Filmmaker, Teacher, and Pittsburgh Native Carl Kurlander Strives to Keep and Attract Talent Here
05/22/09
“Pittsburgh’s biggest export is talent,” says Carl Kurlander. “And if we want to change that, we need to create compelling reasons for young people to stay here.”
According to Kurlander, one of those “reasons” might be a thriving entertainment industry and, as a visiting senior lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh’s English department, Kurlander is doing his part to help make that seemingly unlikely dream more of a reality. Kurlander himself initially left Pittsburgh to go out to Los Angeles where he found success as a screenwriter (St. Elmo’s Fire) and TV writer/producer (Saved By The Bell.) Returning to Pitt in 2001 to teach for what he thought would be a one year Hollywood sabbatical, not only led to an appearance as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show on a program about people who changed their lives, but has now inspired its own movie, My Tale of Two Cities, a funny and heartfelt “comeback” story about the city of Pittsburgh’s recent resurgence and the age old question of whether you can go home again.
My Tale of Two Cities cast members gather at Point State Park to sing, "Won't You be My Neighbor?" Those pictured include Pittsburgh Steeler great Franco Harris, the late Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O' Connor, Dr. Cyril Wecht, and Chief Executive of Allegheny County Dan Onorato. Photo Courtesy of Carl Kurlander
Backed by Kurlander’s neighbors, including his dermatologist Dr. Doug Kress who also teaches at Pitt, and several Pitt alums, the film utilized over three dozen Pitt students and recent graduates as well as some of the regions most talented local filmmakers and several Hollywood-based Pittsburgh expatriates who believed in the cause. My Tale of Two Cities sold out 1300 seats at The Byham Theater last November where the film received a standing ovation, continues to play in theaters across Western Pennsylvania, and has had special screenings in New York and D.C. with dialogues afterwards with Pittsburgh expatriates about the city’s comeback story. Plans are even underway for a national “Pittsburgh Night” with screenings around the country on November 1st, the bye week for Steeler Nation, to try to encourage others to become re-engaged with the new Pittsburgh.
Building on the success of My Tale of Two Cities, Kurlander teaches a “Making the Documentary” course where students helped make a 10 minute trailer on how Dr. Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh conquered the most feared disease of last century—polio. Thanks to subsequent backing from the University, foundation grants, and individuals, this has been expanded into a 55 minute version. One of Jonas Salk’s sons referred to the trailer and rough cut as “the best pieces of film I have seen about the polio vaccine” and Kurlander and his team are hoping get the support to expand the film into a 90 minute feature to be screened at Pitt this Fall.
This year’s “Making the Documentary” class has led to another documentary on Pitt alumni Bill Strickland and at risk students at his Manchester Craftsman’s Guild who have had their lives changed from this art center. As part of this film, Pitt students will actually help teach MCG students how to film their own lives through a “Youth and Media” program which is part of the Steeltown Entertainment Project, a non-profit Kurlander co-founded to help Southwestern Pennsylvania grow a thriving entertainment industry. This organization evolved from a student group, Pitt In Hollywood, which Kurlander advises at the University which has brought over three dozen speakers from the entertainment industry to campus and led to students getting internships and jobs in the industry both in Pittsburgh and Hollywood. One of them, Pitt alum and Lionsgate producer John Dellaverson, even helped advocate for today’s film tax credit which has lead to over $75 million worth of films shooting in the region in the past two years.
Overall, Kurlander’s mission is to create an atmosphere where young people can stay in Pittsburgh after they graduate and Pitt alum and others can come back with their talents and work in a city which is producing inspiring film, television, and new media for the world, as the region once exported steel.
For information about the DVD of My Tale of Two Cities or more on these projects, visit www.mytaleoftwocities.com or e-mail mytaleoftwocities@gmail.com.