After recently learning that he’s in an open marriage, Elliot (Noah Segan) has to come to terms with whether or not he wants to start dating again in an exclusive clip from California No. Gravitas Ventures will release this comedy on Digital HD, VOD, Blu-ray and DVD on December 2. The comedy also explores the entertainment press industry, with Noah Segan’s Elliot described as a “rudderless junketeer” who interviews celebrities on the press junket circuit.

The story follows Elliot, who is taken aback when he learns in a marriage therapy session that his wife Allison (Ursula Mills) is under the impression they are in an open marriage. Needless to say, this throws Elliot for quite the loop, especially when he starts falling for another woman, Kaley (Jordan Hinson). His professional life also takes a turn when he convinces a former A-list star, Colton Jane (Jesse Bradford) to give him access to his home and life in exchange for a profile that could kickstart his career anew.

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The clip features Elliot, who, after drinks with Samantha (Tracie Thoms), ends up back at her place for a nightcap. After a conversation about work runs stale, Samantha mentions shop talk isn’t exactly “stimulating date conversation,” which is when Elliot finally realizes he’s on a date. This naturally doesn’t go over well with Samantha, who goes on a brief rant about how “vague” the Los Angeles dating scene is, while clarifying that when a woman invites a man to her house, ‘it generally means one thing.”

California No marks the feature debut of writer-director Ned Ehrbar, a former “junketeer” himself who used to write for Metro, CBS News, Variety, Yahoo! Movies, Out and The Wrap. He has also written and directed award-winning shorts like Bunker, and segments for horror anthologies Fun Size Horror: Volume 1 and Volume 2, while creating the web series Co-Op of the Damned. California No has won Best Narrative Feature at the 2018 Ridgefield Independent Film Festival and recently it won five awards at the Reel East Texas Film Festival - Best of Festival, Best Actress (Jordan Hinson), Best Director (Ned Ehrbar), Best Screenplay (Ned Ehrbar) and Best Comedy.

The cast also includes Breckin Meyer, Brea Grant, Paul Telfer, Drew Droege, Baron Vaughn and Jeffery Self, along with a few appearances from real journalists/junketeers like Eric Eisenberg, Todd Gilchrist, Damon Houx, Sasha Perl-Raver and Jen Yamato. With this first feature, Ehrbar joins the ranks of former film journalists and critics who have transitioned to filmmakers such as writer-director Rod Lurie (The Contender), screenwriter C. Robert Cargill (Doctor Strange) and producer Ryan Turek (Halloween). Given the praise his debut feature received on the indie film festival circuit, it’s certainly possible that Ehrbar could have just as much success as his journalist/filmmaker predecessors, in the near future.

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Source: Gravitas Ventures