Current TV Project Updates

Dear friends,
Hope you’re all having a spectacular summer! Here are a couple updates about my Current TV projects:

1. FOOD FIGHT SPECIAL now airing
2. LITTER INTO LITERATURE bought by Current
3. OUR GENERATION’S WAR segment in production
4. I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG screening at SIE Film Fest
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1. FOOD FIGHT SPECIAL now airing
GOT RICE?, a pod I produced about the rice shortages in LA, is now airing on Current. The piece is part of FOOD FIGHT, an hour-long Vanguard and Collective Journalism special that investigates the promise and peril of using food for fuel, and the far-reaching consequences of the global fight for resources.

To find interview subjects for this pod, I visited over 20 rice-serving restaurants in Alhambra and Monterey Park. Thank you to Xiao Qi Liang, owner of ACC Chinese Fast Food, for agreeing to speak with me, and to Jerome Jiang, one of her customers, for serving as our interpreter. Thanks too to Kimpo Ngoi for sharing his family’s reaction to the rice shortage with me.

The segment that I produced runs from 31:20 – 33:20.
You can watch it below:

2. LITTER INTO LITERATURE bought by Current
I have finished editing LITTER INTO LITERATURE, the short documentary I co-produced in Buenos Aires with CJ Contributor Sarah Gilbert. The film is about the cartoneros, Buenos Aires’ unofficial recyclers, and Eloisa Cartonera, an independent book publisher where cartoneros can get a good deal on cardboard and contribute to great art as well. Current bought the doc and will be airing it soon. Thanks to Henry Goldman for bringing it in.

3. OUR GENERATION’S WAR segment in production
Current contributor Alex Paris and I have also begun work on a segment for another Current special called OUR GENERATION’S WAR. This piece examines the sacrifices that our country’s service people have made in the War on Terror. The piece attempts to document the entire cycle of service: from recruitment to extensions of service commitments, to what our service people find when they return home and the families they leave behind. For my segment, I will be profiling a service person who has been stop-lossed. If all goes well, we intend to shoot the piece next weekend.

4. I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG screening at SIE Film Fest
My first Current pod, I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU TRENT AND GREG, will be screening at the Stanford in Entertainment Film Festival next weekend. This is the film festival’s 10^th anniversary, so the group is planning a jam-packed afternoon of screenings at Cinespace, followed by a reception. My film will screen with the other shorts from 3pm – 4:30pm, but I plan to stay for the whole event. Come check out TRENT AND GREG on the big screen—I’d love to see you there!

Date: Saturday, July 26
Time: 3pm – 4:30pm screening of short films (including mine) / 5pm – 7pm feature screening / 7pm - 8pm reception with appetizers and cash bar
Place: Cinespace / 6356 Hollywood Blvd. (corner of Ivar and Hollywood) / Los Angeles
Price: Free for members plus a guest; $15 for non-members
RSVP to Amy Taylor, ’98 at amytaylor1@verizon.net

Hope to see you next Saturday!

Sincerely,
Steven

Life Updates

Dear friends,

Here are a couple life updates and information about my birthday shindig this Friday, April 25.

1. Winter Recap: New Hampshire, South America, Los Angeles, Colorado / Photos
2. Redesigned Website Launch: www.steventagle.com
3. Birthday Party: Friday, April 25 at the Arsenal in LA
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1. Winter Recap: New Hampshire, South America, Los Angeles, Colorado / Photos
Covering the New Hampshire primaries with Current TV was an amazing experience. I had a blast with the other Collective Journalists and with Current’s production team. We spent five days interviewing campaign volunteers, chasing presidential candidates, and hanging out in our Manchester production office. I attended the 100 Club Dinner (the NH Democrats’ exclusive fundraising event), was interviewed by Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America, and heard Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama speak only feet away from me. Thanks to everyone who tuned in to watch our broadcasts. I’m looking forward to working on more projects with Current in the future.

After New Hampshire, I flew to South America to film and edit a travel series with Marita Vera and Angela Higley. Our three-person crew spent a month in close quarters, traveling to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Punta del Este, and Lima. Other than being robbed at gunpoint in La Boca, the trip was fun and productive. I was exposed to a wealth of South American culture, from the delicious alfajores (caramel sandwiches covered with powdered sugar) of Peru to the contagious energy of screaming, jumping fans at Brazil’s Maracana Football Stadium. While in Buenos Aires, I also filmed a short documentary with CJ Contributor Sarah Gilbert about the cartoneros, the city’s unofficial recyclers. The doc is in post-production, so look for it soon on Current!

I’m now back in LA, working at a short film production company. I really enjoy it because I get to pitch script ideas and get hands-on production experience. Recently, I’ve also begun helping a Sundance programmer with research for a short film book. And last month, my short screenplay, BEAR, won Best Dramatic Short at the BlueCat Screenplay Competition.

I spent this past weekend in Parker, Colorado, filming the wedding of Megan Felsburg and Nate Doud (Megan is my roommate Katherine’s older sister). The wedding was beautiful and masterfully organized. I had the honor of capturing the Douds’ special moments and all the behind-the-scenes antics of their friends and family members. Please feel free to visit the Douds’ wedding website and wish them well: www.nate-megan.com.

