Published on: 02/18/08
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution / By GEORGE CHIDI

Lawrenceville filmmakers work to establish themselves

Vincent Vittorio and Nate McGill don’t stop moving. There’s always another phone call, another meeting or another shoot for the two Lawrenceville filmmakers. Even when things seem quiet, they’re never really still.

Spare minutes are precious for Vittorio and McGill. They’re working to establish themselves as successful filmmakers and to establish Gwinnett County as a place where filmmakers can be successful.

Their office, all warm yellow tones, is a short walk from Lawrenceville’s historic square. They share a space with desks an arm’s length apart.

On a recent weekday morning, the two fielded phone calls from writers and artists in three states. They vowed, joking, to put thumbtacks on the wall every time someone from New Jersey ticked them off.

Vittorio asked Ryan Wilson, an old college friend who’s a part-time writer from Orlando, to free a week up to look at material for a documentary when the filmmakers visit in a few days.

“The whole week?” Wilson whined. “Oh, man.”

Vittorio relented and asked instead for a few days of his time. Distance can be a problem, Wilson noted. But they worked out a plan, leaving some things open.

“We’ll give you the green light when we get it,” McGill said before hanging up.

It’s how things work now — the changing economics of the movie business will allow good ideas to prosper anywhere, McGill said.

“That’s why there’s no reason why you have to be in Hollywood to make films,” he said.

With CNN and Turner Broadcasting centered in Atlanta, the city is no stranger to media production. Other filmmakers have prospered here. Later this year, Tyler Perry plans to move into a 30-acre space near Greenbriar Mall with five soundstages, a 400-seat screening theater and backlot.

Vittorio and McGill want Gwinnett to be part of that boom.

Vittorio and McGill sometimes seem like archetypical Hollywood wheeler-dealers. They carry laptops everywhere. The Blackberry cellphones remain close. It’s a slow hour when they field fewer than a half-dozen phone calls or e-mails.

McGill and Vittorio’s day starts at 4 a.m., a concession not to the job, but to their families, Vittorio said. Their wives grew weary of watching them come home after midnight every night.

They have a half-dozen projects in the air at a time, and it shows.

Their studio, Life Is My Movie Entertainment, has several movies in production or coming out soon. One documentary, “Light in the Darkroom,” describes the evolution of film photography.

Another, “Brothers of the Gridiron,” covers the Irons brothers, two football stars from Dacula. A third film, “Dangerous Calling” is a religious thriller set in North Georgia.

Life is My Movie worked with the Daws Brothers, two Georgia-based directors, on the project.

“We try to work with people here in Gwinnett first and move out from there,” McGill said.

In between, they work on commercial projects for area businesses and churches.

Their day is a mélange of constant meetings with production designers, directors and potential clients. Between phone calls, they slurp down some Ramen noodles.

Unless they have to actually do lunch, that is.

Both have film degrees — McGill from Georgia State, Vittorio from the University of Florida — and both have been working on movies for years.

Vittorio was born in Miami but grew up around Dacula. He’s trimmed the wild mane of hair he wore in his Internet Movie Database photograph into something a little more respectable since forming the company in 2001.

McGill cut his teeth on live event production, working with charities, Christian organizations and concert promoters to direct live video for concerts and events.

They’re always pitching ideas. Recently they met with Al Stilo and Anthony Rodriguez of the Aurora Theatre to propose a movie night for local artists at the theater in Lawrenceville.

The men talked about money and percentages, but the filmmakers left no doubt about their long-range intentions.

“We’re going to be in Lawrenceville,” Vittorio said, “and we’re going to be here to stay.”

Published: September 2007
Gwinnett Magazine / by Melissa Booraem

“Brothers of the Gridiron Through Thick And Thin “

Dacula football superstars reunite with former high school classmates to create a television documentary about living the dream of making it to the big time and the NFL.

Gwinnett has some of the best high school football programs in the state, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that a pair of Dacula High School brothers – sticking to their game plan – made it to the National Football League. David and Kenny Irons, nicknamed “Brothers of the Gridiron,” have been the subject of a recent television-bound documentary created by a Lawrenceville production company and are examples of several recent Gwinnett athletes that have made it in professional sports. Life is My Movie Entertainment has been following the Irons brothers for the past two years. Partners of the company Ronald English, Nathan McGill and Vincent Vittorio, also Dacula High School graduates, have been working to find a home for the program on television when the footage is released in the fall of 2008. Irons brothers clear the goal post Kenny and David Irons were both standout running backs at Dacula High School, breaking many of the records at the school and helping the program gain respect in the county. The brothers originally enrolled in separate colleges, but came together at Auburn University in 2004, had successful junior and senior seasons with the Auburn Tigers, and then entered the 2007 NFL Draft. Kenny was the 49th pick in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. He reportedly signed a four-year, $5 million contract. David was picked up by the Atlanta Falcons as the 194th pick in the sixth round. His reported salary is $2.2 million over four years with a $120,000 signing bonus. Showing just how tenuous success in the world of professional athletics can be, Kenny sustained a knee injury during his first pre-season game in August and will miss the 2007 season. He is expected to make a full recovery for next season. Football runs in Irons blood The Irons family has football in their blood – and throughout their ranks. Gerald Irons, Kenny’s and David’s father, played college ball at Maryland-Eastern Shore, and spent six years with the Oakland Raiders and four with the Cleveland Browns before retiring in 1979. Older brother Gerald Junior played at Nebraska as a defensive lineman, while Uncle Grant Irons played for Notre Dame and now plays for the Oakland Raiders. Recording success The documentary follows Kenny and David through their last season at Auburn University and continues through the NFL draft. Life Is My Movie Entertainment is producing the special in association with Athletes In Life, a company dedicated to helping high school or semi-pro athletes prepare for the next level. Check out the progress of the television-bound program at www.lifeismymovie.com