“My career goal is to tell great stories that challenge people’s perspective and bring people closer together,” he said. Yes, Stoudt affirms with his film, that’s exactly the story he wanted to tell. “Is this what people wanna hear about?” Marie asks incredulously at one point, after recounting how hard it was to get started in landscaping when prospective customers didn’t take her seriously because she was a woman. “I ate really well.”ĭuring their time together, the filmmaker worked to convince his subjects that their story would resonate. “Literally every day was a different Italian feast for lunch,” Stoudt said. When Stoudt spent eight days in Philadelphia to shoot scenes, he was treated to the full family embrace.Ĭheesesteaks from Steve’s Prince of Steaks were memorable, but not as much as the homemade dishes from Marie, who as per her usual behavior, kept everyone fed with meatball hoagies and roast pork sandwiches with provolone and broccoli rabe. He sent an email with the subject “Four Seasons Total Documentaries,” and the project was born. Zipper, whose previous work includes acclaimed high school football doc “Undefeated” and the Emmy-winning “What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali,” was immediately on board, Stoudt said. I’ve made it - Christopher Stoudt November 7, 2021 When Glen Zipper and Sean Stuart agreed to produce, we all knew it was a great decision.” “I knew immediately we could work with Christopher and his heart was in a good place. “We had so many outlets reaching out to us … it felt exploitative,” Middleton said. “All these outlets talking about this working-class, salt of the earth landscaping company. “It did feel a little classist,” the filmmaker said. Two, Stoudt wanted to focus on the people. (“He and Chris are good friends and both play guitar in the band La Lenguas,” Sean explained.) How’d he get the gig? One, he had an inside connection: he was friends with Kevin Middleton, younger brother to Sean Middleton, the Total Landscaping sales director. Marie and the business starred in a Super Bowl commercial.Īs director Stoudt said on Sunday, in advance of the film’s debut: “Everybody wanted to make this documentary.” A punk rock concert held there sold out in seconds. An artist in Berlin sculpted a Four Seasons Total Landscaping diorama. “We were in danger of losing both.”įrom there, it was off to the races. “I put my house up for the mortgage on this place,” Marie says in the doc. They received literally thousands of hateful voicemail messages. At first, the vitriol that characterized the 2020 election threatened to swallow up 28 years of hard work the Siravo team had put into building the business. “Everyone is optimistic as the name Four Seasons Total Landscaping and the folklore associated with it continues to grow,” Middleton said. In addition to the side hustle of merch - a joint venture with Philly Drinkers, another local small business, that has allowed the team to donate about $50,000 to charity - Total Landscaping has gained three actual new landscaping clients due to the fame.Īnd it’s looking up. Now, things are somewhat different, Middleton told Billy Penn. “We were struggling ,” says Mike Siravo, son of founder Marie Siravo and general manager of the business, in the movie.
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