Actors

Frank Hoyt Taylor

Frank Hoyt Taylor

Frank was born in Norton in the coalfields of southwestern Virginia. After earning a degree in English from the University of Virginia at Wise he joined the newly formed Roadside Theatre, a part of Appalachian Film Workshop. For the next ten years, and over four hundred touring performances, he was part of a three actor ensemble in an original production based on Appalachian storytelling. Venues ranged from tents, prisons, and colleges to a run at the Manhattan Theatre Club. His film career began with two notable movies, John Sayle's, Matewan, and Mark Rydell's, The River. Soon, he was enlisted to play the character of Uncle Bogg in the television series Christy. His many film credits over the years include the role of Sheriff Guidry in Joseph Sargent's, A Lesson Before Dying, which gathered an Emmy for best picture and In 2005 director Phil Morrison brought Frank in to play the folk artist David Wark in the independent Junebug. It was a Sundance favorite and was on many of the year's ten best films lists. Diane Bell met Frank when she and Chris Byrne were visiting friends at his home at the River Farm in Virginia. They saw the bee hives, ate from the garden, and heard some great live music. Later, in conversation, she briefly mentioned a script called Obselidia she was completing. Several months later she contacted Frank to see if he had any more honey, he did, and to ask if he and bees would be in her movie. And they were. Though the bees that worked on location in the desert near Death Valley turned out not to be from the from the River Farm, but were their California cousins. Unfortunately, they could not accompany Frank to the premiere in the knee-deep snow at Sundance. They were returned to their home in the locust groves near the foot of Mount Whitney.
Frank Ieraci

Frank Ieraci

Frank Ieraci was born on August 22, 1972 in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada and raised in the nearby town of Bradford. Frank is a producer and actor known for Battleground ((2012), Sixty Minutes to Midnight (2017) and Mobile Homes (2017). Frank stepped into the world of cinema in 1988 at the age of 16 when he signed up with a local casting agent and was hungry and willing to do various uncredited rolls to gain experience. After one year he landed his first audition for Back to the Future 2 to be cast as one of Biff's right hand men. Frank went on to numerous auditions after for the roll but did not make the final cut. Just 17 at the time, the frustration of the failed audition led Frank to step away from the camera. Frank went on to open his first successful business and finished his graduate degree in Hotel and Restaurant management. Years later, he bumped into Robert Cymbalski a friend from his teen years who also had a passion for film. Robert had continued pursuing acting and at that time introduced Frank to Director Neil Mackay who asked if he would like to try out for a roll in his current production. Frank was cast in his first actual roll as Domenic (a ruthless bank robber) in the feature film Battleground. Battleground was shot on a micro budget and hit numerous obstacles along the way. Frank, having been well seasoned from his own business, came up with quick witted innovative solutions to help producers Judd Tilyard and Ayz Warach overcome these obstacles which gained him an associate producers credit. The biggest obstacle the Battleground production faced came when Frank was involved in a near fatal car accident. Due to time and technical constraints, the producers were prepared to cut him from the film but Frank was determined to finish what he had started. Two weeks later Frank showed up on set in a wheel chair with a 13cm steel rod implanted through his shattered femur and insisted the he was ok. The producers agreed to allow Frank to complete his role and even used his injuries to push the story forward. This determination exhibited by Frank went on to be one of the highlighted features of the documentary short Skeleton crew: Behind the Scenes of Battleground by Ben McNeill. In 2012 Battleground successfully distributed world wide and aired on Netflix U.S.A. Frank continued on with his professional career which often included travel to the U.S allowing him to watch Netflix to enjoy his first roll. After Battleground, Franks love of film had reignited and coincidentally he received a phone call from Farren Whittaker offering him a gig on the crew of the production Mobile Homes. While on the set of 'Mobile Homes" memories of Battleground came to mind and Frank called Neil MacKay the director. While on the phone with Neil, Frank mentioned he missed being on set watching something come to life and Neil asked "Do you want to make another movie? I'm confident you could produce one." That night Frank asked Producer Mike MacMillan "What is the standard procedure of producing?" Mike replied "there is no standard, every production is different and has different problems and situations to fix. You need good management skills to be a good producer.". Mike with his friendly manner and good advice along with Neil's known skills for directing and editing gave Frank the confidence and inspired him to pursue the role of Executive Producer. Working on the "Sixty Minutes to Midnight" project, Frank assumed the role of vice-president of Slate 10 Pictures Inc and assumed his role as Producer / Executive Producer working alongside fellow Executive Producer Tomislav Stefanac. Frank believes that Terry MacDonald originals screen play which led to the short "Greed Inc" directed by Neil MacKay, provides the basis for an unstoppable and thrilling journey that any viewer would fully enjoy.