An Interesting Request
*Article also appears in The 2024 Q3 Prouty Pulse.
TWIN CITIES FILM FEST • ON FIRE • OCTOBER 2024
In September of 2023, I got a text from my good friend, John “Johnny O” O’Leary, asking if we’d have an interest in investing in a movie about his life.
I said, “Wow, you may be the only person I know who is having a movie made about his life. Let me check with my wife, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.”
Fast forward. We made the investment, and I went down to St. Louis a couple months later to watch a day of filming.
“Genius. Fantastic. Brilliant.”
Those are the three words that Sean McNamara, the director of the movie, used throughout the day of filming.
Fast forward again. We are so excited to have you see this inspirational and awe-inspiring movie at this year’s Twin Cities Film Festival.
Bethany Krueger and I caught up with John recently and asked, “John, what would you say if you and your movie-making team were selected to win an Oscar?”
In pure O’Leary fashion, here’s his response:
The last words my dad (in real life and in real movie life) speaks to me before he rolls me out of the hospital room are these, “John, you did it.” What I’ve come to realize is I have been the recipient at almost every moment of my life of people showing up who were willing to fight alongside me.
“And so, Oscar committee, I stand up here and I accept this award on behalf of every janitor, every food prep person, every blood technician, every doctor, nurse, therapist, parent, rabbi, pastor, and volunteer who visited me back then. And every tutor that came by my house, and every sibling who fought alongside me…” and on and on and on. Because my dad, who was right about so much in life, was wrong about that. I didn’t do it, but WE did. And then I’d hold up that big old Oscar and say, “People, congratulations, we did it.”
If you’d like to join us in October, please RSVP to Julie.Marks@ProutyProject.com
Cheers, and here’s to a “genius” Q3.
– Jeff Prouty
