The Sister City (a police drama)
Donation protected
Hello my name is Marlon Ortega and let me tell you a little about myself...
I was born and raised in Chicago, IL to a low income family. I have always dreamed of working in the entertainment industry in any capacity. As a kid I enjoyed watching movies and TV shows, always wondering how they did those cool effects, or wondering "who wrote this". In middle school, I would volunteer to work backstage at talent shows. I would help setting up stages for plays, basically anything involving entertainment. In high school I was in a few plays, but as much as I loved being in front of a crowd, my passion was the behind the scenes aspect of what goes into a show. Unfortunately my passion was not accepted by my parents. They said I was wasting my time with TV and movies. I would say it was research. My parents wanted a more traditional career for me, like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. So to please them, after high school I went to college and I got my associates in Criminal Justice. I went on to become a police officer for a small town in Illinois. After 5 years on the force, 1995-2000, I went through something horrific that changed my whole view on being an officer. I left that department and went on to work many odd jobs to help support my family, which consisted of my lovely wife Lisa and son Xavier and in 2006 my son Diego.
One day I heard a radio commercial that said "Have you ever wondered what goes into a movie or tv show, have you ever wanted to be on the radio?" It was a commercial for the Illinois Center for Broadcasting. I went to the campus took a tour, went home explained everything to my wife and with the help of my parents, paid my tuition and enrolled. While there, I learned both tv/video and radio production. I even hosted an online radio show.
In 2007 after graduating from the Illinois Center for Broadcasting, I began working as a production assistant for The Jerry Springer Show. That is when I felt like I was in Heaven. I booked guests to appear on the show, I got the wardrobe ready, and even took the guests out for dinner. Long days and nights were spent in the Springer offices and set. When The Springer show left for Connecticut, I found myself back to working odd jobs to make ends meet. In whatever spare time I had, I continued doing video work. Weddings, Birthdays, I even did a few online episodes for a Hip Hop show featuring local artists from Chicago, Il.
After that, I had the contacts and resources to create L.I.T. Enterprises. I began producing music videos for Chicago artist, CKG. I also had the pleasure of working with alternative rock band Open Key.
Now that my kids are grown and my parents are doing well I want to focus on my dream of being a filmmaker. I'm humbly asking for funding for my short film, The Sister City. A police drama loosely based on my experience as a police officer in a corrupt town. All money received would go towards props, actors, locations to film, and wardrobe.
With your help, I hope to have my short film, completed and ready to be submitted for all film festivals in 2020. By donating, you are making my childhood dream come true. You will be acknowledged at the end of my film, this would be my way of thanking each and everyone of you that donated, even if it was only $1, because every little bit helps .
I was born and raised in Chicago, IL to a low income family. I have always dreamed of working in the entertainment industry in any capacity. As a kid I enjoyed watching movies and TV shows, always wondering how they did those cool effects, or wondering "who wrote this". In middle school, I would volunteer to work backstage at talent shows. I would help setting up stages for plays, basically anything involving entertainment. In high school I was in a few plays, but as much as I loved being in front of a crowd, my passion was the behind the scenes aspect of what goes into a show. Unfortunately my passion was not accepted by my parents. They said I was wasting my time with TV and movies. I would say it was research. My parents wanted a more traditional career for me, like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. So to please them, after high school I went to college and I got my associates in Criminal Justice. I went on to become a police officer for a small town in Illinois. After 5 years on the force, 1995-2000, I went through something horrific that changed my whole view on being an officer. I left that department and went on to work many odd jobs to help support my family, which consisted of my lovely wife Lisa and son Xavier and in 2006 my son Diego.
One day I heard a radio commercial that said "Have you ever wondered what goes into a movie or tv show, have you ever wanted to be on the radio?" It was a commercial for the Illinois Center for Broadcasting. I went to the campus took a tour, went home explained everything to my wife and with the help of my parents, paid my tuition and enrolled. While there, I learned both tv/video and radio production. I even hosted an online radio show.
In 2007 after graduating from the Illinois Center for Broadcasting, I began working as a production assistant for The Jerry Springer Show. That is when I felt like I was in Heaven. I booked guests to appear on the show, I got the wardrobe ready, and even took the guests out for dinner. Long days and nights were spent in the Springer offices and set. When The Springer show left for Connecticut, I found myself back to working odd jobs to make ends meet. In whatever spare time I had, I continued doing video work. Weddings, Birthdays, I even did a few online episodes for a Hip Hop show featuring local artists from Chicago, Il.
After that, I had the contacts and resources to create L.I.T. Enterprises. I began producing music videos for Chicago artist, CKG. I also had the pleasure of working with alternative rock band Open Key.
Now that my kids are grown and my parents are doing well I want to focus on my dream of being a filmmaker. I'm humbly asking for funding for my short film, The Sister City. A police drama loosely based on my experience as a police officer in a corrupt town. All money received would go towards props, actors, locations to film, and wardrobe.
With your help, I hope to have my short film, completed and ready to be submitted for all film festivals in 2020. By donating, you are making my childhood dream come true. You will be acknowledged at the end of my film, this would be my way of thanking each and everyone of you that donated, even if it was only $1, because every little bit helps .
Organizer
Marlon Ortega
Organizer
Stone Park, IL
