Kevin L.Mounce and Brian A. Beer-People You Should Know

People You Should Know — By Buddy Sampson on May 26, 2013 at 5:02 am

By Buddy Sampson

Many of the funniest comedians and comedy icons have shot their productions on huge studio lots, with dreams as huge as the lots themselves. Walking around those lots give you a sense of passion and the ghosts of comedy seem to linger around and inspire. The Scoop LA had the privilege of interviewing two rising comedy writers and future stars of comedy at a studio lot, Kevin L. Mounce and Brian A. Beer.

The comedy writing and co-producing pair has a lot to be excited about. The pair has written a script, “Brews Brothers,” a comedy about the Seattle coffee scene, scheduled to be produced by Hollywood icon Suzanne DeLaurentiis, slated for production later in the year, and for theatrical release in 2014. We had the chance to interview the funny duo last week and the obvious question had to be asked. “I get asked every day if that’s my real last name,” said Brian A. Beer. “In fact, three days in a row, guys asked if that was my real name and I said ‘no, I don’t have a sister.’ I’m used to it though and my wife is slowly adjusting. ” It’s actually quite poetic that the name of their movie is “Brews Brothers,” and Brian has a last name like Beer.  “Maybe beer will be in the sequel,” laughed Beer.

Why a movie about coffee?  “Well, when we start writing in the morning, the first thing we grab is the coffee pot,” said Kevin L. Mounce.  “We got to thinking that there aren’t many movies centered around a caffeinated beverage like that, so it just kind of sparked the whole idea and our love for coffee apparently.”

The movie is set in the Midwest and the characters in the movie take a sojourn to Seattle, the coffee capital. “I’ve heard that Seattle is the mecca of coffee and that’s why we had these two characters take a trip to Seattle,” said Mounce. “It’s kind of “Dumb and Dumber” meets “Step Brothers.” Brews Brothers is the story of two 30 year old men that live with their parents that try to start a coffee business, only to be foiled by a 12 year old neighbor whose coffee business is more effective. They later encounter a mysterious character, Juan Valdez, who leaves a mysterious bag. Valdez travels by burro, but the inept duo manages not to be able to find him. They pursue this shadowy character, feeling the bag holds the key to their success in the coffee world. “They are true dim wits,” laughed Beer. Just hearing the premise of the movie sets up a funny scenario. “They are 30 going on 6.”

Writing of course, is a challenge and the comedy writing duo, from Bloomington, Illinois, feed off each other’s energy and silliness.  But writing a tight script is a process and well, a labor of love. “We always loved movies and he (Brian) loved to write, so we would throw ideas back and forth and crack each other up, “ Mounce explained, who also has a degree in Insurance. But of course there are the usual travails that most writers experience. “There’s something rather intimidating to look at a blank page,” said Beer. “We didn’t have any background in writing, we wrote sporadic things and we just read as many scripts as we could and read books and we credit reading books and watching and dissecting movies, looking at them with a different lens.”

They also have, sometimes, quite an unusual way of coming up with ideas. “He (Kevin) sits on the couch, and I just pace back and forth,” said Beer. “Then I come up with some ridiculous dance and Kevin starts laughing. Yep, I do some ridiculous stuff.” “Those dances can be quite provocative,” laughed Mounce. “I guess if all else fails, I can get a job as a stripper,” Beer chimed in.

Dreams are made by commitment and the comedy duo is committed to make movies that are comedic smashes. After the interview, we ran into to them walking around the studio lot and we agreed that dreams are made on many of the studio lots. And Kevin L. Mounce and Brian A. Beer are well on the way of making their dreams come true. And that’s why they are People You Should Know.