GRIDIRON Comic Book In ENTERTAINMENT
July 17th, 2015 - HENDERSON, NE
University of Wisconsin, Green Bay 4th Estate Student New story by Michaela Paukner, Entertainment Editor April 26, 2012
From UWGB student to producer to writer Greg Le Duc brings his career full circle with "GRIDIRON" comic book series which focuses on the early Packers history. Almost 40 years later, Greg Le Duc returned to his past--UW-Green Bay. The class of 1972 alumnus left the college as a young writer and filmmaker aspiring to move somewhere warm and start a career. He returned with years of experience writing, directing, producing, filming and acting in a variety of films, owner of two production companies, and author of the "GRIDIRON" comic book series.
Le Duc said he wanted to be a writer since high school, so he planned on majoring in creative communication with a focus on journalism---until he took his first cinema course. "Once I took that class,I thought, 'I want to write movie screenplays,'" Le Duc said. Le Duc took all the cinema classes UWGB offered at the time and then began writing proposals for his classes about filmmaking. " I was turning in films at the end of the semester," Le Duc said. "Aside from having journalism and creative writing, I was doing as much as I could to be in a film-writing mode.
To fuel his passion for film, Le Duc bought as many books as he could about writing screenplays. He said it's a learning process because there are always new ideas, new approaches and experts. Le Duc stayed at UWGB for about six months after graduating to work for the university's film crew. He began as the still photographer and assistant camera person. The crew worked on a series titled "Wisconsin: Our Proud Heritage." As the crew worked through the winter, they encountered problems with the film and cameras due to the cold temperatures. It was then Le Duc decided he would move somewhere warm---California. Le Duc detoured to Florida first to work as an sailing double, stand in, and extra for Universal Studios on "Jaws 2."
Since then, Le Duc worked on dozens of other films. He said for many projects he assumes multiple roles but focuses his attention where he's needed most. "When we did seven concerts in three days for AIX Records, I moved from being a producer to being a Director of Photography and a camera operator, supervising it all, depending on what's most important," Le Duc explained. Le Duc also founded Aaron & Le Duc and Le Duc Productions. Aaron & Le Duc provides camera and editing system rentals and post-production. Le Duc Productions covers all aspects of digital film production, 3D, HD, 4K now and 8 K in the near future, Le Duc said his companies often work together with multiple other production companies because no company in the movie business can do everything.
Le Duc still owns both companies but is now focusing on his most recent project---the "GRIDIRON" reality-based comic book series. "GRIDIRON" tells the story of the National Football League's beginnings, as well as the Green Bay Packers. Le Duc said he estimates more than 90 percent of the information in the comics is factual. "I was curious about the fact that nobody knew anything about Curly Lambeau other than that he started the team," Le Duc said. "As an artist, you're always asking,'what am I going to do next?" The research process for the story began in 1997.
Le Duc said he spent a year and a half interviewing people associated with the early Packers, including Art Daley, a Packer beat reporter, Tony Canadeo, a former Packers running back; and Marguerite Lambeau, Curly Lambeau's first wife.
In 2008, at Worldfest Houston, Mr. Le Duc's screenplay "GRIDIRON" won a platinum award for dramatic, historical feature film script. Getting it made into a movie was another thing. Now days, so many movies start as comic books, with a solid audience following. Producers would rather read comic books than scripts.broihier
The text of "GRIDIRON" started as a screenplay, but Le Duc said the format was limiting, so he turned it into a rough draft 365 page novel. From there he began the search for an artist to give the story's characters a physical identity. "I went through a lot of artists," Le Duc said. "It's one thing to draw one page, but it's another thing to panel after panel and be able to tell the story." After 10 artists and 300 pages of bad comic book art, Le Duc found Ron Randall, an illustrator from Portland, Ore. Randal is the lead illustrator for all the comic books in the "GRIDIRON" series.
The first volume consists of seven issues, beginning with Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau as a young man. Issue seven wraps up in 1929 with the Packers' first championship win. The second volume is another seven issues, which go from the 1930's to 1965. Le Duc said he had to compress time in both volumes of "GRIDIRON" to cover years and decades in a matter in a matter of a few comic books. "Editing is always tough, but it's a matter of keeping it interesting," Le Duc said. As for a third volume, Le Duc said he's not sure if he'll continue into the Packer's Vince Lombardi era, which began in 1965. "The Vince Lombardi era is so sacred that I can't say I want to do it without the approval of his family and the team," Le Duc continued. Le Duc has been in contact with people close to Lombardi's daughter, so the continuation into the Lombardi era isn't written off.
He also hopes to get the "GRIDIRON" screenplay produced as a feature film as well as having his traditional novel of Lambeu's story published. He also plans on releasing a 3-D issue, and turning an issue into the world's largest comic book. Le Duc said the series has gotten great feedback so far, especially from people in Wisconsin. Fans are taking note of charity work associate with "GRIDIRON." Le Duc donated copies of the comic to the Boys & Girls Club of America, the Red Cross, and the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as providing a full promotional page for the Red Cross in his comic book series. "We want to do something to benefit the community," Le Duc said.
The donation to the Armed Forces in particular has a special meaning to the series and Packer's history. "Curly thinks he's going to have to fight in World War 1, when the story starts," Le Duc said. "When the war ended, he was relieved he didn't have to go, but his friends had gone over. Some never came home. When the team was playing at the end of the season and it was cold and snowing, the most loyal fans were the vets. It's being grateful to the people who protect us, take care of us."
Copies of "GRIDIRON: are available at the Neville Museum, Bosse's Newstand, Gameday Sports in Bay Park Square, Packer City Antiques, Seroogy's Chocolates and Powers Comics.