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Ramen-Martin Film Productions
Ramen-Martin Film Productions Hunts the perfect location in Newkirk NNewkirk is a quiet little town nestled in the far northeast corner of Kay County. Surrounded by cattle, corn and soybeans, it is a long way from the hustle and bustle and glittering lights of Los Angeles and New York City. That is all changing, however, as a new television production studio has taken root in the smalltown community and is making headway into putting the charming little town on the road to Hollywood. The Cline Building sits on North Main Street, once housing the law office of William Cline. Upstairs on the second floor, his rustic wooden desk still sits on the wood flooring of his former place of work. A step inside the front door downstairs reveals a new image, with computers and other equipment set up for film. It is the world headquarters of RamenMartin Film Productions, which recently released a new television series filmed entirely in Newkirk. Founder Lisa Lee Martin sits on a chair off to the side in the lower level and reflects on the success of the company so far, and her pet project ‘Hunting Jessica.’ Martin served as screenwriter, producer and director of the program. “We came here from Florida to be a part of the Oklahoma film rebate program, and we settled in Newkirk because I fell in love with Newkirk, and the people, and I felt the project would be good for Newkirk, and us,” she said. As it turns out, she already had somewhat of a family connection to the community, as her half-sister, Elizabeth St. John, had once lived here, and had authored a book series, known as ‘The Hunting Series,’ set in a fictional Oklahoma town, Devil’s Bend, loosely inspired by Newkirk and Ponca City. One of the books, ‘Hunting Jessica,’ would become the basis of the television series she
Story By Everett Brazil, III/Staff Writer adapted. The show follows Jessica, a smalltown bartender and her fight against vampires. “‘Hunting Jessica’ is a supernatural series about a girl named Jessica who is a server in a bar whose normal world is turned upside down when she realizes that the townsfolk aren’t what they seem, and neither is she,” Martin said. “She is hunting vampires, and part of a hellhound tribe.” Newkirk would actually be a perfect fit for the series. “We came here because we thought it would be economically wise, and fell in love with Newkirk,” she said. “Now, we’ve made this our primary production base.” Martin and her producers did consider other locations, but it was Newkirk’s charm that ultimately led to her decision to choose Newkirk. “I chose this location because I felt like this was the best place,” she said. “I love Ponca City, but I definitely think this was right. I wanted something smaller.” Principal filming began in 2019, which included an introduction to
the community in front of the Kay County Courthouse downtown.
“We came here and started filming in October 2019, and then we took Christmas off, but were delayed by COVID-19,” she said. “We were able to finish everything we needed to do a few months ago.”
The series is unique in that it was filmed entirely in the Newkirk area, including businesses on Main Street and private residences, as well as on the outskirts of town in the countryside. Being a small town, there were more than enough places for filming to bring that small-town charm to the show.
Because Jessica is a bar server, much of the series was filmed in the Char-Ron Lounge, known as The Watchdog in the show. Other locations include the Kay County Courthouse, Golden Acres Motel, Stagecoach BBQ and Catering and Police Department. Several residents also donated their homes, including Debbie Leaming and Crystal Meadows.
“Everyone was very helpful – police, fire department, Newkirk Main Street. They welcomed us with open arms,” she said. “We didn’t keep anyone away from the set unless it was a closed set, and we tried to do closed sets at night when people were sleeping.”
They also may have had a special fan, possibly Mr. Cline himself, as many residents have alleged to have felt his spirit in the building.
“We had interactions with a ghost, William
Cline, which is a very well-known story,” she said. “(Things) like the lights coming on at night, the bulb was black like it went out, but it wasn’t.”
Although the name of the community was Devil’s Bend, they did reference the Newkirk background, things those familiar with the community may recognize.
“We dropped hints of Newkirk in the show, like Mr. Newkirk or Deputy Cline,” Martin said.
The show is now online through their channel, RM Entertainment, which can be found through Roku and Apple TV, as well as Apple and Android devices.
“The channel is a free, worldwide channel and has a huge subscription base in the area,” she said, adding that there is already a big fan base in Europe and other parts of the globe.
‘Hunting Jessica’ has gained Ramen-Martin Film Productions, and to a certain extent Newkirk’s, attention by Hollywood.
“‘Hunting Jessica’ is getting a lot of notice out of Hollywood. They asked us to do a Red Carpet Event, but I’m keeping everything in Oklahoma,” Martin said.
With that attention, they are moving forward with a new production, ‘Gateway,’ which Martin describes as a sci-fi time-traveling show, with a historical Viking influence, including people involved with shows such as ‘Vikings: The Saga of Floki’ on The History Channel and ‘Vikings: Valhalla’ on Netflix.
“They came to me because they liked what I did with ‘Hunting Jessica,’” she said.
Those include Ragga Ragnars, an Icelandic actress who stars in ‘Vikings: The Saga of Floki,’ and Michael Redmond, an Irish actor who stars in ‘Vikings: Valhalla.’ They will also shoot portions of the production in Europe, including Scotland, though some will still be filmed locally, she said, adding that some scenes would be shot in Kay County … including the Marland Mansion.
Despite a new national and international influence, Ramen-Martin Productions isn’t leaving, and the company revels in the smalltown atmosphere, bringing Hollywood to a town that wants to be seen from the outside.
“It’s been a journey. People come here all the time, and they come up and look in our windows, and I walk out and give them stickers,” Martin said. “I want to see this area growing, I want to see us working together. It is really a beautiful, peaceful town.”