Photos:

01 – Me and my NH roommate, Derrick Shore, checking primary results at the Current Lounge in Manchester.

02 – Me filming emera.tv hostess Marita Vera atop Sugar Loaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro.

03 – Tom Rastrelli and me after his “Only in America” concert in Glendale.

2. Redesigned Website Launch: www.steventagle.com

Months after my Stanford site shut down, my new and improved website is now open for business! This is your one-stop shop for all my past and current projects. Read my plays, poetry, and short stories. Watch FLATFISH, MODEL MAN, and all my Current pods. Check out the new Design section, featuring posters and publications I’ve designed all the way back to Creative Impulse magazines in high school! If it’s by me, it’s on here. Check it out.

3. Birthday Party: Friday, April 25 at the Arsenal in LA

This Friday, April 25, I’ll be celebrating my 23^rd birthday at the Arsenal in Los Angeles. The Arsenal is a West LA restaurant / bar with a cool name and swanky atmosphere. When I heard that they served Kobe hamburgers, sweet potato French fries, and mac and cheese, I was sold.

It’s my first birthday in LA, so if we’ve worked together on a film, if we’ve gone to school together, or if you’re in town and looking to have fun and catch up, I’d love to see you there.

Start Time: Friday, April 25, 2008 at 7:30pm
End Time: Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 2:00am
Location: The Arsenal
Street: 12012 W Pico Blvd (at Pico and Bundy)
City/Town: West Los Angeles, CA
Links: www.arsenalbar.com / www.yelp.com/biz/the-arsenal-los-angeles-2

Hope to see you Friday!

Sincerely,
Steven

I Now Pronounce You Trent and Greg

Dear friends,

Over the past month, I’ve been working on a mini-documentary for Current TV’s initiative, “The Current Election 08: What’s Your Issue?” For those of you who don’t know, Current TV is Al Gore’s cable news channel and website for the 18-34 demographic. I decided to address the issue of gay marriage by profiling my high school friend and his boyfriend.

After several crazy weeks of filming and editing, the documentary is now finished and can be viewed online at Current:
http://current.com/items/88793356_i_now_pronounce_you_trent_and_greg

In many ways, this doc is a big milestone for me. It’s my first documentary, the first film I’ve made with my own equipment, the first time I’ve shot and lit each and every scene. But even working as a “one-man show,” I had tons of help. First and foremost, I’d like to thank Trent and Greg for letting me into their lives and for not minding the personal questions and the ever-present camera. As you’ll see, these guys have something truly special, and they showed me what a loving, committed relationship could be like. Second, I’d like to thank Nathan Kurisu, Trent and Greg’s friend, for having the courage to stand up for his beliefs and for offering them humbly. Thanks to Sumi Somaskanda at Current for guiding me through the process and to Danielle Lurie, John Jackson, and Matt Dyer for watching cut after millionth cut. Thanks to maestro Jack Conte for his brilliant music, and Leon Tsikitikos for pulling an all-nighter on my behalf.

I’m really proud of this project, and people are responding well to it. Yesterday evening, Current offered to purchase my documentary to broadcast on their cable news station. They are also considering me to join their team at the New Hampshire primaries from January 4-8.

Check it out and keep your fingers crossed for me!

Sincerely,
Steven

Life Updates

Dear friends,

Hope you are doing well! Here are a couple life updates and my new contact information:

1. Summer Recap: New York, NorCal, Maui / Photos
2. Book and Movie Recommendations
3. Living, Working, and Writing in LA
4. Blog Launch: blog.steventagle.com
5. New Contact Information

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1. Summer Recap: New York, NorCal, Maui / Photos

This summer, I spent lots of time traveling and hanging out with the people who meant the most to me. After graduating from Stanford in June, I spent a month in Saratoga Springs at the New York State Summer Writer’s Institute. I studied fiction under bestselling authors like Rick Moody and hung out with gifted Stanford writers Alicia Dennis, Annie Wyman, and Ly Chheng. Meanwhile, I lived in a charming apartment with Krystle Nowhitney, who introduced me to the pleasures of Saratogan life and helped me solve practical mysteries like how to shop for groceries, how to clean an apartment, and how to live on $100 a week. And, amazingly, Paco Torres came to visit!

After my writing program finished, I spent 10 days in New York City with Catherine Ho, Barrett Sheridan, and my parents. We checked out New York’s food offerings, its secret clubs, and best of all, Broadway! I saw a Broadway show every day I was in NY. My favorites were SPRING AWAKENING, LEGALLY BLONDE, and RENT. I also stopped at B&H Photo and Video so that I could make an important purchase: a new HD video camera, the Canon HV-20.

With my new camera in tow, I drove up to NorCal for a week-long roadtrip. Shamala Gallagher and I visited Professor Tallent and her family in Fort Bragg. We scoped out the dock for fresh albacore tuna, walked the pristine beaches, hiked up to a pygmy forest (a first for me!), and relaxed in the Mendocino Spaworks. Then I spent a couple days with friends and family in Stanford and San Francisco before driving to Yosemite to see Jack Loveridge. It was my first visit to a national park, but I wasn’t too impressed. The best thing about it was the clarity of the night sky, a surprise bowling upset, staying up late to talk in the car with the seats reclined.

