Gill Holland
Encyclopedia
John Gill Holland, Jr. better known as Gill Holland, is a Norwegian-American award winning film producer
and co-developer of The Green Building in Louisville, Kentucky
.
, Holland was raised in Davidson, NC. Holland's father was born in Lynch, Kentucky
and grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia
. His mother was born in Norway
. Holland graduated from The Episcopal High School (Alexandria, VA) in 1983 and went on to be a Morehead Scholar and graduated from the University of North Carolina
(B. A. 1987) (Law Degree. 1991).
s including Hurricane Streets
which won three Sundance Film Festival
awards in 1997 as well as the Cannes Film Festival
selection Inside/Out
, the Independent Spirit Awards
winner Sweet Land
and nominee Dear Jesse
, and the Gotham Awards
nominee Spring Forward
.
Holland is also the founder of sonaBLAST! Records
, an independent record label
featuring Ben Sollee
, The Old Ceremony
, and Irish
singer-songwriter
Mark Geary
, whose 2004 release Ghosts is nearing gold status and received critical acclaim in Ireland
and the USA. Louisville Magazine named him its 2009 Person of the Year.
Together with his wife, Augusta Brown Holland, Gill Holland developed The Green Building. This renovation of a historic building opened in the Fall of 2008 in NuLu aka the East Market District, the heart of Louisville's arts district. It provides offices for SonaBLAST! Records, Holland Brown Books and The Group Entertainment. He is the author of two fund-raising art books for children, "Louisville Counts" and "L is for Louisville."
He has been dubbed the "Mayor of NuLu", by a Louisville magazine NFocus, after all of his efforts towards the East Market Disctrict.
Holland was quoted by The Lane Report saying “There’s a saying that the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stone,” he said. “The coal age is not going to end because we run out of coal. I’m all about incentivizing people to change, (but) not mandating it or telling them (they have) to do it.” about the green movement. The Green Building (Louisville, Kentucky), was only step one. Now Holland, who is the poster child for the green movement in Kentucky, has more plans to make Kentucky a green state as well.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
and co-developer of The Green Building in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
.
Background
Born in Chapel Hill, North CarolinaChapel Hill, North Carolina
Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, United States and the home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UNC Health Care...
, Holland was raised in Davidson, NC. Holland's father was born in Lynch, Kentucky
Lynch, Kentucky
There were 408 households out of which 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% were married couples living together, 16.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 36.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone...
and grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
. His mother was born in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Holland graduated from The Episcopal High School (Alexandria, VA) in 1983 and went on to be a Morehead Scholar and graduated from the University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina
Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
(B. A. 1987) (Law Degree. 1991).
Career
Holland owns The Group Entertainment LLC, which includes a movie production company, a music company and an art gallery. Holland has produced more than 50 feature filmFeature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
s including Hurricane Streets
Hurricane Streets
Hurricane Streets is a 1997 American coming-of-age drama which was the debut feature film from writer-director Morgan J. Freeman . The film won the Audience, Best Director, and Best Cinematography Awards at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival—the first film ever to win three awards at the festival...
which won three Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
awards in 1997 as well as the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
selection Inside/Out
Inside/Out (film)
Inside/Out is a 1997 American drama film directed by Rob Tregenza. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Stefania Rocca - Grace Patterson* Frédéric Pierrot - Jean Hammett...
, the Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
winner Sweet Land
Sweet Land
Sweet Land is a 2005 American independent period drama film written and directed by Ali Selim. It is an adaptation of the 1989 short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat" by Will Weaver...
and nominee Dear Jesse
Dear Jesse
Dear Jesse is a 1998 American documentary film by Tim Kirkman that was released theatrically by Cowboy Pictures in 1998.Using a first-person narrative style in the form of a "letter" to Senator Jesse Helms , the filmmaker explores the parallels and differences between himself — an openly gay man —...
, and the Gotham Awards
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
nominee Spring Forward
Spring Forward
Spring Forward is a film written by and was the directorial debut for Tom Gilroy, starring Ned Beatty, Liev Schreiber and Campbell Scott. Shot in sequence over the course of one year, it was released in 1999 by IFC Films and MGM for DVD....
.
Holland is also the founder of sonaBLAST! Records
SonaBLAST! Records
sonaBLAST! Records is a Louisville, KY-based independent record label founded by film producer Gill Holland in 2002. The label kicked off with Irish singer-songwriter Mark Geary, whose 2004 release Ghosts is nearing Gold status and received critical acclaim in Ireland and the USA.-Artist...
