Paget Films

30/10/2024

Happy Halloween from Harrison County Courthouse in Cynthiana, Kentucky.

23/10/2024

18/10/2024

This week I was honored to deliver the opening keynote at the 2024 Washington American Planning Association conference.

What does a filmmaker have to say to professional planners?

Here was my core message: it's not enough to have a plan – you need a story!

So many American cities, towns, main streets and rural lands were devastated by urban renewal and sprawl. It profoundly impacted me when I made my first documentary on Route 66 in 1994 and experienced a 2400-mile string of main street towns - too many ruined by urban renewal and all struggling to survive during the zenith of America's voracious suburban sprawl.

My hope is that planners, city officials and developers can acknowledge the historic mistakes made in the past, as a humble prelude to introducing their plans today. This is storytelling.

This kind of story can help a community better understand the roots of their current predicament, so that they can begin to trust and find the courage to embrace our new plans to restore and fix places.

Thank you to the American Planning Association Washington Chapter for the invitation!

BTW - The closing keynote speaker gave a fantastic talk on the public spaces of Europe (glad I did not have to follow Rick Steves!).

16/08/2024

Today is the 47th anniversary of the day Elvis died (August 16th, 1977). But on a more personal note:

It's also the 25th anniversary of Elvis Week 1999, when we filmed the climactic scenes of the award-winning feature documentary "Almost Elvis" at the Elvis Impersonator World Championships and the Graceland Candlelight Vigil in Memphis, Tennessee.

I have many great memories filming Elvis Tribute Artists (like Irv Cass Robert Washington, Doug Church Johnny Thompson and Quentin Flagg, Eric Erickson, to name a few) with my crew Matt Valentine, James Waugh, David Ross, Mary Rafferty Gerstein, Michael R. Elvin.

The film remains (arguably) the definitive documentary on Elvis impersonators. It was picked up for distribution by executive producer Udy Epstein / 7th Art Releasing, screened at several international film festivals, and was seen on Netflix, TRIO, Ovation TV, and The Documentary Channel.

On August 16th, 2000, Irv Cass and I appeared on the national Fox & Friends morning show to promote the release. I posted a screen shot of that here, but you can search YouTube to watch the full clip. They were making toasted peanut butter 'n' banana sandwiches on the little table on set.

Elvis impersonators are often ridiculed, misunderstood, and unfairly maligned. I'm proud that we made a film that honors their artistry and dedication, and tells the story about the lasting cultural impact and legacy of Elvis Presley from a unique angle.

The film is heartwarming and humorous - but as many of the featured Elvis Tribute Artists told me, it is humorous in a way that the audience is "laughing with them, not at them."

The estimated attendance at last night's Elvis Week Candlelight Vigil was 10,000 people. I can't think of any other historical figure—whether politician, artist, explorer, or entertainer—who draws a pilgrimage of this magnitude 47 years after their death.

Many of Elvis' records for sales and number one hits have been surpassed, but I doubt any entertainer will ever have as many impersonators.

Miller Jackson Ronny Craig N Basia Jackie Van Winkle Myrick

[Photos by Mary Rafferty Gerstein]

11/08/2024

Elvis slept here. Sands Motel on Route 66 in Grants, New Mexico. Shot while scouting for new film .

10/07/2024

17/06/2024

The Old Pink, an iconic Buffalo dive bar was destroyed by fire today.

When I first moved to Buffalo in October 2005, Ron Eggleton helped me drive the moving truck cross country and we arrived in Buffalo around midnight. For reasons I did not understand then but do now, The Old Pink was our first stop. Ron introduced me to their famous steak sandwich AND grilled bologna sandwich. (A revelation!)

A few years later, I teamed with the ultra-talented Nelson Starr, to make this short video, which was part of our pitch to Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations to come film an episode in Buffalo.

(BTW our pitch worked!)

RIP The Old Pink

Following up on their acclaimed contest entry video, Nelson Starr and John Paget team up for one last attempt to woo Tony Bourdain to Buffalo, with a late ni...

