An avid fan of football and co-owner of the Green Bay Packers, Jon Neuhaus served as Executive Producer the 2017 film "The 60 Yard Line." Based on a true story, the "rom-com" is set in 2009 and follows best friends Ben "Zagger" Zagowski and Nick Polano (a Chicago Bear fan living 'behind enemy lines'). Zagger and Polano buy a house in the parking lot of Lambeau Field, the home of the Packers. The house, which the pair call "The 60 Yard Line,"comes between Zagger and his longtime fiancée, Amy. The conflict presents Zagger with the dilemma of choosing between continuing his football fanatic lifestyle and 'growing up.'
In addition to being welcomed widely in Wisconsin and by the Packers' avid fans, "The 60" received acclaim on the film festival circuit. It was voted "Best Comedy" at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 2017. It received additional accolades at festivals in Wisconsin and other areas of the country, showing the film's wide appeal not only as a Packer fan movie but also a romantic comedy. Famed Brewers Starting Pitcher Jimmy Nelson tweeted his appreciation: "How has no @Brewers fans told me about @The60YardLine ? 10 minutes into it and it’s hilarious. Shows the true passion of packers fans; same as our fans. #GoPackGo #Cheeseheads." The tweet shows in part how independent films are challenged by a small marketing budget, though even more how the The 60 Yard Line achieved fan-acclaim in spite of these challenges.
The movie benefits from cameo appearances from Packer greats John "Kuuuhn", Mark Tauscher, Ahman Green and others. Famous actors including Randall Park, Mindy Sterling, Chelsea Crips, Cedric Yarbrough, and comic Jeff Dye add their talents to the project. Even a cameo by UFC-famous and avid Packer fan Chuck Liddell adds to the movie's success.
On September 7, 2017, the movie opened in more than 20 Marcus Theatres multiplexes and an additional 35+ theaters throughout the Midwest and remainder of the country. In true Packer fashion, when Green Bay cinemas hosted a special screening, it was accompanied by a tailgating event featured brats, beer, and Bloody Marys. After the movie ended, the cast and crew hosted a 30-minute question-and-answer session. The movie is distributed by Gravitas Ventures and recently became available on iTunes and Amazon DVD/BluRay on November 7, and has been trending with great success.
Jon Neuhaus has been a life-long Packer fan via his parents and grandparents, all of whom are originally from Wisconsin. Jon grew up in Washington, CT.
He became involved in the project while reading up on off-season Packer team news, and came across an article about the movie. He connected with Ryan Churchill, who wrote and starred in the movie. The two, along with co-writer/co-star Nick Greco, became fast-friends, and soon partners in the successful venture.
