Final Touches Being Put On America's Darling Documentary
One of the founding members of America's conservation movement and longtime island resident, Jay Norwood "Ding" Darling, is about to have his life's story preserved forever on film.
After extensive travel and research over the several years, conducting interviews and scouring through archived treasures and special collections, Marvo Entertainment Group LLC is preparing to release a 60-minute documentary – entitled America's Darling – this fall, just in time for the "Ding" Darling Days celebration at the JN "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel. Samuel Koltinsky, executive producer of America's Darling, reported last week that he is fully immersed in the project, which he conceived more than five years ago. "We have made headway with underwriting, the bulk of the background research is completed… and do we have some discoveries!" "The film is still in production, which means interviews are being scheduled around the country, graphics are being developed, original scores are being composed and editing will be completed when we enter the post-production stage in several months," said Koltinsky. America's Darling will share the incredible history of "Ding" Darling (1876-1962), the Des Moines Register editorial cartoonist who influenced readers through his syndicated cartoons, creating awareness of urgent environmental issues and the need to preserve America's natural landscapes.
Last October, Koltinsky debuted a five-minute sneak preview clip of the film at "Ding" Darling Days, which featured an interview with Darling's grandson, Christopher "Kip" Koss, as well as never-before-seen archival footage of Darling himself. "I had been contacted by several producers over the years who wanted to tell my grandfather's story, but all of them were really just looking for financing for their films from the Darling Foundation," said Koss. "Sam (Koltinsky) called me, but he wasn't looking for money. He was looking for access to my grandfather's documents. I said I'd be happy to help. Working on the film has been quite labor intensive, but I've been very impressed with how professional (Koltinsky) has been every step of the way." During the production of the film, Koltinsky and some of his team members have travelled across the country – from Florida to West Virginia to Washington, DC to Iowa – gathering valuable biographical information and poring through documents, cartoons and other archived Darling relics.
"We have discovered so many treasures, it is difficult to say which are most interesting," explained Koltinsky. "In addition to finding never-before-seen film footage of Darling, we have discovered a number of original sketches and even some travel sketchbooks. These items put a new light on Darling's development as an artist, and we are developing an exhibit based on these artifacts to accompany the film." When Koltinsky shared a sneak preview of America's Darling at "Ding" Darling Days, he brought with him several artifacts uncovered during research for the film, including some of Darling's original paint brushes and woodcarvings. The documentary itself, he promises, will share even more remarkable finds. Paul Tritaik, refuge manager at the JN "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, is eager to see the completed movie this fall. "America's Darling is appropriately named because it celebrates a man who brought people of different interests together for a common purpose – saving America's wildlife," said Tritaik. "'Ding' Darling was not only a man ahead of his time. He was a man for all times. In this sense, he truly was America's Darling." Koss, too, hopes the documentary will enlighten even more people about the remarkable environmental effort that his grandfather started many years ago. "Any time a conservationist opens his or her mouth, people call them 'tree-huggers.' My grandfather wasn't a tree-hugger. He supported America using its natural resources… but to use them wisely," said Koss. "He pointed out that, historically, all of the world's greatest civilizations fell apart when they used up all of their natural resources and wound up fighting over them." According to Koltinsky, much of the credit in assembling materials – both visual and audible – for America's Darling has to be shared with his Marvo Entertainment team for this production which includes Oscar-nominated and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Tom Neff, accomplished titles and branding artists Allen Hemberger and Sarah Wilson, musicians Jamie Wigginton and Seth Johnson, research and development supervisor LuAnne Cervelli along with Koltinsky's long time assistant, Patricia Fralick.
With 2012 marking the 50th anniversary of the passing of the conservation icon and former Captiva resident, America's Darling may be just what America needs now: an opportunity to reflect on Darling's past in order that we may move forward. After all, Darling was a man very much ahead of his time. "We believe island residents and visitors will feel a real sense of pride in America's Darling," added Koltinsky. "We hope that viewers, especially children and young people, will be personally inspired by Darling's amazing accomplishments and want to connect with nature and participate in stewardship of the planet." For more information, visit www. marvoentertainmentgroup.com or e-mail sam@marvoentertainmentgroup.com.
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