11/06/2024

Filmmaker John Paget has started production on a new documentary Route 66: The Main Street of America - an Official Route 66 Centennial Project.

07/05/2024

Historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama.

05/05/2024

A good way to end a Route 66 shoot. More onion fried burgers at Robert's Grill - Onion Burgers.
This is my favorite hamburger restaurant in the world.

30/04/2024

Exciting news! I'm thrilled to announce my latest film project: a feature documentary on Route 66, celebrating its 100th anniversary.

This film, recently designated an Official Project of the U.S. Route 66 Centennial, will include a 26-city "rolling premiere" screening tour along the iconic Mother Road.

Having started my filmmaking journey on Route 66 in the '90s, I've always been drawn to its rich history and unique stories. Traveling from Chicago to LA and back (many times) shaped my passion for stories about cities and small towns, underdogs, and revitalization.

This new film will pay tribute to the unique cultural heritage of Route 66. But it is not just about history. It's about community, resilience, and the next 100 years.

I plan to chronicle "the making of" this film like no other project I've produced. At our website, you'll find a link to sign up for updates. And you can become a patron at our Patreon for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, sneak previews, and stories as we hit the road and start production. Check out more and join me on the adventure here:

Official site of the feature documentary film THE MAIN STREET OF AMERICA

29/04/2024

06/02/2024

"It will make you cry." - Stephanie Barber Geter.

I was honored to meet and interview Stephanie Barber-Geter for my film "Buffalo: America's Best Designed City." (see an excerpt below)

Mrs. Barber-Geter (1954-2024) was a "community pillar" for Buffalo - an original opponent of the destruction of Humboldt Parkway, and a tireless champion for restoring it.

Eleven years ago, we released the film in which she appears, which now has 1.2+ million views.

The film reminds Buffalo that it was once "the best-planned city in the world," and recounts how it later squandered that legacy in a series of tragic decisions: Buffalo rammed freeways through its one-of-a-kind world-class Olmsted parks; and for good measure, the city added a freeway all along the entire waterfront, cutting off downtown and historic neighborhoods from access to the Niagara River and Lake Erie.

There really is only one path forward for Buffalo. It's especially obvious now that even the economic development experts (after so many failed silver bullet projects) have realized that the best economic development is actually .

Buffalo can easily reclaim its title as America's best-designed city - and it does not require some insanely expensive expenditure or innovative invention. The money and technology to fix it exist right now. It is eminently doable. It simply requires removing the freeways.

This is not even a radical proposal anymore. Freeway removal has been done in cities all across America and around the world, and it has worked every time. Milwaukee, Seoul, San Francisco, Rochester, the list goes on.

Stephanie Barbe-Geter spoke the truth. Hopefully, other civic leaders will finally rise up and call for the removal of freeways, the reconnection to the waterfront, and the complete restoration of Olmsted's parks and parkways.

Excerpt from the documentary "America's Best Designed City" featuring Stephanie Barber Geter."Stephanie Barber Geter harbored a dream of seeing the return of...

20/06/2023

Our feature documentary "Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas" screens at West Sound Film Festival in Bremerton, Washington August 5th.

NEWS: We're an official selection to West Sound Film Festival in Bremerton, Washington!
Screening at SEEfilm Cinema on Saturday, August 5th 11:00am.
Thanks and hope to see you there!

02/03/2023

27/01/2023

Even a city that is getting better makes mistakes, such as a massive concrete wall around a good development in a city where population and urbanism are growing.

02/12/2022

Our feature documentary Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas screens tonight as part of Utah Film Festival - check out this interview and a bit of the story behind the film.

Festival News Filmmaker Interviews John Paget & James Waugh – Believe 5 days ago John Paget and James Waugh are filmmakers from New York who’s film Believe: The True Story of Real Bearded Santas will be screening at the Utah Film Festival monthly screening on December 2nd at the Towne Hub in Ame...