in both story and execution. The film's distinctive style, a collaboration of director Mike Wickham and cinematographer Matt Soriano, received praise in the competition for both cinematography and editing. The group also welcomed additional cast and crew from the New York area, expanding both their on-screen talent and behind the scenes abilities.
NYC 48HFP "Best of 2007" Finalist
"Best Editing" and "Best Cinematography" First Runner-up, NYC 48HFP 2007
Comedy (4 minutes) 2007
Sending the recently departed into the afterlife with two coins for the ferryman is an ancient custom. So when Uncle Phil finds himself on the other side with a more modern alternative, what happens next is anyone's guess.
Produced for the Visa "Life Takes" Invitational
Riding high Stacked Deck's Top 10 finish in the 2007 NYC 48HFP earned Team Midas a bid in the Visa "Life Takes" Invitational, along with twenty other teams from San Francisco and Los Angeles. Their submission, Two Coins, showcased producer Rob Del Greco's networking abilities when on Friday night he secured a coffin and a funeral home for Saturday morning's shoot. The production also marked the group's first collaboration with veteran actor Phil V. Donahue. Del Greco and Wickham traveled out to San Francisco for the short's viewing and to accept the team's first place honors.
Visa retains the rights to the film Two Coins and does not allow its distribution, therefore it is not featured in this site.
Fantasy/Comedy (8 min) 2007
Life is tough when you're a celebrity impersonator with standards. Just ask Charles "Cheeks" Easton. His desire to educate the world on the complex relationship between actors and their characters often falls on deaf ears. But will his magical secret make his quest easier-or will it just complicate his world even more?
Produced for the 2007 National Film Challenge
Cookies of fortune
Team Midas's third film in five months, Working Magic, was also Team Midas's second submission to the National Film Challenge. The team challenged themselves with new filmmaking techniques and styles and an ambitious lineup of special effect shots for a forty-eight hour production. Despite that, the short was the team's first not to achieve top status in a competition.
Political (10 min) 2008
When a private conversation is leaked to one of New York's most popular political talk radio hosts, Senator Bill Tremont finds himself facing the wrath of the state's normally docile dairy farmers. It's up to his campaign staff to not only fix the problem and get Tremont reelected, but also track down whom among the group may have leaked the controversial tape.
Produced for the 2008 NYC 48 Hour Film Challenge
Back in the race
Team Midas returned to its political roots with Spilled Milk. Continuing to stretch their creative limits, the film featured their largest cast and was shot in an edgy, voyeuristic style that departed from previous conventions. The ambitious project came in three minutes over the competition's time limit, so large portions of the short had to be cut for submission. The version included here has been extended with those edited scenes returned.
NYC 48 Hour Film Project 2008 "Best of 2008" Finalist
Comedy (8 min) 2008
Santa Claus has visited a lot of homes around the world, but the Zuckerman's residence is one place he's never been before. When his son Chris gets engaged to the family's youngest daughter Hannah, Santa will have to break the ice at their Rosh Hashanah celebration.
Produced for the 2008 National Film Challenge
Meet the Zuckermans
When presented with the romance genre for the 2008 National Film Challenge, Team Midas decided to take their chances with a wild card category. The result - holiday film. The group came up with the comedic scenario of Santa Claus's visit to a Jewish family. Del Greco and Wickham also needed to wear some different hats when additional music was required. The two mixed "Jingle Bells" with "The Dreidel Song" and discovered an interesting and unique tune for the closing credits.
Comedy (8 min) 2009
When the king of clean dies, he comes back as a ghost assigned to haunt a slob. But will he be able to bring himself to destroy what he spent his whole life creating?
Produced for the 2009 New York City 48 Hour Film Project
Against the clock
The not-so-lucky seventh film in the Team Midas repertoire almost wasn't made. Faced with scheduling problems preventing regular director, Mike Wickham, and the group's cinematographer, Matt Soriano, from being a part of the production of Clean Death, Rob Del Greco slid into the director's chair for this quirky comedy. The film's technical requirements, in addition to the short-handed staff, caused the team's first ever late submission to a competition, finishing just a half-hour past the deadline.
Comedy (8 min) 2009
MomsCorp is at it again, moving into a community and running small business out of town, but not if documentarian Sean Nebitz has his way.
