The business of Hollywood does not necessarily take place in Los Angeles, especially when it comes to independent filmmaking. At the 2008 Sundance Film Festival earlier this winter, Hailey resident Tim Farley premiered "Chronic Town," a film he funded as executive producer through his business, Blackwell Secure Group. Blackwell Secure Group specializes in the security needs of Fortune 500 companies as well as professional athletes and others needing security checks or strategies.
Feeding his passion for filmmaking, "Chronic Town" is the third film Farley has financed. Its showing was his third appearance at the Sundance Film Festival in four years. "The Talent Given Us" premiered in 2005 and "The Darwin Awards" premiered in 2006.
"I got involved because I used to life-guard in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with 'Chronic Town's' director, Tom Hines," Farley said. "We stayed in touch, and we ran marathons together in Los Angeles. I financed the film 'The Talent Given Us' and Hines was the associate producer. I wanted to get into the film market because I did consulting."
"Chronic Town" takes place in Fairbanks, Alaska, and was filmed on the heels of Sean Penn's "Into the Wild," which was the first film to be made in Fairbanks. It is a story about a taxi driver named Truman Korovin who is loveable, witty, sarcastic and on the edge of self-destruction. When Korovin's girlfriend dumps him, a hurricane of substance abuse ensues and lands him in an institution for attempted suicide. His life during his rehabilitation takes interesting twists and turns, resulting in a very relevant film, especially for a mountain town such as Ketchum.
"This is a film of hope," Farley said. "Society needs instant gratification, and we are bored. There's a Truman in every small town. The writer Michael Kamsky wrote a script with really tough issues and you are not sure if the characters are real."
First-time director Hines manages to take the dark subject matter of "Chronic Town" and bring it into the open without marginalizing the characters. Hines was born in Fairbanks and worked for Gary Marshall, who plays the role of Korovin's doctor, for 12 years as an assistant, gradually moving up to directing his own film.
Marshall acts alongside several other recognizable and notable actors such as Lin Shaye, a respected and accomplished film and stage actress. She is most recognized in her work for the Farrelly brothers, such as Magda in "There's Something About Mary." Paul Dolley, Hollywood's favorite dad, notably in "Sixteen Candles" and "Breaking Away," and Dan Butler, known for his role as "Bulldog" on the television show "Frasier," are also featured in the film.
"The film business is a tough business to get into and understand its revenue models, licensing and everything that comes with it," Farley said. "I was looking for a challenge."
Farley said he enjoys deal-making and having to think on one's feet to make tough decisions on a moment's notice. Farley said that if you don't get it, you land on your bottom quite quickly.
"'Chronic Town' had great producers," he said. "Laurie Labeau, who is married to the director Tom Hines, watched every penny. (Among us) trust is huge, and most people don't trust anyone, especially in the film business."
Farley does know a thing about trust and business.
"When I'm not doing films, I work full time in the security business doing background checks on high-net-worth people needing help," Farley said. "It's a one-stop shop."
The Blackwell Group is composed of ex-military and ex-FBI agents, who have years of experience in investigative security procedures. The company conducts all sorts of background checks—from babysitters to whether a company has "clean money."
"Post 9/11 there was a need for security in people's lives, such as athletes, government officials and CEOs," Farley said. "NFL players call and ask if we can look into businesses and look at a business's principals, the overall organization and run background checks."
Blackwell is a family-run business. Farley's father worked for the FBI for 25 years and prior to that was a New York City police officer in Queens. The timing of the business has been very good, with more people becoming concerned about scams. Though Farley does most of his work from home, the business takes him to the East Coast at least once a month.
In 1997 Farley worked for the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, but left to travel the world, visiting India, Nepal and Australia. After returning to the states, he ended up crisscrossing the country with a friend and landed in Sun Valley.
"I worked for Sun Valley in 1998 and stayed for a year, then I left the ski-bum lifestyle to do business consulting," he said. "Two years later, I moved back to the Wood River Valley."
"Chronic Town" will continue to screen at other festivals including the CineVegas Film Festival and The Method Fest in Los Angeles.
"I want to find a place for this film," Farley said. "I will turn over every rock and stone."
Tim Farley is a Hailey resident who runs and maintains a security business to fund feature films.
Photo by Willy Cook
