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short synopsis

Born with brittle bone disease, surviving the early days of his life, and over-coming the realities of foster care, eleven-year old JJ House united a community while reaching his dream to direct a musical. With support of MTVarts, a community theater production company, JJ assembles a production crew and cast while inspiring the world around him.

medium synopsis

Born with brittle bone disease, surviving the early days of his life, and overcoming the realities of foster care, eleven-year old JJ House unites a community while achieving his dream to direct a musical. Unable to participate in sports activities due to his bone disorder, Jarrel Jatice (JJ) Michael House captures the hearts of a local theatrical production company after having attended two summer musicals and finally auditioned for and was awarded a role in the production of Cinderella. With support of MTVarts, a community theater production company, JJ assembles a production crew and cast while inspiring the world around him. The children on the production team are paired with an adult mentor to show them the ropes of putting on a musical with the hope of the youth continuing to provide those artistic opportunities in their community.

Also supporting JJ’s dream were New York Theatrical Publisher Theatrical Rights Worldwide as well as co-writers, lyricists, and composers Mark Freidman and Janet Yates-Vogt of the hit children’s musical, How I Became a Pirate. Throughout the story, JJ’s reason for pursing his dream is to give others hope that they can achieve their dreams, too. However, his determination of becoming a director conflicts with his desire to just be an eleven-year-old boy. Some of these moments lead to conflict with his cast, crew of children, the adult mentors, and his family. Through it all, JJ and his team find a way to create a memorable community event as he realizes his dream.

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long synopsis The JJ Project is a feature documentary about how JJ House, an eleven-year-old boy born with brittle bone disease has overcome his disability to pursue his dream of directing a musical. Jarrel Jatice (JJ) Michael House captured the hearts of a local theatrical production company after having attended two summer musicals and finally auditioned for and was awarded a role in the following summer’s production of Cinderella.

Because the 37 broken bones in his body have never healed properly, JJ uses a wheelchair to move from one place to another. Despite technological and medical advances in accommodating people in wheelchairs, it is still difficult for JJ to go from place to place. He cannot go out and play on the playground like other kids, or participate in a game of baseball or basketball. This is why he chose the theater to connect with the world and now to pursue his dream which is to direct a musical.

JJ’s reason for pursing his dream is just as important as pursuing it altogether. By doing so, JJ is hopeful that others will see that they can achieve their dreams, too. Regardless of age, abilitiy level, or circumstance, having your dream and going after it are fundamentally a part of establishing a zest for living and achieving an inner peace that allows us to forgive the past wrongs in our lives and focus on the present and future. At times in the film, his determination of becoming a director gets in the way with his desire to simply be an eleven-year-old boy which leads to even more conflict with his cast, crew, the adult mentors, and his family.

With the support of Theatrical Rights Worldwide, the story follows JJ throughout his journey as he directs How I Became A Pirate from pre-production meetings, auditions, planning, rehearsals, and performances. Additionally, this documentary shows how a bunch of theatre enthusiasts worked together to create memorable theatrical production for JJ’s hometown of Mount Vernon. Seeing the real conversations and accounts that happened along with embracing the youthful creativity and energy of the children producers attaches with audiences members young and old.

In addition to his theatrical involvement, the story reveals JJ’s background through in-depth interviews and heartfelt sentiment of how he overcame an abusive birth family, a neglectful foster home, and his disability to rise to a giant human spirit whose stage presence is captivating and whose spirituality is humbling. Described as having an “old soul,” JJ reaches beyond the borders of his community and touches the lives of people in the performing arts community around the world.

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Courage does, in fact, come in small packages. JJ House of Mount Vernon, Ohio, is an inspiration to his community and beyond for overcoming many obstacles. Working with JJ and his family on this documentary has been nothing shy of an honor and privilege. Always upbeat (except in the morning), JJ’s outlook on life is positive, and his love of story-telling (especially in the theater and film world) is as passionate as anyone I have ever met.

From the beginning of the first pre-production meetings, my team knew that this was going to be a special story that can inspire communities around the world. When we received support from Theatrical Rights Worldwide (TRW) in New York for JJ to direct the musical “How I Became A Pirate,” the project snowballed into something even more special.

For me, there are many lessons that The JJ Project offers audiences. First, dreams are important and are the essence of our raison d’etre. JJ’s dream to direct a musical at age 11 from his wheelchair, battling an excruciating brittle bone disease daily, and overcoming significant challenges from birth to his current age is a reason for living.

Second, his production team of youth (all theater friends) were matched with an adult mentor for this musical. The aim was to assure strong and sustainable enter-tainment for the community. Most of the children (including JJ) have been on stage. This experience, however, put them behind the scenes to produce the show. Musical direction, choreography, producing, stage managing, and of course directing were all conducted by children whose experience will last them a lifetime. For the community, it assures us that these youth will continue with the arts either professionally one day or through community theater which is important in smaller communities.

