"Boulevard Zen" Premiere Helps Raise Funds to Support Women's Shelters Around the Country

Earlier this month we welcomed the world premiere of actor, writer, director and producer Rich Tola’s deeply nurtured work of passion, “BOULEVARD ZEN.” The feature, produced under Tola’s production company, Two Strike Hitter, garnered emotional viewer support after its initial unveiling last week. In conjunction with the film’s premiere was a spotlight on Tola’s nonprofit organization, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, Inc., in which he and his team raised more than $1,000 in donations for the spiritual-minded, humanitarian foundation.

An inspirational, life-affirming tale, ‘Boulevard Zen’ centers on the universal healing powers of yoga. The 5,000-year-old practice is given a modern-day spin by Zen’s leading character, Bobby D’Angelo, a grief stricken widower devastated by the loss of his soul mate and yoga teacher. Real estate attorney D’Angelo finds clarity and enlightenment as he travels the path of a yoga master, inspiring students along the way. This uniquely truthful depiction of personal issues positively affected by yoga extends far beyond the reach of the individuals themselves.

The Boulevard Zen Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to provide yoga instruction and education to battered women and children throughout the country. The organization was founded after Tola’s visit to a local women’s shelter where he was inspired by the facility’s rectory and retreat-like atmosphere. When he learned that the facility did not have adequate funds for yoga, Tola discovered a unique opportunity and put his business savvy into effect.

“I knew that yoga could help empower these women and children and help with the healing process,” stated Tola. “My hope is that ‘Boulevard Zen’ will educate and inspire the public about a worthy cause and the life-changing benefits of yoga. We are encouraged by the success of the film’s premiere and beyond thrilled at the generosity and compassion of everyone who donated to the Foundation.”

For more information about The Boulevard Zen Foundation, or to interview Rich Tola, please contact Eileen Koch at Eileen Koch & Company INC., 310.441.1000 or Eileen@eileenkoch.com.

Boulevard Zen Premieres at Hollywood's Silent Movie Theatre

Rich Tola's debut film, "Boulevard Zen," premiered last night at the Silent Movie Theatre in West Hollywood. Celebrities, along with the film's cast and crew, turned out to see the inspirational docufiction, which profiles an unlikely yoga master and the powerful effects of his teachings.

In "Boulevard Zen," a young filmmaker named Elliott follows real estate attorney-turned-yoga instructor Bobby D'Angelo through a day of teaching. By the end of the day, Elliott finds that beneath Bobby's tough-guy exterior is a kind-hearted but disciplined individual, who views life as a journey down a winding boulevard.

Inspired by Tola's own life, the film used original music co-written by Tola himself, and much of the cast was comprised of Tola's own yoga students.

After the screening, Tola thanked everyone who was involved in the production of the film, which was shot in only two days and took a mere three months to complete. The audience left feeling motivated and inspired, while Tola left with donations for his nonprofit organization, Boulevard Zen, which provides yoga instruction to shelters for battered women and children.

Rich Tola Tells FoxBusiness About His Journey Down "Boulevard Zen"

FoxBusiness recently interviewed Rich Tola about his film, Boulevard Zen, which premieres next week. Rich talks about his own unlikely transformation from real estate broker to yoga master, which served as the inspiration for the film:

Quick quiz, class. Which one has more power?

1. The guy with degrees from Wharton and Kellogg working on Wall Street and playing in the high stakes real estate game
2. The guy who’s a master yoga instructor and actor in Los Angeles

Rich Tola is going with option B, hands down.

“Power also comes from clarity,” Tola said in a recent interview.

The man knows of what he speaks, for if you put A and B together, you have his life. The studious high schooler and athlete, who went on to get the crème de la crème business education at Penn and Northwestern, is now living in a Hollywood bungalow from which he can see the iconic “Hollywood” sign and get a daily dose of inspiration. (read more...)

"Boulevard Zen" Premieres December 9

On December 9, the world will enthusiastically announce the highly anticipated, inspirational debut feature film, BOULEVARD ZEN, by actor, writer, director and producer Rich Tola. Two Strike Hitter, Tola’s Production Company, has been nurturing this powerful story for the last two years, the culmination of which crescendos into an emotional, spiritual and physical experience rarely captured so richly on camera.

A true labor of love, Tola’s day-in-the-life tale Boulevard Zen centers around Bobby D'Angelo, a man still steeped in loss and tragic death of his wife and true love, who incidentally doubled as his master yoga teacher. The film also delves into the mind and heart of an unlikely real estate attorney turned yoga master, whose nature inspires his own students through his commitment to form, his clarity of intentions, and the discipline with which he works. With an almost Darwinian approach, he is an exemplary master.

A truly universal story, Boulevard Zen brilliantly and carefully illuminates how the healing effects of yoga can truly be life changing. With both profound physical and spiritual manifestations, the film beautifully articulates yoga’s impact on personal issues such as anorexia, infertility, anxiety, hypertension, depression, domestic abuse and low self-esteem. These are remedied through a 5,000-years-old practice that, at its core, is one of balance, strength and clarity, and ultimately peace.

A film as close to Tola’s heart as to his head, Boulevard Zen’s unforgettable soundtrack was also produced by the director himself. He was also inspired to co-write the lyrics for the movie’s theme song, “Life’s Boulevard,” and can also be heard playing harmonica on “Bobby’s Song” and in the instrumentals.

As versatile as he is active, Tola studied with several master teachers in both Los Angeles and New York, holding degrees from both The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He is also a certified yoga instructor with advanced training in yoga therapeutics, as well as a member of the Yoga Alliance.

Through his art, his teaching and his non-profit organization, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, Tola’s aim is a simple but mighty one: to change the world.

Premiere of Rich Tola's "Boulevard Zen"

Filmmaker and EKC client Rich Tola makes his feature debut with Boulevard Zen, an inspiring mockumentary about the healing powers of yoga. The film will premiere next Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Eileen Koch at 310.441.1000 or eileen@eileenkoch.com.

EKC PR Welcomes Filmmaker Rich Tola

Actor-filmmaker, yoga master and philanthropist Rich Tola has chosen Eileen Koch & Company for PR representation. His debut feature, Boulevard Zen, is a "day-in-the-life"-style mockumentary that follows a grieving man on a healing journey during which he discovers the therapeutic powers of yoga. Rich's nonprofit organization of the same name works to provide yoga instruction to battered women and children. We're excited to work with Rich, and can't wait for his film's premiere next month!