trailer

“If you weren’t lucky enough to be in the premiere screening audience for this integral, sharp, and undeniably timely piece of filmmaking, you’d do well to catch the repeat screening…”

Brett Fieldcamp, Oklahoma Free City Press

WATCH THE FILM

ABOUT THE FILM

In the enlightening journey Body Electric, filmmaker Nick Demos examines body image in the LGBTQ+ community and his own journey through dysmorphia.

This 75-minute documentary traces the history of queer culture and its fixation on the body. It explores steroid use & plastic surgery and investigates the impact of the AIDS crisis, while hearing inspiring stories from Leslie Jordan, Judy Gold, Bruce Vilanch, Rajee Narinesingh and others.

What is middle age without role models? And how do we embrace a transformative shift towards acceptance and body positivity? Experience the celebration of self-acceptance in this captivating and thought-provoking film.

MEET THE TEAM

NICK DEMOS

  • Nick Demos is an award-winning director, Tony and Olivier Award Winning producer, creativity coach and host of The Creative Soulpreneur Podcast.

    Directing credits include the documentary INVISIBLE, the short film POLICY OF TRUTH; the plays and musicals Not As Cute As Picture (GLAAD Media Nomination); Spring Alive at Dixon Place; Rainbow Around the Sun at NYMF; Kids in America at the Triad; the opening to the Broadway Cares Easter Bonnet Competition at the Minskoff Theater. Select regional theater credits include Debbie Gibson in Chicago; Sally Struthers in Hello, Dolly!; Kelli O’Hara and Will Chase in Oklahoma!; at Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma where he was the Artistic Director from 2000 to 20008 and The Drowsy Chaperone (B. Iden Payne and Austin Critic’s Awards for Best Direction) and the NY premiere of the Mark St. Germaine play Dancing Lessons at Penguin Rep.

    As a producer:  Come From Away  (Olivier Award, Tony Nom)  Memphis (Broadway Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critic’s Circle Awards; Oliver Nomination; Make Me a Song (Off-Broadway – Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Nominations; London.) and the First National Tour of The Drowsy Chaperone. films Invisible and Policy of Truth.

Jay Leland Krottinger

  • Jay Leland Krottinger resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he is COO and co-founder of Tanninger Companies. His firm holds ownership in multiple industries from biotech product marketing, remote neurologic diagnostic technologies, to hospitality/restaurants, film, Broadway & live entertainment as well as real estate investments in historic preservation projects in Tulsa.

    Jay's commitment to an entrepreneurial spirit and his passion for inspiring philanthropy has been recognized by Oklahoma Magazine as one of Oklahoma's top "40 under 40" entrepreneurs and business leaders. For Co-producing Pippin on Broadway, he is also a recipient of Antoinette Perry’s Tony Award for Excellence in Theatre (2013), Outer Critics Circle Award and the Drama League Award. He is also an Olivier nominated producer for his participation in bringing to London the 2010 Tony Award winning musical Memphis.

    
Jay is currently co-producer of 2017 Tony Nominee Musical Come from Away and 2016 Tony Nominee Musical, Waitress. Additionally, Krottinger is co-producer of Del Shores’ A Very Sordid Wedding, with starring Whoopi Goldberg and Leslie Jordon.  

    
Jay currently serves on two non-profit Boards: TulsaCARES, which delivers social services to those living with HIV/AIDS and Tulsa Literary Coalition, which works to affect social change by bridging culture, ethnic and religious divides though literature. With his Husband, Jay served as co-chairmen of the Red Ribbon Gala in February 2016, raising nearly $1 million dollars for TulsaCARES. Jay was recently honored by his alma mater, University of Central Oklahoma - College of Fine Arts, as a distinguished graduate where he also sits on the advisory board. 

    Jay is a graduate of the University of Central Oklahoma where he holds both Bachelor & Master degrees is Music Theatre & Opera, as well as continued education in business administration and marketing.

Gio Messale

  • Gio Messale has been working in film, television, special events and the performing arts for the past 20 years. Gio was head of content for BroadwayHD where he produced and executive managed over 30 live-stream and/or recordings of Broadway, Off-Broadway and West End shows including Billy Crystal in Mr. Saturday Night: A New Musical Comedy, She Loves Me (2016 Silver Telly Award) Holiday Inn, A Night with Janis Joplin, Present Laughter starring Kevin Kline, Indecent, and The Portuguese Kidstarring Jason Alexander.  Besides streaming on BroadwayHD, these shows have been televised on PBS Great Performances and theatrically with Fathom Events, Shochiku Cinema and through-out the world.  Gio most recently produced King Falcon's music video "When the Party is Over".  Previously he was part of the producing team for AT&T's Love is Changing History films Jenny directed by Pauley Perrette and Tale of Two Dadsdirected by Lance Bass. His first feature, Love or Whatever starring Kate Flannery, Tyler Poelle, Jennifer Elise Cox and Joel Rush sold out on Amazon on the first day of release. 

    Before taking the leap into independent producing, Gio worked in the production department at Paramount Pictures where he received the 2005 Viacom Visionary Award. During his tenure he worked on 25 films in various stages including J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek, Indiana Jones: Kingdom of The Crystal Skull directed by Steven Spielberg, Mission Impossible: 3, and Shutter Island directed by Martin Scorsese.

PatRICIA Chernicky

  • Patricia Chernicky, native Oklahoman, is a graduate of Oklahoma State University. She is a certified public accountant with an entrepreneurial spirit, a combination that has enabled her to build a remarkable career. From 2009 through 2018, Chernicky served on the board of directors of Patriot Bank in key leadership roles. She also co-owned Tulsa’s WNBA basketball team, The Tulsa Shock, from 2009 through 2015. Last year, Chernicky joined the board of directors of Blue Sky Bank. In addition to her role at Blue Sky Bank, Chernicky is principal and managing partner of TPC Studios, Tulsa’s only hybrid creativity firm dedicated to events and branding. She also serves as managing partner of Endeavor Holdings, a commercial development firm. Endeavor’s properties include the former Swinney Hardware building in the heart of Tulsa’s Kendall-Whittier Square and commercial real estate in downtown Tulsa. 

