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Con artists and shady business deals at a nightclub frame the plot of The Gristle, a comedy-drama produced by Mychal Wilson ’89 and written and directed by David Portlock ’88. Wilson also plays a lead role in the movie. In May, 500 people attended a private screening at Paramount Studios theater, Hollywood, Calif. The main point, says Portlock, “is to show how ridiculous racism is.” Wilson and Portlock are evaluating offers for domestic release.
Gristle already has secured its place in film history as the first movie to receive a loan guarantee from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which announced its backing in March. Wilson and Portlock entered the entertainment business as actors in New York before moving to Los Angeles together. Their first big break occurred when their film, The Spartans, appeared at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival.
In addition to producing, Wilson formed Public Eye Entertainment, Inc., a consulting firm for financing of film and television projects with budgets of $5 million or less. He also works in pharmaceutical sales.
Wilson, a government and law graduate, says Lafayette sharpened his analytical thinking and helped him secure a needed edge: a Ph.D. from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles with a concentration in entertainment law.
An economics and business graduate, Portlock is the son of David A. Portlock, who served 26 years as a Lafayette administrator and was associate dean of academics when he died in 1996. The David A. Portlock Black Cultural Center is named in his honor.
David Portlock '88 (left) and Mychal Wilson '89 teamed up to create The Gristle, the first film to receive a loan guarantee from the U.S. Small Business Administration