Beginning as an exclusive event hosted on Willie Nelson’s Luck, Texas ranch, “Luck Reunion”, “PotLuck”, and now “Luck Cinema” is a movement dedicated to cultivating and spreading the culture of Luck, Texas and the evolution of our American roots.
Brian Allen, co-founder of Ranch Road Music, an artist and event services company in Austin sat down with Matt Bizer, co-founder and CEO of Luck Productions to talk about the newest event in the fantastic Luck lineup.
Luck Cinema is presenting a screening of “The Red Headed Stranger.”
Q: Matt, tell me a little about how Luck Cinema was born.
A: I am Matt Bizer, a partner in the “Luck Reunion” out at Willie Nelson’s Ranch. We are starting to do some really exciting projects, one of those being the launch of Luck Cinema. We just recently decided to partner with Alamo Draft House Cinema and started working with the Rolling Roadshow for this new film series in Luck.
Q: Tell me about the Launch Event, the screening of Red Headed Stranger.
A: In one of our conversations with the Rolling Roadshow we were talking about something we could do as a really special event out at Luck with Willie. It was brought to our attention that The Film somehow did not make the transition from VHS to digital. We felt that it would be a very special event if we could screen The Red Headed Stranger at Luck, in the town it was filmed in.
Q: How long has it been since Red Headed Stranger has been screened?
A: The Red Headed Stranger which was released in 1986, had not been screened in a long time due to the fact that it missed the digital era transition. With the film not being available on VHS or DVD we started to look for where we might find a copy.
Q: The process of curating the film for this event must have been a journey. Can you tell me a bit about the process?
A: With a bit of looking and some help from some friends, we found a copy in the collection of Shep Gordan. So, we were able to get a copy of the film and send it to the Alamo Draft House’s archival specialist. They were able to make a master of the film for us there. In the process we received the film in a format that should allow us to get it into digital environments and streaming platforms for greater distribution.
Q: Adding Archival items from Bill Wittliff’s collection to be exhibited throughout the site was lucky to say the least, tell me about that.
A: In the process of curating the film we reached out to a lot of the people involved. One of those people was Bill Witliff, the film’s Director. I was able to have a call with Bill a few weeks back and he was very excited about our plans to screen the film. He helped us align with The Witliff Collection and start the process of selecting some of the props, early scripts and storyboards, along with some really cool items from the collection, that we will have on display out at the ranch during the screening. On a very sad note, we lost Bill just a few days ago, which highlights our need to preserve the legacy of Luck and the people associated.
Q: Events are always better with food, please shed some light on your partnership with Austin Food & Wine Alliance and tell us how the relationship came together.
A: The programming of the event has come together very organically. Luck, the Rolling Roadshow, and The Alamo team, share a lot of passion for Austin and the local community. One of the organizations we have been working closely with is the Austin Food and Wine Alliance. They have been doing a lot of work to help celebrate the local chefs, restaurants, and the local food scene. They do a great job of highlighting the work of locals chefs and are helping to preserve farms and that lifestyle. Prior to the screening, Austin Food & Wine Alliance will host an intimate, 50-person dinner prepared by award-winning chef Jesse Griffiths of Austin’s celebrated Dai Due restaurant, a heralded culinary figure and the recipient of the 2018 Austin Food & Wine grant in participation with Luck Reunion.
Q: This event was an almost instant sell out. Do you intend to keep the events intimate, or does this fuel your passion to grow?
A: We will always keep the reunion intimate, these are the family, and friends we work with all year. We are growing and will continue to add special events out at Luck in an effort to have as many people as we can experience the legacy that we are preserving.
Q: You have the Luck Reunion, PotLuck, and now Luck Cinema. What is next in Luck?
A: We are going to continue to create special events that will give people the opportunity to visit and experience Luck.
Q. Putting on an event in Luck, Texas must be a highlight of event productions.
A: I feel Lucky no pun intended. We are all Lucky to be able to experience Luck and participate in events at the ranch this way.
Luck Cinema: Red Headed Stranger w/Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson’s Luck Texas Ranch
1100 Bee Creek Rd.
Spicewood, TX 78669
Saturday, July 6 at 7:30 PM
About Brian Allan:
Brian is Co-Founder of Ranch Road Music, an artist and event services company in Austin, Texas. He is the manager for Texas Music Artist Jesse Raub Jr.. He is a fan of the Texas lifestyle, and enjoys sharing the it from behind the stage.
