Village Roadshow Entertainment Group Partners with LMU’s SFTV
Thomas Ireton ’14 doesn’t recall meeting Jen O’Malley ’14 at orientation. Their paths would cross again when they later served as orientation leaders for the LMU School of Film and Television (SFTV). Ten years later, they’ve teamed up for their first film, “Money Cat.”
Ireton and O’Malley are part of the 2020 Emerging Talent Lab, a partnership between SFTV and Village Roadshow Entertainment Group (VREG). The lab selects five SFTV recent alumni projects to receive $10,000 toward their films, as well as mentorship and guidance from Village Roadshow Entertainment Group executives.
“It’s understated how much the $10,000 has helped us,” Ireton explained. “We would not be able to make the film at the top quality that we’re seeing in the editing room. We were able to get a composer who can score original music as opposed to pre-played music. It was also really important to be able to pay our crew at their rate; it creates a professional environment where everyone wants to get the job done at 120 percent of their capacity.”
Perhaps more important than the funding are the connections made in the industry for emerging filmmakers. SFTV provides students with distinguished and diverse faculty, hands-on experiences, and connections to industry partnerships. Giving recent alumni the opportunity for direct mentorship with industry leaders through the Emerging Talent Lab is a win-win—it helps improve the chances for their projects to be seen while also raising the profile of LMU’s SFTV.
Ireton agreed and said, “VREG helped us elevate our script from when we submitted it to something that we’re so excited to bring to the screen. It was such a collaborative process; it was like a mini writer’s room. And it was a lot of fun too.”
Ireton, who is part Japanese, and O’Malley explore a supposed Asian symbol of wealth and fortune in their film. “Money Cat” is told through two young adults who view the Money Cat as easy wealth. The modern-day twist to a legend is a good fit for Village Roadshow.
“It’s an honor to work with LMU’s fantastic alumni to develop and produce their short films,” said Jillian Apfelbaum, executive vice president of feature film at Village Roadshow Picture. “Our partnership with LMU’s SFTV is one way we can help emerging filmmakers refine their artistry, voice, and vision by providing them space and resources to bring their stories to life.”
The next step for “Money Cat” is to be entered as many film festivals as possible and Ireton and O’Malley hope it gets picked up for a possible TV series or feature film. Either way, the two are planning to keep creating together.
“We were paired together as orientation leaders and it’s been nonstop since then,” O’Malley said. “It’s been a decade of friendship and working together, and there’s more to come.”
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