Occupying Ed - A Film

Ed learns after a series of blackouts that he has split personality disorder, and that his whole town loves his feminine alternate personality more than they do him.

Release Date 2014
Stream Occupying Ed on Revry

Directed by Steve Balderson
Screenplay by Jim Lair Beard
Starring: Christopher Sams, Holly Hinton, John Werskey
Production Companies: Dikenga Films, Culturesphere and Future Cowboy L.L.C.

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What People Have Said:

“It’s a film about life and love and sexuality and gender and identity and acceptance.”

— MJ Simpson, Film Critic

“OCCUPYING ED is a completely original concept and perfectly timed to take in the debate on who we are as a culture. It reveals that who we are is more complicated than who we appear to be.”

— Rick Jacobs, Courage Campaign

“Quite entertaining, sweet and tender.”

— Matt Micucci, CINECOLA

“A beautiful, funny and consistently enjoyable film from Producer/Screenwriter Jim Lair Beard and Director Steve Balderson, Occupying Ed is one of the best films I’ve seen this year, let alone at Raindance film festival.”

— Alexandra Kessie, The Trash Bash blog

“The romantic comedy is one of the most clichéd genres in film, with a recipe of beats to be followed with precision. When a film comes along that feels unique and fresh, it should be celebrated. ‘Occupying Ed’ is one such film.  By taking the traditional tropes of the genre and subtly subverting them, Balderson and Beard have crafted a delightful film with note-perfect characters given life by a great cast… Exciting, funny and pleasant, but where the film succeeds most is in the way it discreetly touches on the deeper issues, such as the importance of accepting people – and ourselves – for who they are..”

— Mark Rogers, British Film Critic

“This unique picture evokes Nicholas Ray’s manifesto, ‘I’m a stranger here myself.’ A provocative, generous-spirited, kind-hearted shocker of a film. OCCUPYING ED is a true leap forward toward the understanding of people, relationships, gender, commitment and all those things we value in interpersonal bonds.”

— Eric Sherman, Producer-Director, Author DIRECTING THE FILM

“OCCUPYING ED is everything an independent film should be: intelligently written, expertly directed, and marvelously acted. Equal parts hilarious and touching.”

— Richard Uhlig, author

Mammas, Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up to Be Actors - A Play

An autobiographical fish out of water comedy about a cattle rancher who gains entrance to a prestigious acting school in New York.

Production run from 2001-2006

Mammas, Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up To Be Actors ran in:

La Plata, Maryland
New Haven, Connecticut
Staunton, Virginia
Kirksville, Missouri
Bakersfield, California
Washington, D.C.

What People Have Said:

“This new kid on the block spins some downright hilarious and touching tales”

— Joe Stevenson, Kern Valley Sun (Kernville, CA)

“It’s a great, heartwarming show making a successful run at The Spotlight Theatre.”

— Chris Page, The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, Ca)

“Cattle rancher, stand-up comedian, struggling actor and natural storyteller are just a few things that describe funny man James Beard, who is currently on a national tour of his hilarious one-man show, Mammas, Don’t Let Your Cowboys Grow Up to Be Actors”

— Phillip G. Kopp, The Renegade Rip (Kern County, CA)

“Beard’s stories, while never lagging or failing to entertain, at first seem unrelated, but this is really just a trick of good writing. Without the audience being aware of it, he uses recurring themes and characters to build a coherent, forward-moving story that hangs together as a complete work.”

— Charles Culbertson, The News Leader (Staunton, VA)

“But Beard isn’t just funny, playgoers say. His 90-minute biographical comedy is also peppered with poignant moments and truthful revelations about life, family, friendship and people you think you know.”

— Steven Mayer, The Bakersfield Californian (Bakersfield, CA)