Midwest Movie Maker

Artwork for 'Retribution' by Alaina Tennant In Fall 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, 17-year-old Evelyn Smits and 13-year-old Camila Figueroa teamed up to write, cast, direct and shoot a short film. The Northeast Ohio girls initially set out to make a one-minute video based on the concept of “hearing the end of the world.” In the end, they produced a 15-minute horror film involving nearly 50 people, including a diverse cast and crew made up of young women.   Retribution follows the story of a teenage girl who hears a humming while with her friends. That humming turns out to be the preamble to Doomsday. The story builds as the event affects the girl's friends and soon everyone she comes into contact with. After spending three days developing and writing the script, the team used video reels to cast through NEohioPAL, the Northeast Ohio Performing Arts List .     From left, filmmakers Mia Thomas and Evelyn Smits set up a shot. “Because of COVID, we had to do everyt...

Actress Johanna McGinley Johanna McGinley always knew she wanted to be an actress. I remember being little and watching I Love Lucy ,’ thinking,’ I want to be like her!’,” she says. “I used to impersonate her for my mother and make other people laugh!” McGinley, who makes her home in Columbus, Ohio, stars as Annalivia Farrell in WGN America’s new drama, Outsiders . Outsiders premieres Tuesday, January 26. “I was hooked,” she continues. “When I graduated high school, I moved straight to New York City to study at the New York Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. I graduated the two-year film/TV acting program and came back home to test out the Midwest film industry. It was smaller and less intimidating.” McGinley’s film career started behind-the-camera, as she picked up production assistant and stand-in jobs to help pay the bills. “I realized this was the best way to network,” McGinely says, “I’ve created a network of contacts and people are starting to know me.”  McGinel ...

Cleveland's Ed Ackerman as one of the famous (or infamous?) Capital One Visigoths. Even though Cleveland native Ed Ackerman is building a successful Hollywood career, there’s a pretty good chance his name isn’t ringing any bells. That’s okay. Because as soon as I tell you he’s one of three recurring Viking characters from Capital One’s popular television campaign , you’ll immediately think, “Oh, yea, that guy!” “My face may have arrived in your mailbox promoting Capital One, or popped up on an internet banner, inevitably annoying you and temporarily distracting you from finding out your sports teams score,” jokes Ackerman. Then, as you learn more about Ackerman’s growing filmography, you’ll start seeing him pop up everywhere (like in Bones or Vegas or Last Man Standing ). You’ll know that, sooner or later, he’ll catch fire, either in a feature film or a TV series, and you’ll be able to say, “Oh, yea, I was a fan of his before everyone became Ackermaniacs.” If...