???If you want something done right, you've got to do it yourself.
???With his passion set to pen, budding filmmaker Steve Clark would write the skirt (and love) chasing memoirs of a New York City playboy and set in motion the biggest undertaking in his fresh-faced career. With his very own movie on the brink of release and a $10,000 DIY marketing contest calling out to all college students, it's about time you're introduced to Mr. Clark and The Last International Playboy.
???"It's a movie about a man about town who seems to have it all going on in New York City.
In the beginning of the film, he finds that the love of his life is going to marry someone else," Clark said. "As the movie progresses, he starts going after and after and after her and he sort of uses this notion of love as an excuse not to grow."
???With every ounce of heartbreak comes a new fling, a new trip back to the wagon and another misstep. Getting by with a little help from his friends, our self-destructive playboy struggles to stay afloat while his closest friends struggle to hold his head above water.
???Starring former Roswell star Jason Behr as the delirious playboy Jack Frost, Krysten Ritter (Confession of a Shopaholic), Lucy Gordon (Spider-Man 3) and Mike Landry (Rescue Me) as his best friends Ozzy, Scotch and Kate, and the charming India Ennenga as his 11-year-old neighbor and adviser, Clark was able to put together a well-versed and respected cast to live out his silver-screened dreams.
???With a script that Clark penned alongside Thomas Moffett and more talent on board than he could have ever imagined, unsurprisingly, the filmmaking process was a real treat.
???"Making the film was the most fun I've ever had. It's a crazy experience to embark on. We started absolutely from scratch with the script to the very end with distribution," Clark said.
???A true New York City indie film, Clark and company decided to take the DIY route and release it themselves.
???"We did the festival circuit. We did well. We got offered distribution deals we were not thrilled about and we decided to do it ourselves," Clark said.
???Along with its homegrown release, Clark and crew have created a unique contest to help promote the film and help out its backers in the process. Between the months of June and December '09, passionate-collegiate fans and well wishers will be given the opportunity to promote the picture for a prize - and a hearty one at that.
???For the student who sells the most DVDs, posters and T-shirts, the producers will be granting a $10,000 grand prize, which can either be applied to tuition tax-free or can be used personally, alongside a feature article on The Last International Playboy's website (www.thelastinternationplayboy.com).
Providing further motivation, each contestant will be given a 10 percent commission on each piece of merchandise sold, which will be paid out monthly.
???As Clark's script has turned into an entity of its own, providing the bass line for a film with the potential to soar and this huge opportunity for collegiate minds, his hopes were humble from day one.
???"The No. 1 goal was to make a film that I and co-writer Thomas Moffett could watch and not cringe - to watch the movie, to be happy and to transfer the idea that we originally had into a film; to get back the money for our investors and to get it out there and get people to see it," Clark said.
???With good intentions and a passion for his work, Clark is a prime example of the many filmmakers who pour every hour of their lives into their craft and dream of bigger things to come. With an incredible opportunity for the able college body and a little cash along the way, there really is no reason not to support Clark in his endeavor.
???After all, he was that film kid fresh out of college with a head full of dreams and a heart set on cinema. Just take it from him. And if you're looking to turn those dreams into reality, you really just have to go for it.
???"There's so much to say about making an independent movie. If you're looking to make a movie, you just have to surround yourself with people who think you can do it and just go for it."
???Formerly known as Frost, The Last International Playboy will be released on June 12, 2009.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