Produced for the 2009 National Film Challenge
Who needs a script?
When Team Midas was assigned the mockumentary genre for a second time, they decided to give themselves an added challenge - improvise all the dialogue for the short. The crew came up with an outline for the story, then shot the scenes and interviews with the actors in character and two cameras rolling on everything. The hardest part of the editing process was getting a cut that fit the eight minute time limit and deciding what great moments the actors created had be to taken out. The team's normal attention to detail in setting the scene paid off, winning an award for their use of the assigned prop - a book of matches.
Drama (7 min) 2010
A mysterious meeting in a dusty parking lot takes two men down a road of difficult choices. For the corporate head who is used to making them, the path is clear, but this road is untravelled for his companion.
This film contains adult language and adult content. Viewer discretion is advised.
Produced for the 2010 National New York City 48 Hour Film Project
Dark tone.
For the second year in a row, scheduling conflicts prevented regular director Mike Wickham from being around for the whole NYC 48 HFP weekend, so Ken Jubie stepped into the role. Team Midas was presented with the genre of "drama" for the first time, and crafted a dark tale of moral choices, shooting the film in black and white to convey the mood.
Suspense (7 min) 2010
In a city full of people, a kidnapped woman cannot escape her captor.
Produced for the 2010 National Film Challenge
Sight and sound.
For the tenth Team Midas project, the group pulled suspense and attempted to emerse the viewer into the situation of a kidnapping, relying heavily on sound to carry out the task. New York City itself became the palette that they used to paint the picture for the ears.
Comedy/Mockumentary (7 min) 2011
The cast of the reality show "Right Here, Right Now: Daytona" have typical reality tv problems - getting dates, house drama, surviving an apocalyptic ice age. Okay, maybe that last one isn't typical, but why should a little snow change their lifestyle?
Produced for the 2010 48 Go Green Challenge
Going green.
In February of 2011, the 48 HFP held the Go Green Challenge, a weekend competition with an eco-friendly theme. Team Midas, returning to Albany for the first time since Decision 2006, needed to convey the message of "Save the Planet" in a short mockumentary. Shooting back up in Albany also opened up the opportunity to work with new actors and Team Midas was happy to welcome newcomers to the cast of Beach House.
Comedy/Heist (7 min) 2011
What exactly does a getaway driver do while he's waiting for his fare to return from the heist? Not a whole lot - just kill time and think about the girl of his dreams - who happens to ride in the back seat.
Produced for the 2011 New York City 48 Hour Film Project
Familiar faces.
For the fifth Team Midas submission to the NYC 48 HFP, the group went back one of their original on-screen pairings, Stephen Hensel and Kathryn Czynski, reunited for the first time on camera since Working Magic. The team also had to get creative to create the nighttime driving scenes, shooting them during the day in a stationary car.
Horror (7 min) 2011
MomsCorp is at it again, moving into a community and running small business out of town, but not if documentarian Sean Nebitz has his way.
Produced for the 2009 National Film Challenge
Who needs a script?
When Team Midas was assigned the mockumentary genre for a second time, they decided to give themselves an added challenge - improvise all the dialogue for the short. The crew came up with an outline for the story, then shot the scenes and interviews with the actors in character and two cameras rolling on everything. The hardest part of the editing process was getting a cut that fit the eight minute time limit and deciding what great moments the actors created had to taken out. The team's normal attention to detail in setting the scene paid off, winning an award for their use of the assigned prop - a book of matches.
Siena College
Midas Touch Media has close ties to Siena College near Albany, NY, and has collaborated with them on a number of projects. Most notably, they helped create "The Education of a Lifetime", a 10 minute film produced for the college's strategic plan, launched in 2011. Below are some links to other projects Midas Touch Media has produced for Siena College. "Far From Haiti, Close to Home" "Nolan's Road to Recovery" ""
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Phasellus porta. Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla dui. Fusce feugiat malesuada odio. Morbi nunc odio, gravida at, cursus nec, luctus a, lorem. Fusce suscipit varius mi. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nulla dui. Fusce feugiat malesuada odio.Maecenas tristique orci ac sem. Duis ultricies pharetra magna. Donec accumsan orci. Donec sit amet eros. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit.
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