Happy Belated Valentine’s Day, <<First Name>>!

Achilles and Patroclus, Lewis and Clark, Ben and Matt, Ryan and Joe. A bromance is a beautiful thing, even when it’s celebrated with a heart-shaped Whitman’s Sampler that’s been marked down to $1.79 and hidden behind the tough-actin’ Tinactin on the bottom shelf of Walgreen’s.

“The only thing better than a great partnership is a great deal,” Joe mused yesterday, gnawing through a rock-hard cherry nougat. Ryan was too overcome with emotion to answer. He was also busy spitting stale candy and several teeth into the trash.

Sighhh... so much of what goes on during the UpTop workday seems to come straight from a Nicholas Sparks novel... but let’s wipe our eyes and jump into the meat of our February news, shall we?

We're hiring a project manager!

Our production company is growing and we're adding a Project Manager to the team. Check out the job description at uptopfilms.com/team and if you or someone you know is the perfect fit, send your resume to hello+itsme@uptopfilms.com

"Half Smile"

We’re pleased and excited to have created the original short film, Half Smile, written and directed by Owen Royce as part of this years' Z-Fest VII.

Filming took place on January 28, beginning with a 7:30 a.m production meeting with shooting starting at 9 a.m. With the help of all 22 people on set, we wrapped at 7:30 p.m. Most of the day took place outdoors, in the freezing weather, at the Dem-Con Responsible Waste Processing and Disposal Company in Shakopee.

Having grown up elsewhere, Joe was confused by his native colleagues’ short sleeves and liberal re-application of SPF 70, but endured their gentle teasing about his parka and long underwear with his typical good nature. He bravely kept his pinkie toes’ impending need for amputation to himself until almost lunchtime, while Ryan extolled the supportiveness of his flip flops, wondered if his nose would peel and said no less than 16 times after 4:30 p.m., “I can’t believe it’s still light out.”

We’re very proud of how it turned out. Half Smile premiers on Friday, March 10 at 7pm at New Hope Cinema Grill. We'd love for you to join us.

Watch the trailer and check out some behind-the-scenes photography at uptopfilms.com/news/half-smile-trailer

Closing thoughts for your short but sweet February,

Thank you for reading, friends. Until next time, here are three fun suggestions for how to spend the extra ten minutes of daylight February brings:

1. Take a Vitamin D supplement, look out the window and say, “What did that groundhog say, again?”
2. Leaf through your seed catalogues. Sigh. When someone asks what’s wrong, answer “Nothing...nothing.” Wistfully run fingers over a picture of heirloom tomatoes.
3. Open your fridge. Wonder if it’s too close to dinner to eat that hunk of cheese. Eat it anyway.

XO,

Joe, Ryan, and the rest of the Uptop team