‘Morse Code’ Press Release.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - MORSE CODE
5 YEARS IN THE MAKING: RANCH VOVO PRODUCTIONS PREMIERES TELEVISION PILOT “MORSE CODE” NOVEMBER 16 AT THE BELCOURT THEATRE
In the eccentric community of modern day East Nashville, a talented but flawed thirty-something indie folk singer finds himself at a crossroads as he struggles to strike a balance between family and career.
Nashville, TN — Ranch Vovo, in conjunction with LITTLE brother LLC, and Strange Arcade, will present a screening of the Morse Code Television Pilot November 16 at the Belcourt Theatre, featuring a performance by Korby Lenker and a post-screening Q&A with the principal cast.
Producers Randa Newman, Korby Lenker, and Travis Nicholson. Photo by Cedric Jones.
Directed by Travis Nicholson (Still the King), produced by Randa Newman, and starring Korby Lenker, Savannah Welch (The Good Doctor, Handmaid’s Tale), James Kyson(Lovecraft Country, Heroes), Jessejames Locorriere (The Walking Dead, Holidate), Quinnlan Ashe (Ozark) and guest starring Sierra Ferrell, Morse Code takes an intimate, authenticate look at the challenges, comedic and otherwise, of a lifelong indie singer-songwriter.
In addition to being the premiere date, November 16 marks five years since the Morse Code story began. On a whim, Lenker, a longtime East Nashville resident, lifelong folksinger, and published author of fiction, penned a short script and produced a single six minute episode of the same name. The Tennessean premiered that inaugural webisode, calling it ‘charming and dryly funny’. Lenker screened it the same night during his show at the OG Basement on 8th Avenue.
“People seemed to like it,” says Lenker, “and after a decade of solo touring, I really loved the collaborative aspects of making a movie. So, in between tours, I wrote another episode.”
Ellie (Savannah Welch) and Lia (Quinnlan Ashe) wait for Maggie to take the stage.
That second episode featured Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids and premiered at Americanafest in Fall 2018.
But after two more short, serial installments, Lenker was beginning to question the sanity of creating a self-produced web series.
“It was a lot of fun— writing the script, acting, and producing — but I was funding it with a Patreon page and whatever was left over from my touring income, and it was like, ‘what’s the endgame here?’ Making the show was taking a ton of time and money, and really was starting to affect the bottom line for my musical pursuits.”
While filming the 4th episode, family tragedy struck. Lenker’s little sister died suddenly, prompting a step back from all things career-related, including Morse Code. He left town for several months to work on a ranch in Montana. But upon his return to Nashville, it was clear Morse Code wasn’t done with him.
Marcelo (James Kyson) gives Simon some hard-won advice.
Says Lenker, “I played a showcase at Americanafest in 2019 and mentioned Morse Code. A local filmmaker named Molly Secours came up afterward and wanted to know more about it.
Through Secours, local legend and sound mixer Peter Kurland (Coen Bros) became aware of the project and shared it with producer Dona Spangler who felt it should be expanded into a longer format television pilot. She contacted writer and filmmaker Travis Nicholson and asked him to meet Korby.
“One thing led to another,” says Lenker, “and a few weeks later, I met Travis.”
Travis Nicholson co-created Still the King starring Billy Ray Cyrus, which ran for two seasons on CMT. The son of Hall of Fame songwriter Gary Nicholson, Travis was no stranger to the themes of Lenker’s show.
“Having grown up in the Nashville music industry, this story holds a lot of parallels to people I have known in my own life,” says Nicholson. “I wanted to explore the dichotomy of admiring a parent for what they do as an artist, with that being the very thing that can create distance from them.”
Lenker and Nicholson met in the dining room at Brown’s Diner near Hillsboro village, and the creative sparks flew.
“I always admire when people just make stuff”, says Nicholson, “and Korby was doing that. He managed to get people together to make something really impressive and original with basically no budget and everyone just pooling their resources. I was inspired by that.”
Jennifer Mkoma introduces Simon at the John Fang showcase.
An idea was hatched. Why not create a proper, 30 minute episode for television and sell it to an outside network or streaming platform? The two began working in earnest on a new script.
When the pandemic hit, they wrote remotely, talking on the phone while typing away on their respective computers.
The script went through nearly 40 rounds of edits. As to the reason for the high number of revisions, says Nicholson: “It’s always a challenge coming onto a project that existed before you got there, trying to find your voice in it. I am grateful Korby trusted me with the process and was willing to collaborate and put the time in to get it where we both felt like it was ready. I’m proud of the effort we put into this thing.”
In the meantime, Lenker started raising money. By early 2021 he’d raised $50k from a handful of his music fans.
“That was so much money to me at the time,” he said. “Looking back on what it took to make the pilot, I realize it’s almost nothing!”
Sierra Ferrell as Sierra, pregaming before her show at the Ryman.
But by the summer of 2021, production on Morse Code had stalled. Lenker got married, Nicholson was on other projects. By the fall, the sense of restlessness had reached a crisis pitch. “It was now or never,” says Nicholson. “Money or no money, we had to move forward.”
Lenker asked his wife, local actor and producer Randa Newman, if she wanted to join the team. Randa had co-produced her own pilot; Typecast, and Korby and Travis knew she would bring the energy and enthusiasm Morse Code needed. The invitation proved cathartic.
“Once I got involved, shit started happening,” Newman jokes.
“No, really,” says Lenker, not joking.
Newman cast the roles for Morse Code, trying to stay close to the Nashville pool of talent. Over 500 actors were submitted for 7 roles. In the end, they assembled an impressive cadre of talent, from The Handmaid Tale’s Savannah Welch (also a Nashville native), to longtime character actor Jessejames Locorriere. Sierra Ferrell even agreed to play herself in her onscreen debut.
Simon (Korby Lenker) backstage.
Filming began in February 2022 and was shot in several iconic Nashville locations, among them Robert’s Western World, Dino’s Fine Food, East Nashville recording hideout The Retro Lab, and local watering hole Henry James.
The subsequent months found Lenker and Nicholson editing the footage, with Wes Edwards of Strange Arcade stepping in at critical moments. Tim Lauer, Senior Music Producer from Nashville (Seasons 3-6), was tapped to score.
The team has begun submitting the pilot to film festivals around the world, while working behind the scenes to find a home on a digital streaming platform for this unique, eclectic show.
“We wanted to present an authentic perspective of our community that would be recognized from the inside”, says Nicholson, “hoping that it would also resonate with folks that aren’t familiar with the unique and varied personalities of East Nashville.”
On November 16, the public will have the opportunity to share in this one-night-only screening of Morse Code. Doors open at 7pm and the presentation begins with a live performance from Lenker and a screening to follow. Limited tickets are available through Eventbrite by visiting this link. Free by reservation only.
“They are already almost gone!” chimes Newman.
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Morse Code Online:
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14158108/?ref_=nm_flmg_prd_1
Korby Lenker Online:
Official: https://www.korbylenker.com/
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1761637/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/korbykorby/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGDhE9MAn7TFpqfzFuGokXw
Spotify: shorturl.at/pEW01
Travis Nicholson Online:
IMDb: https://imdb.to/3ElFfJW
Little Brother Official: https://www.littlebrotherfilms.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travishistory/
Randa Newman Online:IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm9976440/#actress
Typecast Pictures: https://www.typecastpictures.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/randanewman/?hl=en
For all press inquiries, please contact:
Randa Newman | Ranch Vovo
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