Leesburg Writer, Producer Premieres Movie in Hollywood

A Leesburg-based production company has teamed with a veteran producer to create a movie that recently premiered in Hollywood.

The movie, “Stone Marker," was shot and produced in Los Angeles with the help of veteran producer Suzanne DeLaurentiis Productions , but the idea originates from a book of the same name written by Clay Sharman of Leesburg. 

Sharman, the creator and producer of “Stone Marker,” is also the CEO of Promethean Light Media, a company featuring a team of local residents that includes Mike Schaefer (executive producer) of Prince William County, Jeff DeMeo (executive producer) of Burke, Va. and Tony Canonico (co-director, producer) of Aldie, Va. 

The movie, which cost $350,000 to make, is about twin brothers and their friends who discover an unusual stone marker in the woods.  While attempting to uncover information about the mysterious object, the boys discover it is linked to the disappearance of seven children more than 30 years ago. The boys find themselves at the mercy of a madman willing to do whatever is necessary to keep that past buried.

Sharman’s childhood experiences of exploring in the woods with his twin brother and friends while growing up in nearby Fairfax are the basis for the movie plot.  In fact, there was a man who would chase them in the woods over two years time, he said; police were never able to find out who it was.

The Hollywood premiere, which was held on July 26, was a stereotypical red-carpet affair filled with celebrities and news outlets, Sharman said.

“Seeing the movie on the big screen was a great moment for us. It is blind luck that we got the movie made as quickly and easily as we did,” Sharman said. 

Sharman is hoping to pursue more movies using a model in which they can funnel ideas out to the West Coast, but keep their East Coast roots. (Local families may recognize Sharman and his wife Jennifer as the owners of  in Ashburn).

“The goal is for us to do a premiere in the Washington, DC area and then a limited theatrical release here and in Los Angeles.  We are hoping to get some interest from the big movie companies such as Warner Bros.," Sharman said. "We will see if they pick it up."

With the Hollywood premiere behind them, "we are looking at making at least one more movie, but hopefully more,” Sharman said.

To see a trailer for "Stone Marker," click here.