'Out Life' TV Pilot Trailer Screened at Duluth Museum

The cast of "Out Life," a TV pilot set in a salon "where life and hair collide" in Atlanta, gathered around a TV at the Strickland House in Duluth Saturday (July 9) afternoon to watch the trailer and help raise funds to preserve the house.

Guests, cast and crew also enjoyed a summer barbecue under the shade trees on the Strickland House lawn. Musicians entertained with songs from the pilot including the theme song "Drama Queen." The actors sat around the circular table in the library and autographed the official "Out Life" cast photo taken on the gazebo in front of the house.

"Out Life" writer Tonina Kelly Cooper, also a director and producer of the TV pilot, introduced the trailer. The salon has a crazy staff and crazy clients. It's about relationships, romances, and even domestic abuse, she said. "There's a little bit of everything in it for everybody."

Atlanta-based Kade Productions filmed a wedding scene for the 45-minutre TV pilot inside the historic home in May. Duluth residents portrayed wedding guests. The main entry and staircase of the Strickland House served as the setting for the wedding, and another room was used as the bride’s dressing room. Other scenes were shot in Duluth and Atlanta.

The Strickland House, completed in 1898, was the home of Henry and Alice Strickland, who as Duluth's mayor in the early 1920s was the first female mayor in Georgia. Granddaughter Robin Burch attended Saturday's event and helped serve barbecue.

The fundraiser generated about $1,100 for the Duluth History Museum, which is housed in the historic home, Duluth Historical Society President Judy Wilson reported. Cast and crew paid admission along with guests to help raise money for museum rent.

The trailer will be posted later on You Tube. An Aug. 4 premiere of the pilot is planned at Club Bellissima in Midtown.