It isn’t often, in the world we live in today, that people can turn their passions into our professions. Lucky for me I get to experience it every day in my turn in professions and have a chance to see it quite often as many winemakers and vineyard owners had a dream that one day they would make wine or create a bottle of glorious juice with their name on it. They were often doing this while working day jobs as doctors or engineers or finance or even simply growing other plants or raising cattle.

I also get to see our chef and restaurateur friends create their dream restaurant, often after years of working long days and nights for someone else, or completely different professions, like our friends Gene and Julie Gates, former radio hosts, who are celebrating the grand opening of their restaurant, Battuto, this weekend. (I helped the couple create their wine list with some fantastic selections…paired with their incredible, Italian inspired cuisine, it is a definite must on your restaurants to visit list.)

But this past week I watched a dream and passion become a reality in the most amazing way. My Gary is the second film critic in the history of the profession to make the jump from critic to producer…and man is he having a ball!  I visited him on the Vancouver, BC set of  “Words and Pictures,”  the Latitude Productions/Lascaux Films romantic drama he has been on the set of since the beginning of March, and working on with our Latitude partner, Curtis Burch, for the past 3 years. Not long compared to some time frames in the film world, but certainly a marathon vs. a sprint for his company.

I had not seen Gary for over a month, a hard month for me as we are so involved with each others day to day lives. I missed him terribly, but seeing his broad, gap toothed, fuzzy, joyous smile (a beard has appeared since filming began) it is worth it. He is in his element, talking movies and stars with the crew, marveling at ours (Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche), carefully taking in the process and the steps as Co-Producer on this film to be able to fully run his own production in the future, and mainly admiring the words of writer Gerald DiPego and the masterful work of director Fred Schepisi (another one who has a constant, joyous smile.)

I am handed a pair of headphones right as I got to the set on my first day of the visit and I look around the corner and see Clive speaking with Bruce Davison, playing the character of Walt in the film. They begin to speak as I watch..wow…the process for an onlooker is intoxicating.

We are just over halfway through filming, which makes me a little sad for him and the crew as the work is so good and the process with these pros is completely top notch…it leads me to hope Vancouver will be on our location list again. But, the excitement and anticipation of the next phase is a little overwhelming…and so much fun.

Bravo baby, well done on the largest scale. And thank you to Curtis, and a hearty toast and thanks to Richard, Derrick and Wade, Gary’s partners in Lascaux who believed in him and in the power of film.