You would think that a guy with a Google Contact Management file that includes the mobile numbers of Billy Bob Thornton, Sugar Ray Leonard, Kevin Pollack, Adrian Grenier, writer Buzz Bissinger and producer Brian Grazer, to name just a few, would certainly feel like a Hollywood insider. If truth-be-told, after three plus years in the movie business, John Loar still feels like the new guy trying to establish himself. From his early days in real estate development, Loar has had a very simple, task oriented, work ethic: Use what you’ve learned, build off what you’ve done, and take on the next job until the work is completed. As the Managing Partner of Red Bird Cinema and President of J. Loar Productions Inc., both growing independent film companies, John is now applying his task oriented mentality to Hollywood’s maverick movie making industry. John freely admits, “It’s a dog-eat-dog business and there are no easy way to get a project completed. There are some days when the mountain of tasks to complete seems insurmountable, but like any business you have to pay your dues.”
Meeting for breakfast at Chow in downtown Danville, Loar resembles a more rugged version of Simon Cowell. John, 51, has a relaxed nature, and yet his demeanor gives one the impression that his days are filled with a sense of purpose. He maintains an on-going “To Do” list where he methodically lines out tasks that he’s accomplished. As a Danville native who attended San Ramon Valley High School, John graduated from Cal State Chico and joined the Blackhawk Corporation in 1987. Working for Ken Behring and Steve Beinke, John was an integral part of the team that built Blackhawk. Some of the residential projects he was tasked to develop included Blackhawk, Canyon Lakes and the Brentwood Country Club. On the commercial side, he worked on the Blackhawk Office Park, the Blackhawk Medical Plaza and the Canyon Lakes retail center. “I loved working with those guys. Ken and Steve identified a specific task and set me loose. They knew that mistakes are part of the process, but you still have to get the job done,” John recanted. The fact that Blackhawk Corporation oversaw a variety of company operations and processes gave John an eclectic on- the-job training as he learned to put together complicated transactions. Loar was ultimately responsible for the sale of Blackhawk Plaza to the Koll Company. In 1988, John’s introduction to sports agent Mike Blatt, (through former San Francisco 49er Jeff Stover), facilitated the Behring led purchase of the Seattle Seahawks. This monumental task ultimately led to his introduction to some of the biggest players in Hollywood.
After the completion of the 1997 season, most people wouldn’t recall that the Seattle Seahawks relocated to Southern California for a month. “We worked with sports agent Leigh Steinberg and the folks at Disney in an attempt to create a “sports town” in Los Angeles. At this time, Disney owned the Ducks NHL franchise and was in the process of acquiring the California Angels. Disney President Michael Eisner saw the potential to bring the NFL into the mix,” Loar fondly recalls. Unfortunately, Disney CEO Michael Orvitz wanted the various franchises to rotate around the L.A. basin which ultimately killed the deal and Microsoft’s Paul Allen stepped in to purchase the Seahawks team. Fortunately for Loar, the Seahawks/Disney deal introduced him to a lot of very influential “Hollywood” people which set the table for a yet unseen task that would be coming his way.
Looking for his next project and while spending some “Mr. Mom” time (the hardest task John claims he’s ever tackled), he did some volunteer work with the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF). “We happened to live next door to Dennis Eckersly and I shared an attorney with Tony LaRussa.” John tells. While attending a birthday party for the St. Louis Cardinals Manager and East Bay animal activist/resident, John found himself sitting next to Buzz Bissinger author of Three Nights in August, a book which chronicles a critical three game series between the Cardinals and Chicago Cubs during the 2003 baseball season. “Despite having no understanding or interest in the movie business, I was brought on to raise money to convert Buzz’s book into a movie,” John tells. Once the book was optioned, Loar’s friend, actor/comedian Kevin Pollack was brought on to adapt the book into a screenplay. However, after several drafts it still wasn’t quite right, but Sandlot Venture Group attached itself to the movie by providing development financing. Ultimately, John suggested they approach Billy Bob Thornton, a good friend of LaRussa’s, to look at the script. “Billy has a true love of the game and truly thinks he knows as much about baseball as Tony,” John says with a chuckle. His fresh outlook gave and rewrite gave the latest version a slightly fictionalized adaptation based on the book. Billy Bob Thornton has also agreed to play one of the characters, but not the lead role. Once Loar, LaRussa and Pollock merged efforts with Thornton’s production team and corporate attorney, Greg McCoy was brought on, Red Bird Cinema, an independent film company was founded.
