{"id":2701,"date":"2012-09-21T05:27:42","date_gmt":"2012-09-21T09:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithmediaandculture\/?p=2701"},"modified":"2012-09-21T05:29:34","modified_gmt":"2012-09-21T09:29:34","slug":"corbin-bernsen-soap-box-derby-drama-to-get-an-international-rollout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2012\/09\/corbin-bernsen-soap-box-derby-drama-to-get-an-international-rollout.html","title":{"rendered":"Corbin Bernsen Soap Box Derby drama to get an international rollout"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s today&#8217;s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"25 Hill trailer\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J2TKZpyQHaY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong>Rolling on!<\/strong> Corbin Bernsen&#8217;s independently-produced <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aasbd.org\/\">Soap Box Derby<\/a> movie<em> 25 Hill is <\/em>will <a href=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithmediaandculture\/2012\/09\/lighting-the-world-with-positive-movies-mission-pictures-international-heads-for-mipcom-with-a-strong-slate-of-values-based-films.html\">be distributed internationally by Mission Pictures International<\/a> (under the name <em>Heart of a Hero<\/em>). I recently spoke with the actor (currently co-starring on USA&#8217;s <em>Psyche<\/em>) about the film which tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who enters the Soap Box Derby as a tribute to his dad who was killed serving in Afghanistan.<strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>JWK:<\/strong> So, what inspired you to make this movie?<strong><br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CORBIN BERNSEN: <\/strong>Well, I saw an article in the newspaper about this great American tradition \u2013 The All-American Soap Box Derby \u2013 coming to a stop and I decided right then and there that this is a terrible thing \u2013 that <em>Somebody<\/em> is leading me to do this thing.\u00a0\u00a0 I called them up and I asked &#8220;What\u2019s wrong?&#8221; They said &#8220;(We&#8217;re) in financial trouble You know, kids aren&#8217;t doing the sport anymore and because of that we lost our sponsorship.&#8221; And I said &#8220;Why don\u2019t I make a little movie then and bring some attention to it?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Little did I know that really I was being led &#8212; by God certainly \u2013 to really explore this great American sport. It\u2019s not just a\u00a0 shame that the tradition would have been stopping but it\u2019s something that so glorifies family and community.\u00a0 And that\u2019s what we\u2019re missing in this country \u2013 and it\u2019s at the core of my belief.\u00a0 Family and community are the cornerstones of societies.\u00a0 It all came together.<\/p>\n<p><strong>JWK:<\/strong> In the movie you play Roy Gibbs, an embittered small town fire chief still dealing with the loss of his son, a New York firefighter, on 9\/11. Nathan Gamble plays the kid who turns to you for help in constructing the Soap Box Derby vehicle he began with his father before he shipped out to Afghanistan where he ultimately was killed.\u00a0 Your two characters end up helping each other. Of course, your performance was excellent but that kid sure can act too. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>CB: <\/strong>Yeah, absolutely. \u00a0Nathan\u2019s \u00a0a wonderful actor and so able to bring a compassion to his roles. Yeah, I was really blessed to have him.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JWK:<\/strong><\/strong> The movie was largely shot in Akron which is home to the Soap Box Derby. Did you employ a lot of locals?<\/p>\n<p><strong>CB: <\/strong>Oh, yeah.\u00a0 That\u2019s how I make my movies.\u00a0 They\u2019re \u00a0sort of like home-grown movies if you will. I got the idea of going into the community and making a movie\u00a0 and it&#8217;s really what I do. We had a stand and about 2500 people showing up \u2013 of course, all the Derby families.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JWK:<\/strong><\/strong> Tim Omundson, your fellow cast member in <em>Psyche,<\/em> plays the boy&#8217;s father in flashbacks.\u00a0<em> <\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong> <\/strong>Yeah, Tim came in. He certainly understands family and we were very honored to have him in the film. It was a small role but it was important that we have lasting image (of his character) so we knew what this kid was fighting for.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:\u00a0 <\/strong>And you also recruited Michael Tucker from your <em>LA Law<\/em> days.<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/strong><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> Yeah, you know, any excuse to get back in touch with him.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 You wrote, produced, directed and acted in the film.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong>\u00a0 All of it. I had a wonderful team around me but it was an invention of my mind, certainly.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:<\/strong> You made <em>25 Hill<\/em> (aka <em>Heart of a Hero<\/em>) through <a href=\"http:\/\/hometheaterfilms.com\/\">Home Theater Films<\/a>, your production company.\u00a0 Do you have anything else in the pipeline?<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> We have a film\u00a0 coming out at Christmas called <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?feature=player_embedded&amp;v=u4dCdxGsl8E\"><em>3 Day Test<\/em><\/a>. <a href=\"http:\/\/www.echolight.com\/\"><em>EchoLight<\/em><\/a> will be releasing it. It\u2019s a family film that\u2019s got a faith message in it &#8230;It\u2019s dramatic like most of my movies but this is really about a family and a man who tries to save his family.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 Are you a Christian?<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> I am. I definitely have conversations with folks about various parts of my belief that may be in accordance or may not with some other people but I certainly learned on my journey that there are various shades.\u00a0 But I am. I do call myself a Christian.