Outlook Magazine - Fall 2016

little bit so it’s more about relationships and people who are fans of any team,” said Churchill, who grew up in Beloit. “It’s very funny but has a true, heartfelt story.” If all goes well, “The 60 Yard Line,” www.the60yardline.com , will be in Wisconsin theaters and beyond in 2017. The fan house where the film takes place — most filming was on location in fall 2015 — was purchased by Churchill’s best friend in 2004, planting the seed for the movie script. Churchill and Greco, a Chicago Bears fan, produced the low-budget film, which was fully funded with investors and crowdfunding. Enthusiastic supporters of the film in Green Bay, including the city, helped keep costs low. Most of the film’s actors have Hollywood experience, and several members of the supporting cast have Packers

Churchill’s acting career took off in the early 2000s when, fresh out of college and working in the printing industry, he took a night acting program at Second City in Chicago and began appearing in plays and improv shows, leading to his departure for Los Angeles in 2004. In making the film, Churchill said he used skills learned from professors Jim Tenorio, Ted Bensen and others in UW-Stout’s graphic communication management program, which now is called cross-media graphics management. “It’s the same process: preproduction, production and post-production. The words are just different and what comes out the other end is different. A movie is very similar to printing a catalogue or magazine,” said Churchill, who added that Tenorio and Bensen taught him how to set a timeline and goal and to work toward it. There’s one other similarity between “The 60 Yard Line” and Churchill’s former career: The main character works in a printing company. “Low-budget, indie films die very easily. It’s very rewarding to see how far we’ve come,” Churchill said. “It turned out really well. We’re confident that we’ll be able to sell the film. That’s the ultimate goal. We know we have a core demand here in Wisconsin and with football fans across the U.S.”

PRINTING CAREER TO ACTING CAREER The film adds another chapter to Churchill’s career. He recently was in an episode of the CBS TV drama

PASSION PROJECT Churchill takes Hollywood career to new level with Packers film

” “ I t ’s very funny but has a true, heart fel t story. “The Mentalist” and has been in many commercials, such as for Taco Bell, All-State and BMW. At UW-Stout he slowly gravitated toward acting. He used to do stand-up comedy at house parties then took a night acting class in St. Paul when he was doing an internship, leading him to “fall in love with acting. My teacher said I definitely have a future as an actor.” connections, fullback John Kuhn and former Packers Mark Tauscher, Ahman Green, Gary Ellerson and Mike Montgomery. The film’s narrator, Earl Mann, used to work for NFL Films.

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“The 60 Yard Line” is based on a true story about a die hard Packers fan who is torn between allegiance to his team and his girlfriend. The setting is an actual fan party house next to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, with the film taking place in 2009 when ex-Packers star Brett Favre played for the Minnesota Vikings. Churchill believes “The 60 Yard Line” has universal themes and hopes it will be purchased by a national film distributor, the indie film equivalent of reaching the Super Bowl. “It’s a movie about football fans and how it affects your personal life. There are a lot of us out there who get a little too wrapped up in our team, especially Packers fans. We could have made this movie just for Packers fans, but we tried to broaden it a

rowing up in the 1990s in Wisconsin, Ryan Churchill became a Packers fan practically by osmosis. Green Bay won the 1997 Super Bowl, energizing fans from his hometown in Beloit to the state’s northern tip in Superior. When he went off to college at UW-Stout, he developed another passion: For acting. In 2004, five years after graduating in graphic communication management, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream. Now a successful actor and still a Packers backer, Churchill has combined his passions into a project that he and co-producer Nick Greco finished this summer. They have high hopes for “The 60 Yard Line,” an independent feature film they wrote, acted in and helped produce.

Ryan Churchill, opposite page and above right, has taken a new step in his Hollywood acting career by making a movie. Above, Churchill talks with “The 60 Yard Line” actor Chuck Liddell, right, a former mixed martial arts light heavyweight champion.

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