“I originally joined Red Bird Cinema to help get one movie, Three Nights, completed.” John explains. “As I began to learn the business, I realized that the entertainment industry is a unique environment unlike any other business. Your fate is often in someone else’s hands. There is a very small segment of the industry that controls most of what gets done in town. People come and go constantly, in and out of the business, but it’s the ones who are persistent, tenacious and resilient who tend to stick around. There is an element of blind luck and nepotism, but for the most part it’s just a lot of hard work, perseverance and developing relationships with the right people. You prove yourself by sticking to your word and doing what you say you’ll do.”
Today, Red Bird Cinema has Three Nights ready for filming as soon as the lead is secured. Additionally they have another Pollack written screenplay, Helen, in development stage. Pollack and Thornton are signed on to play the two male leads with either Emily Blunt or Kate Hudson potentially playing Helen. The company has also purchased the film life rights of boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and has optioned the script for a story about Pete Rose called Rose. “Having Billy on the team gives Red Bird direct access to talent. Billy’s ability to get things done in town opens a lot of doors to us. ” Writer/actor, Ed Burns and his production partner, Aaron Lubin (Maroborlo Gang Productions) are attached to the Rose script with Jeremy Renner tentatively pegged to play the title role.
John has also expanded his real estate and venture consulting company, J. Loar, Inc. into movie production to develop micro budget films and expand into television and cable opportunities. John says, “The new company is focused on different type projects from Red Bird Cinema with the main objective being to get shows into production quickly.” He recently released the documentary, Teenage Paparazzo with Adrian Grenier of HBO’s Entourage. Teen Paparazzo has already been shown on HBO, drawing a considerable amount of buzz including an international distribution deal. “Starting the new company was really about rolling my sleeves up and getting lower budget/socially conscious projects in play.”
John met Adrian about three years ago through a mutual friend at Creative Artists Agency. After a rocky first meeting with Adrian’s real life “entourage,” that John says was like a scene from the popular HBO series, they ultimately got together one on one connecting on a few ideas and worked out their own deal. In addition to Teenage Paparazzo, the pair has released a film entitled Don’t Quit Your Day Dream and has a synopsis for a five part mini-series entitled SPIN. While working on Teenage Paparazzo, John met Matthew Cooke, the producer/ editor of Deliver Us From Evil. John, Adrian and Matthew, collaborating under the J. Loar Productions, Inc. banner, will soon be housing on the UTA/Paramount lot, sharing space with writer, director, producer Steven Schneider of Paranormal Activity fame. “Steve/UTA Paramount will have a first look at everything Matthew, Adrian and I put out. Additionally, there will be some great partnering opportunities back and forth by working so closely together,” says John. The new company has already developed the concepts for a cable television cable series called, Tilt, a movie or series entitled Morning Michael, a science fiction drama called Rapid Eye Movement, a four-episode cable series with Bentley Kyle Evans called Brotha N Law, and their reworking a science fiction drama for UTA/Paramount.
“To me, making a movie or series is a lot like a putting together an incredibly complicated jigsaw puzzle. It’s virtually impossible to complete the puzzle alone and occasionally you need to walk away from the puzzle for awhile. In Hollywood, it’s ultimately about teaming up with the right people that can help you get the project produced. Adrian, Matthew and Steven are those types of people,” John shared as he simultaneously scratched off and added items to his on-going list of tasks.
Balancing his life between Northern and Southern California, John and his wife Monica live in Danville with their thirteen year-old daughter, MacKenzie, and fourteen year-old son, Connor. As hard as John works, he’s a devoted husband and father. “Monica and I have actually been married (to each other) twice for a total of 17 years. Since I feel like I’m reinventing myself everyday in the business world maintaining a stable family is a huge priority,” John says.
John is optimistic that he’ll have longevity in the movie business. I’ve learned that a project takes as long as it takes in Hollywood and you can’t out-think yourself,” he resolves. “The best you can hope to do is align yourself with the right people to get the projects you work on produced and distributed.” Perhaps his partner, Kevin Pollack, said it best, “It’s brutal until it’s not. Then we’re geniuses and everyone is kissing our butt because we’re finally making the damn thing.” Loar’s quiet confidence and successful track record leads one to believe there isn’t anything he can’t handle. Making his mark in Hollywood is just the current task at hand for John Loar.
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