(04.25.2017) By Liv Minshall — Morningside senior Jenni Beaver is busy most days, between balancing graduation, working at KMEG, and, interestingly, running a business with her mom Joanie.
Positive Note Network is an independently-run website managed by the mother-daughter team focusing on how to live a positive, uplifting lifestyle.
The two started PNN after Joanie won a battle with breast cancer, and their aim is to spread positivity in person and on social media. The network has various types of outlets: a website blog, a print publication, and a YouTube channel, and soon they will be adding another notch to their multimedia belt.
“We’re making a movie!” laughs Jenni. “I’ve always been fascinated with films and I knew I wanted to make one ‘eventually,’ but I discovered that saying “I’ll do this next year!’ means you’ll never do it, so I ultimately decided to make it myself. No time like the present!”
The movie, titled “Mar & Me” tells the story of a mother and daughter who move to Le Mars, Iowa. The daughter, Charlotte, is going to college, and the mom, Marsha, is opening a bed and breakfast. They soon find out a murder occurred in the house they purchased and set out to solve the crime.
When asked what Jenni thinks will be the most difficult part of the filmmaking process, she replied, “Telling actors what do in scenes! I’m usually the one being told what to do and not the opposite. The whole process will be stressful, so I’m just expecting lots of nerves. Lots of nerves!”
The film wrapped up casting auditions a couple of weeks ago, and Beaver says that it went much better than expected. “We had the perfect people show up and [they] just kind of fell into their roles,” She laughs, “I’m pretty certain that will never happen again.”
The movie begins filming on May 15th and is expected to wrap up in the second week of June. It will premiere sometime in September in the town that it is set in, Le Mars.
“That’s the part that a lot people don’t realize,” Jenni says when asked what it was like to form this type of company with her mom, “We still have that close mother-daughter relationship, but we make sure to prioritize business. That can be really hard when we disagree on business things, but we make it work.”
You can get more information and updates by visiting positivenotenetwork.com or by searching for Positive Note Network on Facebook.
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