SETH RANDAL - ProfilesArchive

About Me

My name is Seth Randal, and Iâ€™m a writer, director and producer with an ability to weave facts about people, places and events into compelling stories. I worked in television news for over a decade. Recently I led a team that completed a documentary film, THE FALL OF '55 . Our film tells the real story of the co-called "boys of Boise" cases, a sex scandal with certain similarities to the recent arrest of Senator Larry Craig.
Our film is showing at festivals throughout the U.S., including a sold-out West Coast premiere in San Francisco this past June. THE FALL OF '55 was recently picked up by Frameline Releasing for North American distribution. Remember to add the film to your list of myspace friends: myspace.com/fallof55 .
I recently co-authored an opinion piece for the Sunday New York Times exploring some of the parallels between the arrest of Senator Craig and the 1955 Boise scandal. Media outlets throughout the country have reported on the film, including KCBS Radio, the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, gay.com, the online version of The Atlantic magazine, the Spokesman-Review and the Associated Press.
During my career in TV, I wrote and produced thousand of hours of live television. As a reporter, I covered news, sports and weather stories and interviewed newsmakers and celebrities ranging from cookie matron Mrs. Fields to the U.S Secretary of the Interior. I produced 80 episodes of a weekly half-hour feature program, a science video distributed to public schools in Idaho, and nationally-honored spot news coverage. I sat in the producer's chair or worked in the field for major news stories, including post 9/11 coverage, the millennium, police shootings, election night results, serial killer cases, Friday night football and the local crash of an Air Force Thunderbirds jet.
I have also been involved in politics, off-and-on, since ninth grade.
I'm always on the lookout for powerful stories to tell. Your suggestions for untold stories are very welcome. View some of my previous projects below...
CLICK BELOW TO VIEW A SAMPLE OF MY WORK -- or email me for a full-length DVD.
00:00-00:05 - SLATE
00:05-01:49 - Clips from THE GHOST SCHOOL
01:50-02:04 - Breaking News - THUNDERBIRDS CRASH
02:05-02:39 - Clips from THE INCREDIBLE INTERNET GUY
02:40-07:50 - Clips from THE FALL OF '55
07:51-08:39 - Open - IDAHO WILDFIRES
08:40-08:59 - SLATE
My interview with Spokane TV station KHQ in February 2007
Learn more about my film at FALLof55.com or myspace.com/FALLof55 .

My Interests

Uncovering and sharing powerful, little-known stories. Writing, Producing, Directing, Editing, Researching, Hiking, Camping, Yoga, Theatre, Hunting for Hot Springs, Rafting, Kayaking, Graphic Design, Travel, Landscaping, Standing Up for My Values, Photography, Reading, Movies, Music, Good Food, Great Conversation Etc.

I'd like to meet:

Other cool people, filmmakers, artists, poets, beatniks, outcasts, rebels, people with stories to tell.

Movies:

Here are four clips from my first feature-length documentary, THE FALL OF '55 ...

The first clip is called"Welcome to Boise." It's an introduction to the community, using actual vintage film footage of Boise in October of 1955 -- the same month the scandal started.

Clip number two is called "The Document," and it focuses on a piece of evidence used to implicate two men in the scandal.

The third clip, "The Last One," starts in San Francisco with the final arrest from the scandal, and leads into comments from Boiseans on why the scandal ended when it did.

Clip number four is called, "One House." It is a rare look inside a place that's off- limits to the public, the Number One Cellhouse at the Old Idaho Penitentiary. One of the convicted men describes what it was like to live in this building that pre-dates Idaho statehood.

Television:

LOST, American Experience, Arrested Development, Frontline, Curb Appeal, the new Battlestar Gallactica, Family Guy, Countdown, Whose Line is it Anyway, Waiting For God, POV, 48 Hours Mysteries, 60 Minutes, Scooby Doo Where Are You!, Batman: The Animated Series, Seinfeld, Ellen, Saturday Night Live, My Name is Earl

Heroes:

My friend Tania and go hiking nearly every day. She made this slide show for her myspace page, and I decided to put it on my site as well! These are pictures from a hike from the old Idaho Penitentiary to Table Rock, which overlooks the city of Boise.

My Blog

NEW HOWDY PARDNER PICTURE DISCOVERED

Dear Friends,Those of you who have already seen The Fall of '55 already know the dramatic story of Al Travelstead, the owner of a popular Boise restaurant. Al and his family ran the Howdy Pardner Dri...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:52:00 PST

PLAY ABOUT BOISE SCANDAL TO PLAY IN LOS ANGELES

Hey gang,The tragedy and drama of the Boise Morals Drive continues to draw attention more than five decades later. From my film, to John Gerassi's book The Boys of Boise to the works of numerous play...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:32:00 PST

LARRY CRAIG’S DAY OF RECKONING

Hey gang,Today is the day of reckoning for Idaho Senator Larry Craig. His attorneys are set to appear in a Minnesota courtroom today in hopes of withdrawing his guilty plea to charges of soliciting a...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:55:00 PST

DISTRIBUTION RELEASE

Hey gang,Here is the press release that went out recently regarding the distribution of THE FALL OF '55 by Frameline. Thought you might be interested!Talk soon,Seth'The Fall Of '55' Documentary to Re...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:16:00 PST

KCBS RADIO

Dear Friends,Welcome to listeners of KCBS All News 740 from the San Francisco Bay area!I was interviewed live Wednesday afternoon on KCBS Radio to discuss the film and the 1955 Boise morals drive. In...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 07:03:00 PST

TIMES AND CRAIG

Hey gang,Thanks so much to everyone who contacted me or Alan after the New York Times Op-Ed piece ran recently. It was great to hear so much positive feedback!I know some of you have not yet had the ...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Tue, 11 Sep 2007 06:44:00 PST

FOUR NEW CLIPS!

Hey gang,For the first time, we are posting clips from THE FALL OF '55 online. Here is one of them: This clip is called "The Document," and it focuses on a piece of evidence used to implicate two me...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 11:05:00 PST

NEW YORK TIMES

Hey gang,Last week, I was asked by an editor for The New York Times to write a column adding a little historical perspective to the recent arrest and prosecution of Senator Larry Craig. I worked with...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Tue, 04 Sep 2007 10:58:00 PST

SULLIVAN ON OUR FILM

Dear Friends,The website for THE FALL OF '55 has seen a lot of new traffic lately after being mentioned by Andrew Sullivan, one of America's most prominent bloggers.Sullivan talks about THE FALL OF '5...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Sat, 01 Sep 2007 08:21:00 PST

BOISE’S TRUE WEST CINEMA FEST THIS WEEKEND

Hey gang,In Boise this weekend? You won't want to miss the great films screening this weekend at the True West Cinema Fest. The festival includes a number of films with connections to Idaho, such as...
Posted by SETH RANDAL on Fri, 10 Aug 2007 11:14:00 PST