but professional productions . “ We ’ re trying to give jobs to people in Rhode Island so they ’ re able to turn this into a career ,” Luba adds .
Through both Verdi Productions and their own company , Verdi and Luba continue to work on feature films like The Roaring Game , an attempt to bring back sports comedies like Dodgeball and Happy Gilmore , this time centered around that perennial Winter Olympics ’ punchline , curling . Starring beloved former New England Patriots ’ player Rob “ Gronk ” Gronkowski and his best friend Rob Goon , production on that movie also features Mickey Rourke ( The Wrestler ), Vanessa Angel ( Kingpin ) and William Forsythe ( Raising Arizona ). The filming took over Cranston Veteran ’ s Memorial Ice Rink for a week in October .
However , the Lifetime movie is their bread and butter . Because of the steady demand for this basic cable staple , they work consistently , cranking out a total of six to eight features each year — including both Lifetime and other productions — and nine in 2024 alone . This creates a virtuous cycle : These productions develop talent and give them incentive to stay in Rhode Island instead of heading off to New York or L . A . The resulting talent pool ( and filmmaking infrastructure that develops around it ) enables Feinberg to attract more big Hollywood productions to Rhode Island . And when the next Ella McCay rolls into town , the folks who cut their teeth on Lifetime productions will have the skills and experiences to compete for those jobs . Everybody wins .
Verdi and Luba are creating the kind of opportunities they wish they had when they were getting started .
FROM LEFT : Paul Luba , Chad Verdi Jr ., Chad A . Verdi and Sera Verdi on set .
“ I was always told there was not a career path here on the East Coast ,” Luba says . “ To have a shot at succeeding you would need to go to L . A . These films keep everyone paid — they keep the lights on .”
It ’ s allowing them to grow , too . While an active production might involve anywhere from forty to 200 people , most of those are temporary gigs . But as a direct result of the regular stream of Lifetime movies , Verdi and Luba have been able to graduate two occasional collaborators into permanent , full-time roles .
Kat Meinert , their production coordinator , commuted ninety minutes each way from her home in Connecticut until they were finally able to put her on the payroll for good and help her relocate . Alexis Taylor came up from Virginia to join the team after some initial experiences working with Verdi and Luba .
“ They told me , ‘ If you can find your way up here , we ’ ll take care of the rest ,’” Taylor says with a laugh . She made it to Rhode Island and now has a full-time position as a post-production supervisor and assistant director . “ This is the only thing I ever wanted to do , since I was a little kid .”
Meinert , whose job includes recruiting interns , sees the difference these opportunities make for young filmmakers . “ Everyone has been like , ‘ We didn ’ t even know this existed until you reached out to our school . We ’ re so happy it ’ s an opportunity we have here at home ,’” she says .
This is the way it ’ s always worked in the film industry . Small-scale , formula-driven genres that cineastes might turn up their noses at have long been crucial training grounds for the next generation of auteurs . Oscar-winning directors Peter Jackson ( The Lord of the Rings ) and Guillermo del Toro ( The Shape of Water ) got their starts in low-budget splatter flicks . David Fincher ( The Social Network ) and Spike Jonze ( Her ) both honed their craft directing music videos . In fact , Michael Mann ’ s first feature was a TV movie called The Jericho Mile , and his 1995 DeNiro / Pacino classic , Heat , started out as a TV movie called L . A . Takedown . And that ’ s even without mentioning Roger Corman , the grind house schlockmaster of exploitation flicks like Death Race 2000 and The Slumber Party Massacre , who launched the careers of an entire generation of Hollywood masters like Martin Scorsese , Francis Ford Coppola , James Cameron and Ron Howard .
While it remains to be seen whether a future auteur will emerge from a Lifetime movie production operating out of a former church in East Greenwich ( home to both Verdi Productions and the corporate offices of Gregg ’ s Restaurants — only in Rhode Island ), Verdi and Luba are focused on growing their company , and the local film industry along with it .
“ We ’ re trying to turn Rhode Island into a hub of the film industry , especially on the East Coast ,” Luba says .
“ We ’ re creating this foundation where people can come to Rhode Island and make a living off of filmmaking ,” adds Verdi . “ That ’ s the ultimate goal . How do we bring more people to this wonderful state and help them sustain a living ?” 🆁
RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY I MARCH 2025 83