My Generation Episode 1.01 Pilot

In the year 2000, I attempted to film a documentary about the graduating class of Greenbelt High. I started with a handful of subjects, but before long I found 9 brilliant students that I felt were compelling and unique. Essentially, perfect for this project. Within only a few weeks I had realized the gargantuan undertaking this film was going to be. I had to hire additional cameramen. Buy more equipment. I had to start doing research, because, as you'll see, high schoolers aren't that forthcoming. There were times when I KNEW I wasn't getting the full story. But that was part of the fun.

Ten years later I went back. The film, still unfinished, needed something more. A new slant. I decided to catch up with them. See who turned out the way they thought they would. Who didn't. What I found surprised me, I called up my old friends, the cameramen, dusted off some old cameras, bought some new ones, and got back to work. I thought I was going to give this film an ending, but I gave it a whole new life.

I decided to start with Steven Foster. The "Overachiever" of our group. Steven was going to be president some day. He was student body President at Greenbelt. The ladies loved him. He came from an affluent family. The world was on a platter for Steven Foster. I knew he was living in Hawaii, so I traveled there. Turns out he surfs now. And... reads a lot. He's also bartending at The Last Wave, a popular watering hole on the main island. I must confess, I knew it was coming when Caroline Chung (The "Wallflower") called Steven Foster with big news. Caroline was worried before we started filming that her secret would be revealed the wrong way, so she wanted to do it herself.

Caroline was shy in high school. She didn't talk much. She didn't ask for much. But the one thing my cameras couldn't help but see, was her love for Steven Foster. She followed him around like a puppy dog. But always from a distance. It wasn't until just before prom that she was able to get her braces off and develop the confidence that she needed to get Steven Foster to take her to prom. Prom was a success. Caroline was never more charming, and Steven and Caroline left together that night. Flash forward ten years, she calls Steven to let him know they have a son.

Next, I went off to Washington DC, where I knew two of my subjects were planning on having a lunch together. The Falcon (The "Rock Star"), always on the move, was to be DJing in DC that night. He decided to catch up with Brenda Serrano (The "Brain") who has been living in Washington DC for the past several years working as a political aide. Falcon asks Brenda the question I was dying to ask her. Does she keep in touch with her high school boyfriend Anders? She doesn't, she says. She didn't even know he was married. I felt for her in that moment. She tried to keep a poker face, but I can tell it stung.

Brenda's high school sweetheart was Anders Holt (The "Rich Kid.") Anders and Brenda were inseparable at Greenbelt. There were few people who doubted they were soul mates, and would end up together. They didn't. Anders now lives with his wife Jackie Vachs (the "Beauty Queen") and the ghost of his previous relationship. Or at least that's how I'd put it. The two walk me through their current life, but something seems off. Maybe it's the large amount of salami they put out for me and my crew. Maybe it's the fact that Jackie can't remember how long they've been married... ("...two years? It's seems so much longer...") but something is off. Anders is just as I predicted he'd be. Reserved, oddly content, happily married. It's who he married that surprised me. Jackie Vachs was a celebrity at Greenbelt High. The star of every play, and every boy's dreams, there was nothing she couldn't achieve. At least, that WAS the case. She moved to LA to pursue acting. After a brief, and embarrassing stint on The Bachelor, she came home, where she found Anders.

Kenneth Finley (the "Nerd") makes me smile. He's an anomaly. You just can't find positivity like Kenneth's these days. He's working as an elementary school teacher, which TOTALLY makes sense. He's always wanted children, and now he's got about twenty! One of his students is Tom Chung, Caroline and Steven's son. Kenneth is living with his ex-girlfriend from Greenbelt, Dawn Barbuso (the "Punk.") Dawn is pregnant, but the baby isn't Kenneth's. Dawn's husband Rolly Marks (the "Jock") is another former student of Greenbelt. He's currently at war in Afghanistan, so Kenneth, being the good guy he is, has been looking after Dawn. Maybe it was Dawn being so close to giving birth, maybe it was my intrusive questions, but shortly after our cameras started rolling, Kenneth got the idea to take action in his life and donate sperm. As he puts it, even if there's no one wanting to start a family with him just now, that doesn't mean that there aren't women out there who could use his help. I thought it was noble, but when the sperm bank called to inform Kenneth he was infertile, it broke both of our hearts.

