Is your agent a member?

Kevin Averill

Theresa Boensch

Kimberly Boyer

Dotty Brown

Denise Brummett

Kristen Cano

Gordon Chamberlain

Brian Cote

Brandon Darin

Patrick Dewey

Kevin Elliott

Patrick Elshaw

Madison Ford

Christina Gonzales

Kimberly Hall

Jim Hart

Cassandra Hawkins

Brian Huggins

Kevin Jansen

Jennifer Kuhar

Shirley Kulpa

Jennifer Ladley

Marcy Lay

Jacqueline Letts

Denise Lewaniak

Greg Lewis

Kevin Mannor

Jessica Marsh

Adriana Martin

Dawn McConnell

Jennifer McDonnell

Mark McLane

Thomas Mielke

Bonnie Nelson

Raquel Paulus

Tina Poindexter

Terry Roote

Vincent Rose

Kelly Sandy

Jennifer Seman

Mark Sisson

Jackie Steele

Jessica Stevenson

Logan Suttmann

Jill VanDriessche

Laverna Witkop

How long does it take to make a feature-length film in northern Michigan with no studio support and no Hollywood infrastructure? JohnPaul Morris and the team at Practical Films are finding out.

Though Morris and his company made a name producing TV commercials and promotional content, they’ve always harbored the dream of making full-length movies in Traverse City. In the fall of 2019, they did just that when Practical assembled a cast and crew of local talent to film Quicksand. But three years after that film wrapped production, it has yet to make its way to most audiences.

For his part, Morris is hopeful that 2023 is the year everyone will finally be able to see Quicksand . While a sizable handful of locals got to experience the film last summer as part of the Traverse City Film Festival, Quicksand hasn’t yet been widely released and still can’t be streamed, rented, found online or seen in theaters. That’s because, according to Morris, getting a film made, edited, finalized and in front of audiences is a whole lot like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up a hill in Greek myth.

“Making the film was an impossible feat that we actually succeeded in,” Morris said. “Truly, making movies should be impossible, but we did it and right now we’re looking at how to get that

The next few years could prove to be a major phase of transformation for downtown Traverse City. Here are just four developing storylines to keep an eye on in 2023.

Riverwalk and pedestrian plaza

Perhaps the most significant transformation in the next few years is the creation of a new riverwalk and pedestrian plaza along the Boardman River.

For years, the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) has been working on a unified plan for the 1.6 miles of the Lower Boardman/Ottaway River. Crucial to those discussions was how the DDA would factor in the more urbanized sections of the river that run through downtown – particularly the riverside alley space behind the 100 and 200 blocks of Front Street.

A lengthy visioning process culminated in 2022, as the DDA and its design partners unveiled plans for a pedestrian-friendly river walk design in that alley. The plan calls for a more naturalized riverbank, with steps, seating, lights, and other features that would encourage downtown visitors to interface with the river more directly.

The plan would also incorporate a new pedestrian plaza into the alley space, as well as reimagine the J. Smith Walkway between Pangea’s and Kilwins into a park-like space. Finally, the DDA hopes to add two new pedestrian bridges across the river – one of which would extend all the way over Grandview Parkway to Clinch Park Beach.

film to audiences. And that’s starting to feel nearly as difficult. But we’re proving that we can do difficult things, so we’re staying optimistic for sure.”

The team behind Quicksand has reason to be optimistic after a strong film festival season in 2022. While a rough cut of the film was initially rejected from many of the festivals on Morris’s wish list, a fateful call from the Traverse City Film Festival ultimately got the movie a poetic hometown premiere.

While Morris said TCFF is typically more of a “victory lap” festival in the film world than it is a premiere festival, Practical decided to grab the opportunity since it didn’t have any other festivals lined up for Quicksand at the time.

Quicksand ultimately sold out four showings, with audiences well exceeding the film’s inner creative circle. That level of interest – plus strong responses from all four audiences – helped give Morris some faith after the initial film festival rejections had dampened his hopes.

A successful post-TCFF festival run in the summer and fall of 2022 only did more to boost Morris’s spirits. First, Quicksand screened at two other Michigan festivals in late September – the Grand Rapids Film Festival and the Hell’s Half Mile Film & Music Festival in Bay City – and earned awards at both. The film also won the jury award for best nar-

According to DDA CEO Jean Derenzy, the river walk project will likely demand a phased approach. More clarity on timelines should be available soon: Sometime this month, the DDA is set to bring forward an implementation plan, laying out costs and timelines for the project. Some improvements are likely to begin this year, while others – such as the Grandview Parkway bridge – will likely have longer gestation periods.

Rotary Square

Also likely to see progress in 2023 is the creation of a long-awaited civic square at the corner of Union and State streets. The DDA issued a request-for-proposals for that project in November, seeking a consultant to help create a conceptual design. That design process is likely to take all or most of 2023, with opportunities along the way for the public to weigh in on what they would like to see.

2022 saw the DDA working to draw more attention and use to the space –most notably with a public tailgating party in October for the University of Michigan/Michigan State University football game. The square was also the site of Santa’s House during the holiday season.

Tif

One key focus for the DDA in 2023 will be the matter of tax increment financing (TIF) and which was recently identified by consulting firm Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.) as one of the most important