Winner: Best Film at Broad Humor Festival -- Winner: Best Film at New Filmmakers Festival NYC
All Media Inquiries, Screeners, Interviews to Kathryn Musilek: KM@SharkPartyMedia.com New York, NY (April 8, 2021) – Random Media is releasing Jessica Watkins comedic, award-winning documentary feature ‘SPECIALish’ about her walk across the United States over the course of 8 months. There are traumas revealed, truths clarified, and obstacles confronted along the way. The film will be available on-demand and on all digital platforms on May 11, 2021. Written and directed by Jessica Watkins, this moving feature-length documentary is her story which began with her leaving Nashville at 18 years old to become a star. Now, ten years later, she finds herself struggling as a standup comedian in New York City. In the age of self-promotion and crowdsourcing, Jessica hatches a plan to quit her job waiting tables and jump start her career, hopefully landing her BIG comedy special -- she will walk across America. Leaving behind her partner, dog, and life as she knows it, with minimum physical training and having gone on two hikes ever, Jessica sets out on her tour. “For eight months, from Delaware to California I pushed a running stroller full of gear,” says Watkins. "Staying with strangers, sleeping on the side of the road and gathering hundreds of hours of footage” She pushed that stroller full of camping gear and whiskey to the West Coast, performing standup and meeting locals to assist her along the way. Three months into the walk Jessica has made it through six states, a knee injury, and almost giving up when an interview on a radio show brings painful memories of a teenage assault into focus. Jessica Watkins says “It was a radical experience that shifted my whole perspective, but after the walk is over you return back to normal life, and that was probably the most eye opening part.” The self-produced documentary from Jessica Watkins combines footage from the road and a *not so big* comedy special, SPECIALish delivers a humorous, vulnerable and sometimes dark look into one woman’s pursuit to heal from her past, write new material, and once again, trust the kindness of strangers. Getting laughs will not be the hard part.
ABOUT JESSICA WATKINS: Jessica Watkins is a stand-up comedian, actress and producer born and raised in East Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from The American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles in 2005 and has been living and performing in New York City for over a decade. ABOUT RANDOM MEDIA: Random Media is a content company that acquires and distributes films on a worldwide basis through movie theatres, digital platforms, cable, satellite, and television networks and through conventional brick and mortar retailers. Random Media is known for its commitment to building strong, supportive relationships with its filmmakers. The companies’ library includes over 200 films, including the acclaimed films: Hoaxed, Killswitch: The Battle for the Internet, Fare, House by the Lake and Yamasong: March of the Hollows.
FILM CREDITS:
Written and Directed by Jessica Watkins
Edited by Christine Simon
Executive Producer, Jesse Lyda
Story Editor, Jason Wehling
Jessica Watkins Online:
SPECIALish Online
MEDIA ASSETS: DOWNLOAD PHOTOS AND POSTERS HERE
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Media Contacts:
Jessica Watkins PR Contact:
Kathryn Musilek // Shark Party Media // km@sharkpartymedia.com
Random Media PR Contact:
Liz Rodriguez // liz@emrmedia.com