, an independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
featuring Ben Sollee
Ben Sollee
Ben Sollee is a cellist and vocalist known for his percussive playing style, genre hopping songwriting, wide appeal, and political activism. His music incorporates banjo, guitar, percussion and unusual cello techniques to create a unique mix of folk, bluegrass, jazz and R&B.-Musical career:Raised...
, The Old Ceremony
The Old Ceremony
The Old Ćeremony is a Chapel Hill, North Carolina pop-noir musical group fronted by Django Haskins. Formed in 2004, the group has released four full-length albums, Our One Mistake, on sonaBLAST! Records; and The Old Ceremony, Walk On Thin Air, and Tender Age on the Durham, NC label, Alyosha Records...
, and Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mark Geary
Mark Geary
Mark Geary is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician born in Dublin, Ireland into a large family with ten siblings, one of whom is actor Karl Geary. In 1992 he emigrated to New York City after being called up for a lottery-won green card...
, whose 2004 release Ghosts is nearing gold status and received critical acclaim in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and the USA. Louisville Magazine named him its 2009 Person of the Year.
Together with his wife, Augusta Brown Holland, Gill Holland developed The Green Building. This renovation of a historic building opened in the Fall of 2008 in NuLu aka the East Market District, the heart of Louisville's arts district. It provides offices for SonaBLAST! Records, Holland Brown Books and The Group Entertainment. He is the author of two fund-raising art books for children, "Louisville Counts" and "L is for Louisville."
He has been dubbed the "Mayor of NuLu", by a Louisville magazine NFocus, after all of his efforts towards the East Market Disctrict.
Green Efforts and the NuLu District
Gill Holland has become a major player in the green movement in Kentucky. His biggest achievement would be The Green Building (Louisville, Kentucky). The building has become a staple of the movement in the NuLu district. His goal with this district, is to create a locally run area that showcases local restaurants, locally grown food and buildings that use sustainable resources. The project nearest to his heart is the creation of the Jefferson Farmers Market, this contains locally grown produce and sits across the street from The Green Building (Louisville, Kentucky).Holland was quoted by The Lane Report saying “There’s a saying that the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stone,” he said. “The coal age is not going to end because we run out of coal. I’m all about incentivizing people to change, (but) not mandating it or telling them (they have) to do it.” about the green movement. The Green Building (Louisville, Kentucky), was only step one. Now Holland, who is the poster child for the green movement in Kentucky, has more plans to make Kentucky a green state as well.
Selected filmography
- "Tan LinesTan linesTan lines refers to a division between an area or areas on the skin of a human of pronounced comparative paleness relative to other areas of their body that have been suntanned by prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The source of the radiation may be the sun, or artificial UV sources as...
" 2012 - "Mariachi Gringo" 2011
- "The Catechism Cataclysm" 2011
- Unrequited 2010
- Bass AckwardsBass AckwardsBass Ackwards is a film written, starring and directed by Linas Phillips and also starring Davie-Blue, Jim Fletcher and Paul Lazar. The film has a running time of 103 minutes....
2010 - Music Makes A City: a Louisville Orchestra Story (2009)
- Beautiful DarlingBeautiful DarlingBeautiful Darling: The Life and Times of Candy Darling, Andy Warhol Superstar is a 2010 feature-length documentary film about Candy Darling, the transgender pioneer, actress and Andy Warhol Superstar. The film was written and directed by James Rasin and features Chloe Sevigny as "the voice of...
(2009) - The War BoysThe War BoysThe War Boys is a 2009 American independent drama film directed by Ronald Daniels. Its screenplay was written by Naomi Wallace and Bruce McLeod, based on the play of the same name by Naomi Wallace....
(2009) - FLOW: For Love of WaterFlow: For Love of WaterFlow: For Love of Water is a 2008 documentary film directed by Irena Salina produced by Steven Starr and co-produced by Gill Holland and Yvette Tomlinson . The film features interviews with water and community activists Maude Barlow, Peter Gleick; and, scientists Ashok Gadgil, Rajendra Singh, and...
(2008) - Adventures of PowerAdventures of PowerAdventures of Power is an American feature film written and directed by Ari Gold, starring Ari Gold, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch, Shoshannah Stern, Chiu Chi Ling, and Adrian Grenier and featuring Steven Williams, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Annie Golden and Nick Kroll, with a cameo performance by Rush drummer...
(2008) - Asylum SeekersAsylum Seekers (film)Asylum Seekers is a 2009 American black comedy film written and directed by Rania Ajami. The film stars Pepper Binkley and Daniel Irizarry as two of the six social outcast protagonists who attempt to get themselves committed to an insane asylum in order to spice up their lives...
