Gary Newton(I)

In October of 2013, Gary partnered with Graham Gordy and Daniel Campbell to create Mortuus Pater Pictures, LLC. The motion picture production company released its first feature in 2019, the ensemble comedy 'Antiquities,' starring Andrew J. West, Michaela Watkins, Michael Gladis, with Ashley Greene and Mary Steenburgen, which is distributed by Chicken Soup for the Soul's Screen Vision. It just concluded a three-year run on Showtime and is available on many digital platforms throughout North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

An eighth generation native of the Ozarks and graduate of the University of Arkansas, he resigned as Executive Vice President of the Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce to accept a national scholarship to train at New York's American Musical & Dramatic Academy.

Since his first professional job as a "Sprocket" on 'Saturday Night Live,' he has had principal and/or recurring roles in a variety of productions - network series, feature films, shorts, stage, commercials, gaming and industrials.

He backed up Liza Minnelli on 'The Tonight Show' and serenaded Burt Reynolds with an original song on the set of an NBC sitcom. He was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical by the Los Angeles Valley Theatre Awards for originating the role of "Anton Schmidt" in the world premier of 'Musical Chairs' by two-time Oscar-winning composer Joel Hirschhorn.

The writer of seven feature screenplays and three limited series pilots, he was a Semifinalist at Austin Film Festival and on The Red List of Coverfly. He was previously a Finalist in the Slamdance (Top 10) and Chesterfield Writer's Film Project (Paramount Pictures) (Top 50) screenplay competitions and a Quarterfinalist in the Motion Picture Academy's Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting.

To showcase his writing and performing, the Groundlings/Martin DeMaat-trained improvisational actor became front man and songwriter for '10 Horse Johnson.' The all-original, Ozarks-born, Hollywood-bred counter country comedy band played Vegas, Nashville and Memphis and was a regular at Molly Malone's on Fairfax in LA. The group also had a 10-week theatre run as 'Cole Slaw & The Baked Bean Band' with Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile.' Heard internationally on Dr. Demento, 10HJ was the featured house band for the Sirius XM Playboy Radio holiday series, 'A Playboy Home Companion' and its five million listeners.

As a filmmaker, Gary produced, wrote and directed 'Jo's Town,' a feature documentary, which was named Best American Feature Film by the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival, Best Documentary by the KAN Film Festival, and Finalist in the International Family Film Festival. Edited by Michael Ruscio ('In Treatment,' 'True Blood'), 'Jo's Town' was also an Official Selection of the Memphis International, Hot Springs Documentary, Valleyfest, Fayetteville, Gillioz and Little Rock Film Festivals. It also received a featured screening at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.

He was part of a four-actor cast of 'In Order of Appearance,' a short directed by Ruscio, which received the Best Ensemble Cast Award at the Deep Ellum Film Festival in Dallas.

He recently appeared on stage with Judge Reinhold in 'Laughter on the 23rd Floor' as "Brian Doyle," and may be seen in the supporting role of "Raymond" in the upcoming dramedy feature 'I'll Be There.'