Hold My Beer

With the draft manuscript of the latest Joel Suzuki novel in the capable hands of my editor for the next month or so, normally I would be using this time to start on the next installment in the series. But since there is no next installment (not yet, anyway), I will instead be turning my attention to another project: Hold My Beer.

I first introduced this project to blog readers back in October 2019 as part of a status update on the SPSU, now called the SPS-Verse. Back then, it was described as a dramedy series for which I'd written a pilot episode script, and it was about a middle-aged man who turns to beer-brewing after losing his wife and job. 

Since that time, it didn't change very much or really go anywhere, even after being part of a writer's workshop with a couple of Emmy Award-winning writers in the early days of the pandemic. Granted, I did put it away for a while after that, as I was unsure of its prospects for getting produced, especially since so many other things were on hold during those uncertain months years.

However, it started to percolate back up into my consciousness after my band Second Player Score emerged from plague-induced hibernation to perform at the Vancouver Summer BrewFest last August. It was there that I was reminded of what a great beer scene our town has, and how it really serves to bring the community together. And so, I was inspired to revisit Hold My Beer and begin exploring how we could possibly produce it (or the pilot episode, at least) independently.

We've always wanted it to be a showcase of Vancouver, Washington, highlighting the city's culture and craft beer scene while serving as a source of community pride and even possibly a boost to the local economy. The show itself is set in Vancouver, and our goal is to produce it with as much Vancouver-based talent as possible. And so, we've been reaching out to people who we thought might be interested in being involved, including cast, crew, musicians, etc. Even though we're still in the very early stages, our efforts seem to be gaining at least a little bit of traction and momentum, so that's where I'll be focusing most of my attention over the coming weeks (also, the script has been completely rewritten - more on that later).

Anyway, if you're based in Vancouver - or, okay, fine, Portland, Oregon - and want to be a part of the project somehow, let me know!