DECEMBER 1 • 2022 | 45

seeing a Chanukah movie 
on the Lifetime or Hallmark 
channel, is it’s always trying 
to teach you about Chanukah 
as if you’ve never heard of it, 
or it has over-the-top Jewish 
jokes. I just want to make 
a normal movie where the 
people just happen to be 
Jewish. And I’m looking for 
investors.”

STANDUP KIND OF GUY
With a dual major in business 
and English from Hope 
College in Michigan, Reisig 
didn’t have a set career plan 
post-graduation.
“I started as a standup 
comedian in Chicago and 
fell backwards into movie 
producing,” said Reisig, a 
single father of three living in 
Bloomfield Hills. “My buddies 
used to get drunk on Friday 
nights and watch the National 
Lampoon and Animal House 
movies. They would always 
say to me, ‘You’re so much 

funnier than these guys; why 
don’t you write one of those 
movies? So, I went to Borders 
bookstore and, for the next 
three days, I would sit on 
the floor and read The Idiot’s 
Guide to Producing — I didn’t 
even buy it. I decided, ‘I can 
do that.’ I’ve never had a class 
in film. I learned by doing.”
To pay the bills, Reisig 
got a job as a licensed horse 
carriage driver in Chicago 
and briefly considered a 
career in boxing on the 
Golden Gloves circuit. He 
would perform stand-up 
and improv comedy nearly 
every night and went on to 
be a cast member at Second 
City and ImprovOlympic. He 
would also audition for every 
independent film that he 
could as an actor.
“I grew up watching 
Seinfeld, and I simply thought 
it was the funniest show ever 
created — I still do. Seinfeld 
was a show for everyone, but 

it was, indeed, a Jewish show. I 
don’t think I really knew what 
that meant back then or what 
‘Jewish humor’ was. It was just 
humor,” Reisig said.
“But I can say that I loved it. 
I wanted to be just like Jerry. 
Other than my father and 
my two grandfathers, Jerry 
Seinfeld — a man whom I 
have never met — probably 
had the biggest influence 
on my life. I literally started 
in standup because of my 
admiration for that show. I 
really believe that I would not 
have my current career if it 
weren’t for that show.” 

ALL ROADS LEAD TO 
THE HOLLY HOTEL
For about a year, Reisig drove 
across the country, performing 
at small clubs as a professional 
standup comedian, usually as 
the opening act. One of his 
stops was at the basement club 
of the historic Holly Hotel in 
Holly, Michigan, where he 
first met owners George and 
Chrissy Kutlenios.
Once Reisig started 
producing movies, he received 
permission from George 
Kutlenios to film a scene for 
Reisig’s movie Mary’s Buttons. 
Almost two years after Mary’s 

Buttons, he filmed again at 
the Holly Hotel for his movie 
Jack London’s Son of the Wolf, 
Reisig’s passion project.
“The Holly Hotel had 
become one of my favorite 
places for a special dinner 
in the greater Metro Detroit 
area. When I was there for my 
mother’s birthday, I looked 
around and simply thought, 
‘This would be an amazing 
location for a Christmas 
romantic comedy,’” said Reisig, 
who drew up a brief outline 
and presented it a few days 
later to George and Chrissy 
Kutlenios. 
“Honestly, if they weren’t 
100% into the project and 
willing to help, then I just 
wasn’t going to do it. But they 
were as excited about the 
project as I was.”
Within a few weeks, Reisig 
had the script, which he 
co-wrote with Trevor McCall. 
He assembled the all-Michigan 
cast and crew (except for the 
male lead, Joe Kurak, who 
hails from Ohio). Holly House 
Inn owner, Mary Ray, donated 
rooms for some of the cast and 
crew to stay at her Bed and 
Breakfast. 
“And we were in business,” 
Reisig said.

FOR MOVIE 
SCREENING TICKETS

Detroit Historical Museum, 
5401 Woodward Ave., 
Detroit. Friday, Dec 16, 5:30-
9 p.m. $125
Strolling dinner through 
the streets of old Detroit 
exhibit, including beer 
and wine, followed by 
Christmas at the Holly 
Hotel screening. Meet 
Detroit historians, George 
and Chrissy Kutlenios, 
owners of the Holly 
Hotel; film producer Joel 
Paul Reisig and star Jesi 
Jenson. Benefit for the 
Holly Hotel and Detroit 
Historical Society. Visit 
https://bit.ly/3GNX8lO

Maple Theater, 4135 W. Maple Road, Bloomfield Hills, 
Sunday, Dec 18, 6:30 p.m. Screening with Q&A and 
meet-and-greet with Joel Paul Reisig and cast and 
crew. $15/person. Visit https://bit.ly/3XCHijQ

Christmas at the Holly Hotel 
will have local screenings at 
the Detroit Historical Museum 
on Dec. 16 and at the Maple 
Theater on Dec. 18.

Jesi Jensen and Joe Kurak star in Christmas at the Holly Hotel, filmed 
entirely in Michigan.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JOEL PAUL REISIG

continued on page 46

