A recent article at Screen Rant listed the top 10 Lifetime films of 2024, and two area residents had a hand in their making.
Barbara Zagrodnik wrote the screenplay for “Blood, Sweat and Cheer” which was ranked second on the list and Kate Dailey played the role of Meredith Davis in “The Book Club Murders” which placed 10th.
“It was really, really exciting,” said Zagrodnik, an Aiken resident who has worked on numerous film projects, primarily as a first or second assistant director. “It’s always a compliment to have your work recognized. There is so much new content that Lifetime puts out, to be selected as one of the top 10 projects was really an honor.”
“Blood, Sweat and Cheer” is about a woman (played by Tammin Sursock of “Pretty Little Liars”) who poses as her teenage daughter and would kill for a spot on the high school cheer squad. Originally set to be a Tubi movie, the project was picked up by Lifetime.
It’s a fictionalized account of a real-life scenario, she said. A woman in Wisconsin went back to high school using her daughter’s identity, but she was caught after a couple of days, but in the film, the action takes longer.
Among Zagrodnik’s other film credits are first assistant director of “Mister Sleep,” “Christmas Party Crashers” and “Five Star Murder,” all of which were filmed in Augusta. She wrote and directed her own project “Driver’s Ed: Tales from the Street” in 2015 and teased that there may be more coming to that story in honor of its 10th anniversary in 2025.
Read more: Behind the scenes of the making of ‘Five Star Murders’
Zagrodnik has worked on several projects with Dailey, an Augusta resident whose film also made Screen Rant’s list.
Earlier this year, Zagrodnik and Dailey worked together on “The Observance,” which was filmed In Augusta and is in post-production. They previously worked on “Applewood” and “Mister Sleep.”
“The Book Club Murders” is one of several Lifetime projects Dailey has been part of.
Read more: ‘Mister Sleep’ director shoots new film in Augusta
Dailey said she made fast friends with other cast members and enjoyed working on the film which is about the members of a book club who are targeted by an anonymous letter writer who exposes their darkest secrets.
The film initially aired in October, but she missed it.
“I couldn’t tune into the premiere on Lifetime because of the hurricane. We didn’t have any power,” she said. “It was a surprise to me when I came across the list.”
Dailey said she always wanted to pursue acting, but she wasn’t sure she could make a career out of it because the work can be hit or miss. She took the plunge a few years ago at the urging of her husband and has seen her opportunities increase.
“I’ve been very, very happy with the progress I’ve made,” she said.
She’s filmed four other Lifetime movies that are scheduled to be released in 2025, and she said she’s played a wide variety of roles.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
