FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- JR Celski usually shoots high - national championships, Olympic medals, things like that. Now he's wants to make movies.
He has hung up the short-track skates for a while, hooked up with a couple of pals, formed a production company and is busily shaping a 90-minute documentary focusing on the Seattle area hip-hop music scene.
He's 20. He has zero experience making movies. And he's absolutely in love with and dedicated to the project. The company of which he is a part, MAD Northwest (for Music, Art and Dance) is self-funded, a start-up with a heart of gold and not much green.
Celski said their first big effort, the hip-hop movie, will cost more than $100,000.
"It's all out of our own pockets. And we're looking for help. We want this to be a community-based thing," said Celski.
He and his partners want the world to know that this area has a vibrant urban art scene and a widening pool of rap and hip-hop talent. They want to find ways to let the world know what's happening here and that what's happening is good.
"Everybody out there thinks Seattle is just about coffee and rain. And bad sports teams" he said with a grin. "we want to let people know there's more."
Yes, he says he'll get back to skating; maybe next year. Right now he's consumed with the new challenge, the new thrill. And so what if he's 20, and so what if he's never done it before. He's on it, he's working hard and the world would be crazy to bet against JR Celski and the rest of the very talented crew at MAD Northwest pulling this off.
Look for "The Other Side" to debut at the Seattle International Film Festival next May.
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