‘Real Cowboys’ docudrama series filmed in Dayton, Virginia City, Carson City premieres in October
Submitted by Kelsey Penrose on Tue, 10/03/2023 - 12:35pm
Dayton resident Temma Hammond has worked in the film industry all her life, having first grown up in film studios courtesy of her Hollywood-adjacent parents. Her father was a silent film star and studio owner, and her mother was a writer, director and acting coach.
It only makes sense that Hammond would follow in their footsteps. After leaving California, Hammond worked for some time in Las Vegas where she designed and built the first sound-proofed studio, before moving to Carson City to work on producing legislative and other local film projects in the early 2000s — including setting up a number of film workshops at Western Nevada College and Truckee Meadows Community College.
Now, Hammond is back, and right out of the gates to work on a docudrama series called Real Cowboys, hosted by Lacy J. Dalton, for her newest endeavor: the Golden Network.
“The largest group of people that don’t have a network specifically dedicated to them are seniors,” Hammond said. “Ninety-two million of us are in the United States today — that’s a big audience.”
GoldenNetwork.tv is a free streaming service aimed directly toward seniors, which is accessible through Roku, and was launched by Hammond and her team about three years ago.
The Golden Network has over 500 movies and t.v. shows, consisting of a mix of classic Hollywood movies and TV shows, alongside unique series programming crafted specifically for the network, including its most recent addition of Real Cowboys.
“I learned about streaming and how accessible it is, and how it could open businesses that have never existed before," she said.
In addition to their senior audience, Hammond said they were surprised to find a large viewership in the 18-21 age group, who had never seen the variety of classic, golden-era Hollywood films.
“To them, it’s all new,” Hammond said.
During Hammond’s first stint in the north, she became friends with a number of people in the horse-riding community, where the idea for Real Cowboys was born.
Some of the projects Hammond worked on in Northern Nevada in prior years revolved around the plight of wild mustangs, where she made a number of connections both in advocate circles as well as working ranchers.
Over 500 hours of Real Cowboys was filmed entirely in Dayton, Virginia City, Reno, Carson City, Silver Springs, Walker Pass, Lake Tahoe, Silver City and Gold Hill, following a number of real cowboys (and cowgirls!) in the modern era.
The series digs into the history of cowboys in media as well, from early silent “cowboy and Indian” films to the huge popularity of western movies and TV shows.
“I wanted to capture the old west, and see how it fits into the new west,” Hammond said.
Hammond also wanted to highlight the two groups who were portrayed negatively in the past: women and Native Americans.
“Today’s cowboys and Indians are very different — there’s a different mindset,” Hammond said.
The first episode, which will premiere mid-October, focuses on local cowgirls, interspersed with cowgirls from classic movies and TV shows.
When asked if Hammond and her team would be interested in hosting a viewing for the community, Hammond said they would definitely be interested and are planning a viewing in the next few weeks.
Real Cowboys will premiere on Golden Network on Roku this October. We will update with the exact date when it becomes available.
To learn more about Golden Network, please visit https://www.goldennetwork.tv.
