You can read the first part of this story here.

Frank Darabont opened Darkwoods Productions to have a place to develop his work. He had several projects in consideration at the time, including The Mist. This was just before he discovered the comic book series for The Walking Dead (2005). I began to write to Frank in the same way I wrote to King, even signing as Andy Dufresne again. I sent a DVD with both Luckey Quarter and Roland Meets Brown. Our connections were obvious and his producer, Denise Huth, was kind enough to write back. I told her about my interest in working with Frank on anything he was working on. She told me Frank would take a look and get back to me. 

In the meantime, I was traveling to Los Angeles from Las Vegas for a screening of a different feature-length film I made called, the long road home. On the radio, a man named Bo Eason was being interviewed regarding his one man show, Runt of the Litter. Bo is the younger brother of Tony “Champagne” Eason, a prominent quarterback for the New England Patriots. Bo mentioned his show being developed into a feature film by…wait for it…Frank Darabont. I immediately called the station and asked to speak to Bo when he was done with the interview. We talked and he invited me to come see his show the next night. We went. It was excellent. Bo was electric. After the show, we met him in person. 

“Did you talk to Frank?” Bo asked.

“What?” I replied.

“He was in the audience tonight.”

My wife elbowed me in the ribs. She later told me Frank and his wife were, in fact, right next to us in the audience, sipping champagne and eating Ding Dongs. Say what you will about their culinary choices, but man, if you’re feeling good enough to have champagne and Ding Dongs, life must be alright. 

As of today, it appears Bo’s story never got made into a feature film, but that’s pretty standard fare for Hollywood. It’s just hard to get any project made that isn't well known or derivative – even with big name attachments. It does seem as though Bo has a successful career as a corporate speaker and trainer going. For my money, if you ever get a chance to see him, do it.  

I’d like to say there was more to my story with Frank, but the fact is life “got busy” for me after that near miss. My parents' health was in crisis and my wife and I moved up to the Bay Area to help them. A number of things began to change my life focus: going back to school for a master's degree, becoming a teacher and a father all led to dropping my direct pursuit of a Hollywood-style career. 

But in the same way we plan and God laughs, sometimes goals get put on pause more than outright stop. 

Part three of this story is coming soon.

If you'd like to know more about the Day One program, please click here. For more specifically on the Stephen King-based films, please click here.

Originally Published on https://www.yesandexercise.org/

Robert Cochrane, PhD Yes, And...eXercise!

Dr. Robert Cochrane is a graduate of UNLV's Integrated Health Sciences department. He's researching the effect of improvisation and storytelling on Parkinson’s disease. He received grants from the Parkinson's Foundation and support from the Davis Phinney Foundation along the way. He is a popular, unique and high energy Keynote speaker, bringing joy, optimism and practical tools for people in the PD community to thrive today.

He has a background in filmmaking, with the Artisan Entertainment release, The Playaz Court, and two Stephen King-based short films among his credits. His father, Dan, was diagnosed with PD in 2001, which shifted Robert’s artistic lens to health. He made his first documentary, the award-winning Boys of Summer in 2004. There are two follow up films in the series with the fourth film coming in 2023.

He moved his family back to Walnut Creek, CA, where he grew up. He lives there with his beautiful wife, two teenagers who are, indeed, "all that" and is a proud care partner for his amazing parents.