The last trip I took was to Maui with my family. I’ve never felt so pampered. I was constantly eating tropical fish, reading poolside, and shopping at the wharf. I don’t think there’s anything more luxurious than reading by the pool while hotel attendants come around spooning cantaloupe slices into your open palm. I also became obsessed with spam sandwiches rolled with rice and seaweed. They were sold at the hotel gift shop, and I ate about 10 of them.

Photos:
01 – Krystle, Paco, and me at the world-famous Saratoga Racetrack

02 – Catherine and me in Times Square, NY

03 – Jack and me at Glacier Point, overlooking Half Dome

04 – Lisa Urbanic and me at the Long Beach Lobsterfest

2. Book and Movie Recommendations

This summer, I read 21 books and watched 46 films. Here are my top recommendations from that list:

Books: SPECIMEN DAYS by Michael Cunningham; DISGRACE by J.M. Coetzee; MUSEUM PIECES by Elizabeth Tallent

Movies: LUST, CAUTION; THE DARJEELING LIMITED; KING OF KONG

DVDs: THE SQUID AND THE WHALE; THE LIVES OF OTHERS; ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW

3. Living, Working, and Writing in LA

Since the end of August, I have been living and working in West LA. I am staying in a sweet two-bedroom apartment in the Westwood area with my friends Mike Wong and Katherine Felsburg. Our living situation has been quite harmonious. Mike often prepares delicious meals for us, and we sit around the table (more often the TV) and have meals like a family. Yesterday night we watched LUST, CAUTION at the ArcLight, then this morning we went to the Santa Monica farmer’s market for omelettes. My sister, Camille Tagle, is also back at UCLA for her second year, so the two of us are once more wreaking havoc in the same zip code.

For the past few months, I have been working at the Jim Preminger Agency, a boutique literary and talent agency five minutes from my apartment. I am the assistant to literary agent Dean Schramm. On a typical day, I answer phones, send out scripts, and file papers. When things aren’t too busy, I have time to do a little of my own writing as well. The office is closing on October 31, so I am in the process of looking for a new job.

My writing has been going pretty well. For the past month, I’ve been writing a new short film script called BEAR about a mother and son dealing with grief. Last week, I submitted this script to the BlueCat Screenwriting Lab. I am now working on a new short that links two of my favorite topics: sex and death. In the winter, I plan to finish revisions on ENCANTADO, and spring will hopefully see the first draft of a screenplay based on my novel.

4. Blog Launch: blog.steventagle.com

Welcome to Staglevision, my new blog. I plan to update frequently with film footage, photography, writing, character fragments, quotes, invitations, and random thoughts. This blog will remain operational while my website undergoes renovation. Check out the material I've posted so far. Leave comments on entries you like, entries that remind you of things you’ve experienced, entries you'd like to see more of.

5. New Contact Information

My Stanford email account is expiring, so please note my new Gmail address on the Facebook, effective immediately. My email signature always includes my most up-to-date contact information. Please send me packages, letters, emails, Facebook messages, and IMs, or call me to keep me updated on your life story. I am always happy to hear from you and will gladly reciprocate if you take the effort to contact me. And for those of you living in LA or visiting southern California, call me so we can get together and hang out.

Thanks for all your support. Let me know how you’ve been!

Sincerely,
Steven

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Welcome!

Dear friends,

Welcome to Staglevision, my new blog. I plan to update frequently with film footage, photography, writing, character fragments, quotes, invitations, and random thoughts. This blog will remain operational while my website undergoes renovation.

Thanks for stopping by! Check out the material I've posted so far. Leave me comments to let me know what you're up to, what you'd like to see on the blog.

Enjoy,
Steven

ENCANTADO reading and art exhibition

On Tuesday, June 5 at 6:30 pm, I will be reading from my new novel in the Terrace Room in Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg. 460, Room 426). The event will also feature an art exhibition by Robert Negrete, the artist who has been working with me to illustrate various moments from the novel. The reading will last approximately one hour, and then refreshments will be served.

ENCANTADO is a coming-of-age novel that I have written as my creative honors thesis in Feminist Studies. The novel follows the adventures of Simon Knight, a young man who develops the ability to shapeshift during his senior year of high school. By engaging feminist theory and the origin stories of mainstream superheroes like Superman and Batman, my novel explores the myths surrounding masculinity and male friendship.

Novel Reading / Exhibition: June 5

Dear friends,

I just wanted to let you know in advance that on Tuesday, June 5 at 6:30pm , I will be reading from my new novel in the Terrace Room in Margaret Jacks Hall (Bldg. 460, Room 426). The event will also feature an art exhibition by Robert Negrete, the artist who has been working with me to illustrate various moments from the novel. The reading will last approximately one hour, and then refreshments will be served.

You are all very special to me, so I would love to see you there.

Please stay tuned for more information as the date nears.

Thanks!
Steven
www.steventagle.com