On today’s TownTalk Show, host Eric Horton welcomed special guest Jonathan Turner Smith, a writer, producer, actor, and Brownfield native, for a conversation about his journey from West Texas to the worlds of film and theater.
Smith discussed his career as a storyteller and performer, including his work as co-producer and co-writer of the award-winning film Broken Victory, which received The Silver Medal at the New York Film and Television Festival. He also shared about his original play Nathan, which earned him a Los Angeles Drama-Logue Critics Award for his performance.
The conversation also highlighted Smith’s work on The Loser’s Club, a screenplay that has earned more than 100 screenwriting awards, along with his published plays The Election, Aftermath, The Losers’ Club, and Whose High School Is It Anyway?
A major focus of the show was Smith’s latest project, JEREMY, which is now one step closer to becoming a feature film after several years of development. The project has been selected for the Good Works Assembly Line on GoodWorksHub.com, a faith-based film financing platform that connects meaningful film projects with investors and distributors.
To move forward to the next stage, JEREMY must receive 1,000 public votes. Voting is completely free and takes only about three minutes.
Scan the QR Code below or go to www.GOODWORKSHUB.com
JEREMY tells the story of a young boy who wants more than anything to do what is right and stand up for what he believes, even when doing so makes him a target for the biggest bullies in school.
“Sunday school is for sissies,” they repeatedly tell him.
Caught between his faith and his desire to fit in, Jeremy begins to question whether staying true to himself is worth the price. With the help of his spirited new friend Margaret, her wise Native American grandfather, and some unforgettable animated friends, Jeremy discovers that even a little courage and bravery can make a superhero out of anyone — even a third grader.
Combining live action with 3D animation, JEREMY is a story centered on faith, courage, friendship, forgiveness, and overcoming bullying. But the film goes beyond simply confronting bullying. At its heart, it also explores how to break the cycle of bullying and how even the bully can be given an opportunity for redemption.
Tommy Ward is Jeremy’s chief tormentor, but the story takes an unexpected turn when Tommy becomes the target of older high school bullies and experiences the same fear and humiliation he has inflicted on others.
The person who comes to his rescue is Jeremy —the very boy Tommy has bullied.
Jeremy has every reason to walk away, but instead chooses courage, compassion, and forgiveness, stepping in to save Tommy from a potentially brutal beating. That decision becomes the beginning of Tommy’s transformation. For perhaps the first time, Tommy understands both sides of bullying: the fear of becoming a target and the unexpected grace of being defended by someone he has hurt.
Slowly, the bully begins to change. The former tormentor becomes a friend and learns to stand alongside the very children he once tormented.
Today’s TownTalk Show offered an entertaining and inspiring visit with a Brownfield native who has turned his passion for writing, acting, and producing into an accomplished career while continuing to develop stories that carry messages of faith, courage, compassion, and redemption.
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