    Chernicky's community involvement is equally as impressive. For nearly two decades, she has dedicated her time and resources to countless non-profit organizations, including Philbrook Museum of Art, Alzheimer’s Association, Mental Health Association of Tulsa, Tulsa-area United Way, Tulsa Cares, and the Tulsa Ballet. Chernicky has often held influential leadership roles in these vital organizations. Additionally, Chernicky has served as chairperson of key fundraising events and raised over $7,000,000 for Tulsa Cares, Tulsa Ballet, Cystic Fibrosis, American Heart Association, Mental Health Association, and Tulsa-area United Way Tocqueville Society.  In 2016, the Tulsa Cares board of directors established the Patricia Chernicky Luminary Award to honor her lifetime achievements and dedication to Tulsa Cares and the community.   

    As a long-time broadway investor (and enthusiast!), Chernicky is thrilled to bring her talents and resources to Tanninger entertainment. 

RYAN JUDE TANNER

  • Ryan is Co-founder and Chief Executive of Tanninger Companies. He also serves as the company's Chief Communications Officer. Ryan has embraced Tulsa as his own since moving to T-Town from Quincy, Illinois in 2003, dedicating much of his energy outside of work hours to community engagement and social justice initiatives.

    Ryan graduated from Quincy Senior High School in 1997, and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from Illinois College. Upon graduation, Ryan was the recipient of the James H. Dunn Fellowship, which provided Ryan the opportunity to immerse himself in the operations of Illinois state government for one year. Ryan worked in legislative affairs and communications, most notably on the controversial Illinois “Death Row 10” project, through which then-governor George Ryan commuted sentences of all death row inmates in Illinois from death sentences to life terms.

    Ryan serves on the board of directors for several nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity; Tulsa Cares; The Philbrook Museum of Art; and the John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation. Over the past 15 years, Ryan has served as Chairman of Tulsa Cares' Red Ribbon Gala, raising more than $2.5 million in 2011, 2016 and 2021.

FRANCINE BIZAR

  • Coming soon.

JILLIAN CORSIE

  • Jillian Corsie, an award-winning editor and filmmaker, has more than a decade of experience in advertising, working with boutique editorial houses and agencies to cut commercials and branded content for brands such as Apple, Gatorade, Airbnb, Uniqlo, and Lexus. Corsie also specializes in feature documentaries that address social issues. Notable examples include Body Electric, which explores body image in the LGBTQ community, and Desert Angel, a film about a man helping families separated by migration. Corsie is driven by a passion for crafting stories that engage and captivate audiences, drawing them into the human experience.

JEROME KURTENBACH

  • Jerome has worked as a composer on The Simpsons, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and many Rachel Bloom projects live, on Netflix, and for NASA. Recent film scores include Nick Demos' Invisible and forthcoming Body Electric, Sal Bardo's Come Clean and Requited, Marco Ragozzino's California Dreamin', Don Lampton's Riding Down a Moon Bean, and Brian Bolster’s Kay's Gonna Be Alright. He scored/co-wrote/directed/produced Rise of the Phoenix and Dümscrolt. He's scored the podcasts for Kimmy Gatewood's Mother of All Shows, Matt Mancuso's Agents: Declassified, and Bryan Anthos' Our Hallowed Fruit. His concert works have premiered in the US and abroad, notably Nomadic Flight at Dusk and the opera Unleashed. He's composer/lyricist on the musicals Outside the Lines and Spectra and the Miss Fits Right In.

MICHAEL MARIUS PESSAH, ASC

  • Michael M. Pessah, ASC is known for his award winning work in both scripted and documentary filmmaking. His imagery has been noted to combine an avant-garde sensibility with classic visual storytelling.

    Early in his career, Outfest named Michael a 'Five in Focus' emerging talent for his cinematography in Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean, making him the first cinematographer to receive that recognition and he is one of the few contemporary cinematographers to have photographed multiple black and white features. Most recently his scripted work includes 'Block Party', 'Smiley Faced Killers', 'Saving Flora’, ‘House of Darkness’, and additional photography on Season 5 of HBO's 'Insecure.'

    He filmed the documentaries 'Scandalous' which was nominated for a 2021 Emmy, and 'Viva La Causa' which was shortlisted for a 2009 Academy Award. Most recently, he filmed the four-hour documentary series for Peacock ‘The Battle for Justina Pelletier’ and the documentary ‘Black in Vegas’ for ABC. He has filmed music videos for artists including Halsey, Yoshiki and Five Finger Death Punch. Michael has lensed commercials for global brands such as Amazon, Ralph Lauren, AT&T, Ford, Spyder, Pfizer, Red Bull and Anheuser-Busch. His spot for TCL with Giannis Antetokounmpo aired during the 2019 Super Bowl.

    In other platforms, his collaboration with the photographer Melanie Pullen can be seen in the book 'XY', published by Kodansha. His collaboration with the visual artist Jen DeNike was selected to be part of the official program in the 2017 Art Basel, Miami.

    Michael earned a B.A. at Hampshire College-where he was a Kodak Cinematography Scholarship award finalist-and received an M.F.A. in Cinematography at the AFI. He was invited to join the American Society of Cinematographers in 2020 and is a member of the National Film Preservation Board. Classically trained in upright bass, Michael can still be seen occasionally sitting in with a band when not onset.