While I was interviewing Steven Foster, Jackie Vachs ran into us. She was surprised to see Steven back in town (as I believe most people will be) and immediately gave him her number. As soon as he had a chance, he conferred with his best buddy Falcon, who convinced Steven he was being hit on. Falcon thinks Steven should pursue. Steven doesn't know what to do, they decide to talk in private. Um, hello? You're in a documentary. There is no privacy.

Speaking of no privacy, Dawn Barbuso is kind enough to allow us to intrude on her valuable time iChatting with her husband Rolly. I ask Dawn how they got together, being so different, and travelling in such separate circles ten years ago. She's just as surprised as we are. I get the sense there's more there, but I decide not to press further.

I've included some embedded Dutch news footage of Rolly from this very day. There was no way for us to know, but that evening Rolly and Charlie Company (his unit) followed orders to check out reports of insurgents in a small Heart neighborhood. A bomb goes off nearly killing Rolly and severely injuring many of his men.

Later, at Dawn's baby shower, Caroline Chung finds the Falcon. They haven't talked in years. Caroline's psyched to see her old friend, until she finds out that he's been talking to Steven Foster. Falcon knows about Tom, Caroline and Steven's son. Why has he been talking to him and not her. Caroline got pissed in a way I've never seen from her before. She makes Falcon call Steven and tell him to get his butt on a plane ASAP. What she doesn't know is that Falcon and Steven hung out in Austin very recently. After the shower, Falcon gets Steven on the phone. Steven's on the phone with him when Caroline drives by and sees him. I feel a little guilty about this. It's one thing going incognito on the streets of Austin. It's another thing to have a camera crew surrounding you. There was no way she could've missed him.

Back in Washington DC, Brenda gets set up on a blind date by a coworker. It DOESN'T go well. The guy is a creep, and Brenda doesn't even get to appetizers. It's written all over her face. He's not Anders.

In Austin, we follow Kenneth to a bar. A bar?! I've never seen Kenneth drink. He'll politely have a sip, but he certainly doesn't get drunk, but I guess, if you hear you're infertile, you have a beer. Makes sense. If that wasn't shocking enough, Steven Foster walks into the bar. Why is that significant? Let me back track. Steven Foster and Kenneth Finley were best friends all through high school. If I were to play you all the footage I have of them playing video games, you'd be in front of your TV for weeks. Steven's father was an executive at Enron. In 2001 he was sentenced to prison. Kenneth's father's life savings were invested by Steven's father. He lost everything. After Steven's father was indicted, Kenneth's father killed himself. Kenneth never spoke to Steven again. Until today. Well, they didn't speak, Kenneth tried to punch Steven in the face. It. Was. Crazytown.

A few hours later, we're still at the bar with Steven, when who should pop in but Jackie Vachs. Jackie asks Steven to dance, and then tells me to "F*** Off." Her words. Our cameras catch them dancing seductively. It's pretty intense. The Falcon has been there DJing the whole time. I'm pretty sure he's watching too. He was probably trying to figure out what we were shooting from across the room. You gotta give people privacy so they can live their life.

Kenneth finally made his way home, totally drunk after like two beers (so cute!) Dawn was able to tell in two seconds. She was hurt he missed the baby shower, but she knows him well enough to know that something is on his mind, even if he's not ready to talk about it with her. Kenneth presents Dawn with a Baby Bjorn and Dawn asks Kenneth to be the honorary uncle to her and Rolly's baby. It was the perfect thing to say at the perfect time. (I edited out the audio of me sniffling... I was crying like a baby when we shot this.)

Back at the bar, Steven and Jackie get to talking about life. You can almost see the light bulb above Steven's head when he jumps up, makes his apologies to Jackie, and promises he'll be right back. He runs out and calls Caroline. He wants to do the right thing. It's sweet. It's heartfelt. And I hope it does the trick.

Only a week back with this group, and I already feel like I know them SO well. There's so much I want for them. A lot can change in ten years, and a lot can stay the same. One thing's for sure, this is the beginning of a journey that will take each of these people to places they never imagined they'd be.