Los Angeles, PICROW, the Hollywood headquarters television and commercial production company, recently completed a short documentary for the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles. Premiering at the EFGLA’s annual Care & Cure fundraiser at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, the film was the latest in a series of epilepsy documentaries directed by The Hall. The Hall has been directing the short documentaries for six straight years. The film can be seen here.
Care & Cure 2017
For this year’s film, The Hall worked again with EFGLA Project Coordinator and Producer Nathan Jones, chronicling two families with young children stricken with epilepsy. Through the tireless efforts of devoted doctors, epilepsy experts and hospital staff, two different solutions helped stopped the seizures; one through diet, one through drugs. “There are countless stories we hear each year,” says The Hall. “each story is emotional and very real to these epilepsy patients. It’s some of the most rewarding work we do, telling these amazing stories in a way that inspires others to join the fight.”
The Fight
In this year’s film, a young girl named Gracie was opening her gifts on Christmas morning when she suffered her first seizure. For one-year old Annabelle, her parents noticed tremors in her arm, followed by a 10-15 second seizure. Thanks to expert help received at Children’s Hospital Of Los Angeles and the University of California at San Francisco, both children are now seizure free. Gracie had genetic testing done after standard medications failed, revealing a glucose transporter defect that caused her seizures. After starting a strict low-carb diet called the Ketogenic Diet, Gracie’s seizures were gone within days. For little Annabelle, videos taken by her parents and further testing allowed doctors to prescribe medication that stopped her seizures within hours.
The Big Challenge
Over the past decade, the EFGLA’s Care & Cure fundraiser has raised millions of dollars that have gone directly towards training pediatric Epileptology fellows in Southern California. The impact of training more specialized doctors has been tangible, decreasing wait times for families around Southern California. According to Jones, there’s a worldwide shortage of epileptologists, causing patients sometimes to wait months to see a specialist. “There needs to be more happy endings, more early diagnosis and better care for people with epilepsy,” he says. It is estimated that 10 percent of the population will suffer a seizure at some point in their lives.
About PICROW
Pictures in a Row (PICROW) is a combination studio, production house, and post house — a new hybrid. Equipped with distinguished directors, full time development and production staff, digital talent, and post facilities for commercials, film and television. The company is headquartered at 736 Seward St., Hollywood, CA 90038. For more information go to www.picrow.com