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:<\/strong> You seem drawn to projects that involve families &#8212; as <em>Psyche<\/em> does. <strong><strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> Yeah. My definition of a family show is really something that the whole family can watch together. It doesn\u2019t mean <em>Bambi<\/em> or a G (rated) cartoon. It\u2019s something the whole family can watch. In the case of our movies, we make smart family movies where there is stuff that (might) might be over a kid\u2019s head.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong><strong>JWK<\/strong><\/strong>:<\/strong>\u00a0 Tell me about <em>Rust<\/em>.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\"&quot;Rust&quot; Movie Trailer Starring Corbin Bernsen\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/XqwhwYqjPhE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> It was about a rediscovery of faith. None of my films are <em>Pollyanna<\/em>. They&#8217;re not little deers walking around with butterflies and stuff. That\u2019s not what I do.<\/p>\n<p>Home Theater Films are made for the home theater. I actually don\u2019t like to say they&#8217;re for DVD because it could be rental, streaming. (or) how ever one gets a movie into their house. They\u2019re definitely for the home theater. I call them Home Theater Films because I want families to stick together and watch the movies together and discuss the films together in the comfort of their own home.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JWK: <\/strong><\/strong>Getting back to<em> 25 Hill <strong><strong> <\/strong><\/strong><\/em>(aka <em>Heart of a Hero<\/em>), it actually ended up helping the Soap Box Derby survive.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> Part of our goal was to help the Derby and we\u2019ve helped the Derby tremendously to survive and have given them a spark, a breath of life. A lot of wonderful people have stepped in like a company called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.firstenergycorp.com\/content\/fecorp\/community\/our_community\/corporate_programs\/soap_box_derby.html\">First Energy<\/a> (which) has become the new title sponsor. It was definitely part of the mission of the film to help the All-American Soap Box Derby.<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JWK:<\/strong><\/strong> Any TV projects in the works?<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB: <\/strong><\/strong>I just continue with my show <em>Psyche<\/em>.<br \/>\n<strong><strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>JWK:<\/strong><\/strong> Anything else you&#8217;d like to add?<\/p>\n<p><strong><strong>CB:<\/strong><\/strong> If you really like family films and you want to support family films , I ask you to try and get together with a family or two and rent our movie or download it (or) buy the DVD&#8230;Sit with your family\u00a0 It\u2019s really important for people to work with their families and take stock of their families because that\u2019s really what\u2019s gonna change the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Note:<\/strong> Following our conversation came word that Bernsen may, indeed, be involved with a TV project outside of <em>Psyche<\/em> &#8212; a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.newsnet5.com\/dpp\/news\/local_news\/akron_canton_news\/corbin-bernsen-may-create-reality-soap-box-derby-television-show\">possible reality show <\/a>about, that&#8217;s right, the Soap Box Derby.<\/p>\n<p><em>Encourage one another and build each other up \u2013 <\/em>1 Thessalonians 5:11<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s today&#8217;s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture. Rolling on! Corbin Bernsen&#8217;s independently-produced Soap Box Derby movie 25 Hill is will be distributed internationally by Mission Pictures International (under the name Heart of a Hero). I recently spoke with the actor (currently co-starring on USA&#8217;s Psyche) about the film which tells the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":225,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,13,24,29,31],"tags":[35,3447,3452,3454,3450,3458,3446,3455,3457,3448,3453,3428,3429,2408,3456,3085,3451,3449],"class_list":["post-2701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-christianity","category-family-matters","category-movies","category-sports","category-television","tag-1-thessalonians-511","tag-25-hill","tag-25-hill-aka-heart-of-a-hero","tag-3-day-test","tag-all-american-soap-box-derby","tag-bambi","tag-corbin-bernsen","tag-echolight","tag-first-energy","tag-heart-of-a-hero","tag-home-theater-films","tag-la-law","tag-michael-tucker","tag-mission-pictures-international","tag-pollyanna","tag-soap-box-derby","tag-tim-omundson","tag-usas-psyche"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Corbin Bernsen Soap Box Derby drama to get an international rollout<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2012\/09\/corbin-bernsen-soap-box-derby-drama-to-get-an-international-rollout.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Corbin Bernsen Soap Box Derby drama to get an international rollout\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here\u2019s today&#8217;s dispatch from the crossroads of faith, media and culture. Rolling on! Corbin Bernsen&#8217;s independently-produced Soap Box Derby movie 25 Hill is will be distributed internationally by Mission Pictures International (under the name Heart of a Hero). I recently spoke with the actor (currently co-starring on USA&#8217;s Psyche) about the film which tells the&hellip;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2012\/09\/corbin-bernsen-soap-box-derby-drama-to-get-an-international-rollout.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2012-09-21T09:27:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2012-09-21T09:29:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"John W. 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I recently spoke with the actor (currently co-starring on USA&#8217;s Psyche) about the film which tells the&hellip;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithmediaandculture\/2012\/09\/corbin-bernsen-soap-box-derby-drama-to-get-an-international-rollout.html","og_site_name":"Faith, Media &amp; Culture","article_published_time":"2012-09-21T09:27:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2012-09-21T09:29:34+00:00","author":"John W. 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He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media &amp; Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations &amp; Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. 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