(2008) - Were the World MineWere the World MineWere the World Mine is a 2008 romantic musical fantasy film directed by Tom Gustafson and written by Gustafson and Cory James Krueckeberg.Were the World Mine is a story of gay empowerment, inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream...
(2008) - Mountaintop RemovalMountaintop removalMountaintop removal mining is a form of surface mining that requires the removal of the summit or summit ridge of a mountain in order to permit easier access to the coal seams...
(2007) - Just Like the SonJust Like the SonJust Like the Son is an American feature film written and directed by Morgan J. Freeman. The film was Freeman’s third from an original screenplay and shot during the summer of 2005 in New York City and Wilmington, North Carolina...
(2006) - MentorMentor (film)Mentor is a 2006 drama film directed by David Langlitz and written by William Whitehurst, exploring the relationship between a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and his protegé.The film stars Rutger Hauer, Matthew Davis, Dagmara Dominczyk, and Susan Misner....
(2006) - Sweet LandSweet LandSweet Land is a 2005 American independent period drama film written and directed by Ali Selim. It is an adaptation of the 1989 short story "A Gravestone Made of Wheat" by Will Weaver...
(2005) - Nicky's GameNicky's GameNicky’s Game is an American short film, originally developed and produced as an independent television pilot, based on Peter Alson’s New York Times Best Seller "Confessions of an Ivy League Bookie". The film was shot in 16mm on location in New York City and premiered in 2005 at the inaugural New...
(2005) - LoggerheadsLoggerheads (film)Loggerheads is an independent film written and directed by Tim Kirkman, produced by Gill Holland and released in the United States by Strand Releasing in October 2005. After its debut at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize, Loggerheads screened at...
(2005) - Dot the IDot the idot the i is a 2003 psychological thriller starring Gael García Bernal, Natalia Verbeke, and James D'Arcy. It was written and directed by Matthew Parkhill.-Plot:...
(2003) - Martin & OrloffMartin & OrloffMartin & Orloff is a feature film written by and starring Matt Walsh and Ian Roberts along with Ian's wife Katie Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Lawrence Blume and features an ensemble cast of alternative comedians including H...
(2002) - Spring ForwardSpring ForwardSpring Forward is a film written by and was the directorial debut for Tom Gilroy, starring Ned Beatty, Liev Schreiber and Campbell Scott. Shot in sequence over the course of one year, it was released in 1999 by IFC Films and MGM for DVD....
(1999) - Bobby G. Can't Swim (1999)
- Dear JesseDear JesseDear Jesse is a 1998 American documentary film by Tim Kirkman that was released theatrically by Cowboy Pictures in 1998.Using a first-person narrative style in the form of a "letter" to Senator Jesse Helms , the filmmaker explores the parallels and differences between himself — an openly gay man —...
(1998) - Desert BlueDesert BlueDesert Blue is a 1998 American comedy/drama film directed by Morgan J. Freeman and starring Brendan Sexton III, Kate Hudson, Christina Ricci, Casey Affleck, Sara Gilbert, and John Heard....
(1998) - Hurricane StreetsHurricane StreetsHurricane Streets is a 1997 American coming-of-age drama which was the debut feature film from writer-director Morgan J. Freeman . The film won the Audience, Best Director, and Best Cinematography Awards at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival—the first film ever to win three awards at the festival...
(1997) - Inside/OutInside/Out (film)Inside/Out is a 1997 American drama film directed by Rob Tregenza. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Stefania Rocca - Grace Patterson* Frédéric Pierrot - Jean Hammett...
(1997)
External links
- Norway.org article about Holland
- indieWIRE article about Holland
- New Yorker Talk of the Town
- New York Resident article about Holland
- Leo weekly interview with Holland
- Velocity Weekly interview with Holland
- Courier-Journal interview with Holland
- 1998 Village Voice interview with Holland
- Business First profile on Holland
- Holland article on film delivery
- Holland article in Courier-Journal on how to be more green
- Green Tour with Holland
- Voice-Tribune article
- Louisville Magazine 2009 Person of the Year article
- Boston Globe on 732 Social, Holland, East Market District
- Leo Article on Mayan Cafe, Holland
- Insider Louisville interview
- KET special on "L is for Louisville" and "Louisville Counts" arts books
- Interview on set of "Tan Lines"
- Mayor of NuLu
- http://www.kybiz.com/articles/article.cfm?id=louisvilles_green__entrepreneur
- http://www.louisville.com/content/21-questions-gill-holland-louisville-magazine 21 Questions with Louisville Magazine}
- http://insiderlouisville.com/news/2011/10/20/no-place-like-nulu-louisvilles-hottest-small-biz-corridor-keeps-adding-retail-restaurants-and-start-ups/