Third, the theater is a wonderful option for growth, creativity, and to develop a network of friends. People who participate in theater know exactly what this means. The theater provides options for people of all ages to shine - either on stage or behind the stage. The friendships and relationships that happen are often referred to as the “theater family.”

Finally, people with disabilities offer our world a unique perspective. We should all strive to be inclusive of this group. Working with People First of Ohio (which is one of the associate producers of the film), has become quite an influence in the State of Ohio and beyond. We are all reminded in the name of the organization that people with disabilities are people first.

The passion for this project was nothing like Mount Vernon, Ohio, has ever seen. Expectations were high from the very beginning. Community theater is about sharing our gifts with our community - it is nobility. I look forward to sharing this story with the world. Our hope is that this story will show other communities how to do the same in order to brighten the world by creating memorable experiences and perfor-mances that people will talk about for many years.

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amMatt Starr (Director/Producer/Writer) is a Senior Partner for I-CONN Video Production and President of Kokosing River Productions, LLC. His background in psychology and his passion for storytelling permeates throughout his productions. Starr has received several Telly Awards for various corporate, commercial, and industrial video and film productions. He has also received state and regional awards for tourism marketing in Ohio. No stranger to the stage and film, Starr is an award-winning actor whose insight offers The JJ Project a distinctive perspective from the characters’ point of view that resonates with audience members. Other productions under Matt’s belt include Looking for the Jackalope, Envieve, Cold, Recoil, Hunting for Hunger, and ‘Neitzsche’ Ate Here. At present, Matt is also the writer, producer, and director of Uncommon Brilliance: Then and Now, a documentary of the history of business in Knox County, Ohio. In addition to appearing in national and regional commercials, he has been cast in principal roles in the short films Pregnant Pause, Caleb’s Gift, As We Walked In the Woods, and April Dreams. Supporting roles include ABC’s Final Witness and the short film Homecoming. He is represented by Cam Talent in Columbus, Ohio. He enjoys producing documentaries or dramatic narrative stories that offer hope and redemption. Along with his wife, Joanne, Matt lives in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Dan Parsons, Director of PhotographyDan’s cinematography career began in the independent film-friendly city of Austin, Texas. After working in Texas for several years, Dan relocated to Los Angeles where he continued to work in the film industry while earning an MFA in film production from Chapman University where he served as the teaching assistant for ASC cinematographer, Bill Dill. With more than 100 shooting credits on features, commercials, television pilots, documentaries, music videos and short films, Dan is pleased to return to his home state of Ohio where he now lives and works.

Justin Aikman, 1st Assistant Camera, Assistant EditorJustin is the crew’s MVP and is responsible for most of the b-roll footage obtained throughout the production. With so mucy time spent with JJ and his family, he became closest to the House family throughout the project. Justin has a trememdous eye for documentary filmmaking and is a 1st AC and Director of Photography fo other corporate and narrative films in the area. He also helped out on the feature Looking for the Jackalope.

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amRobin Gulcher, Sound Mixer and Sound EngineerRobin Gulcher is Vice-President/Partner at Magnetic Studios, Inc. - a premier Audio Production/Post Production facility in Columbus, Ohio. Providing sound design, mixing, and recording services, Magnetic’s clients include Advertising Agencies, Film/Video production companies, and a wide range of Businesses throughout the Midwest. Projects include Radio and Television commercials, Corporate videos, Independent films, and Documentaries. Clients include: Engauge, Wendy’s International, National Geographic, Knowledge Management International, The McGraw-Hill Companies, and Nationwide Insurance among others. Robin has also been a location sound mixer for countless commercial and film projects throughout the years. Clients include: BBC America, Rosler Creative, Colelli Films, and Screen Play, to name a few. Robin serves as a member of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and The National Academy of Recording Arts and Science (NARAS). He continues to expand his art as an adjunct instructor at the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in the Cinematic Arts Department.

Jarrod Dowalter, Unit 1 Assistant Director and Story EditorJarrod is an alumni video production major at Ohio University and contractor for I-CONN Video Production and others. Currently, Jarrod works at GumGum in Santa Monica, CA as a motion graphics designer. He was active as a video promotions director for MTV Woodie award nominated campus radio station All-Campus Radio Network. Specializing in post-production, he has worked on a variety of different corporate projects in Athens and Mount Vernon, Ohio, Los Angeles, and others as well as Kokosing River Production’s ‘Neitzsche’ Ate Here. He is a native of Fredericktown, Ohio, and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Susan Gulcher, Hair & Make Up Artist

Anne Marie Orr, Production Assistant & Assistant Editor

Jack McClintock, Gaffer

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