Pugumentary Guest Post

As promised, here is more information about Pugumentary! It premiers today, and you can learn more about the project by visiting Pugumentary.com. Thank you Phil for writing!

“When I started writing Pugumentary in 2006, I didn’t think I would go far with it. A lot of writers I know will work on ten or fifteen different projects before anyone shows interest in one of them. And, even when this happens, the odds are against the project going anywhere.

I had been working the story of Stanley Sloan, a New York City resident who died in 2005 from cardiac arrest, when I was approached by Rick Bak. He heard of my project and wanted to learn more about the man who left 22 pugs behind. I had given him my notes and told him what I was trying to do and he fell in love with the story. He wanted to produce it. While he was a successful artist, this would be his first time behind a camera. I thought Pugumentary might be too much for him and suggested other projects—smaller projects—that I was working on. He assured me that he could handle it.

Two years later, P-16 was completed. This was a sixteen minute long version of ‘Pug’ and the results were excellent. Rick made a very professional-looking film and it told the Stanley Sloan’s story the way I pictured it. He began showing it around to friends, including those in England where the post work was done.

Before we knew it, the BBC was interested in the project. Some had seen it while it was being edited, and they wanted to see more….literally. They wanted to put ‘Pug’ on British television. Unfortunately, it was too short for their needs. British programs are 27 minutes long.

Me and Rick had a lot of work to do.

Our sources of information were used up and—after three years since Sloan’s death—they were cold. The man didn’t have any family or friends, aside from his dogs. Finding additional research on him—usable information was going to be a bitch. It was the BBC’s idea to dig deep into his past, before the pugs. At it turned out, he was a highly decorated veteran from the Korean War. And he owned pugs since his childhood. P-27 has been completed with additional information about Sloan, from neighbors as well as other pug owners. We’re very happy with it and are waiting to hear from the BBC.

Eev Rodriguez-Knapp was a big help in producing ‘Pug.’ The former organizer of the Hudson Valley Pug Meetup Group, Eev now dedicates her time to raise money for Pug Dog Encephalitis. She provided us with some needed information on the breed and allowed to film at her home. PDE is neurological disease that affects pugs young and old. It is fatal and cannot be diagnosed without an autopsy.

A portion of the sales of the DVD, as well as t-shirt and refrigerator magnets, will be given to The Pugweiser Fund for PDE Research. You can purchase a DVD from http://www.pugumentary.com after the March 14th premiere. Donations can also be made to:

Dr. Greer
C/O Eev Rodriguez-Knapp
29 Barrett Place
Beacon, NY 12508

Make your checks payable to Indiana University East.“