Last January 225 told the story of one of the most revered, innovative dog trainers in Louisiana—and, arguably, the nation. Now a local filmmaker with hundreds of hours of footage is close to rolling out Dog Man: The Dick Russell Story, a feature-length documentary on the Baton Rouge trainer who died of complications from cancer last year.
“I first met him, and he was in his overalls, stomping and speaking to these dogs, and I thought, 'Unbelievable! Who else in their 70s would be on their hands and knees on concrete for someone else's pets? I have to tell his story,'” says award-winning commercial director Richie Adams.
Dog Man traces Russell's unique methods, his selfless love of animals and their owners and the lasting impact he had on both local families and dog training nationwide.
Beyond key partnerships with Petz Plaza, Raising Cane's and Zoes Kitchen, Dog Man has been Adams' self-funded passion project. In April he launched a Kickstarter campaign to help finish the film with a budget for more editing time, music licensing and cross-country travel for interviews with those Russell inspired. The Kickstarter effort ends this month, and Adams hopes to finish the picture for a Baton Rouge premiere this fall.
“I just want the film to do justice to a great man,” Adams says. thedogmanmovie.com
Multimedia
Bad Guys, Good Eats! Pop-Up Dinner at Restaurant IPO
Chef and 225 contributor Jay D. Ducote and Chef Chris Wadsworth hosted the Bad Guys, Good Eats! dinner at Restaurant IPO Wednesday night. The dinner was themed around famous movie villains, pairing cocktails and ales with plates of food resembling famous baddies like The Joker, Lord Voldemort, Hannibal Lector, and many others. The highlights of the night were the three middle courses—a black bean soup laced with blood sausage to signify Lord Voldemort, a brace of coneys on black eyed peas resembling Sauron, and lamb medallions atop a fava bean puree to pay homage to the famous favorite of Hannibal Lector.
Summer Crush
Elizabeth Arkley Hammett, a local nursing student and Fur Ball co-coordinator, and her husband Grey Hammett III, who works in commercial real estate, will take you through our summer guide. And they'll look good while doing it, too. Where noted, their clothes and accessories are available from local retailers.
Better Block BR
On Saturday the two blocks between Bedford and Beverly drives on April 13, 2013, residents will get to see a model of what Government Street could look like if we push local and state officials to update the roadway to a safer, more "complete street" model.
225 Summer Crush Swimwear Shoot
Go behind the scenes of 225's swimwear style shoot with...
