By Kelly Mahan Jaramillo, Sunday, June 14th, 2009
As all of you know, it is one year ago this month that Tomas and I were in Ojai, Ca., beginning the execution of a plan that had been brewing for a long time – moving back East. We were out of the dreaming/hoping stage, and staring, somewhat slack-jawed at the reality of a 26-foot Penske moving truck with a flatbed to haul our Volvo. Two people, two cats and a crow all crushed together in the cab, with only a city as our destination, and many motel 6’s in-between.
Fast forward one year later – we found our home on the North Side of Pittsburgh, plenty of pictures can be viewed here.
Two nights ago something reminded me of an old friend of mine, Kevin Greutert. I was hesitant to give him a Google, as the last person I thought about and Googled turned up dead – that is for another time. I am still bothered by it, and have been struggling to write a decent post.
Consequently, I kicked around the idea of seeing what Kevin was up to – I had talked to him about a year and a half ago, we usually exchange a few e-mails a year, and when Bush was re-elected in 2004, I called him, absolutely hammered on single malt scotch and a raging anger that the world was coming to an end.
Sigh. My poor friends.
Kevin and I met on the film “Jungle to Jungle”, where he was the picture assistant and I was the music assistant to editor Ken Wannberg. For some unknown reason, I was not taking this job all that seriously, as the film was stupid and my husband had recently died, so I spent most of my time on the mixing stage drinking extremely strong eggnog and giving one of the more smarmy, lecherous producers as much shit as I possibly could. In the spirit of that hangover of Christmas past, I will not name names.
Needless to say, it was my last Disney film. However, I met two seriously cool people on that film – my husband Tomas Hradcky, and Kevin Greutert.
I was not in the greatest emotional frame of mind on that film, and Kevin, with his dry wit and easy, relaxed demeanor, basically saved what little was left of my sanity.
Kevin got his first big break by getting his ass in the editors seat on (at the time) a little horror film called “Saw”. I remember being really excited for him when the film went through the roof. So, as I mentioned, we have managed to keep in touch, albeit sporadically, since that long ago silly Disney film.
Many years ago he called me, very upbeat, as he had met a girl he really, really liked. Fast forward, and he and his girlfriend Elizabeth Rowin get married, and when he speaks of her, he still sounds completely over the moon for her. A happy man in his personal life. I have yet to meet Elizabeth, but feel like I know her, from Kevin’s conversation. I get the happy sense that Kevin found his soulmate.
Kevin is the film editor of all five of the “Saw” films, and last time we spoke, he was on his way to edit “Saw V”. I asked him how did he handle the gore, and he made one of his great, low-key comments, basically insinuating that he is forever a little tweaked, but overall, he is fine.
Well, I decided to gather my courage, work on the premise that he was not dead, and I Googled him.
He is alive and well, and I am thrilled to report that he has been given the reins to direct “Saw VI”, and if you are a “Saw” maniac, you can read all about it here.
I have read his whole blog about how the “Saw” franchise has changed his life, and he is now sitting in the directors seat. As I read each post, my excitement for him and for Elizabeth just skyrocketed.
All I can say is, finally, finally – one of the good guys gets a break. It so rarely happens, and when it does, the earth tilts a little bit in the right direction, I like to think.
Kevin is one of the nicest, smartest, funniest, most hardworking people I have ever met. He deserves every bit of success he gets. God knows, he has earned it.
Even though Tomas never got to cross paths with Kevin, he has heard me speak so often and so highly of him, and we are both out of our collective tree with excitement at this new career turn his life has taken.
Raise a glass!
Congratulations Kevin and Elizabeth!
Score a big one for the good guys!
