Former newspaper editor, magazine publisher, advertising executive and federal prisoner; Neil White is a man who has worn many hats. And that’s still true today. White lives in Oxford and is creative director and publisher at The Nautilus Publishing Company and also writes plays and essays, and teaches memoir writing. And he’s soon to become creatively involved in a movie about his own life; a life that took a major turn-for-the-worse when he was in his late twenties, only to come full circle and transform him into the man he is today.
“In the Sanctuary of Outcasts” is White’s memoir of his time behind bars at the Federal Medical Center in Carville, Louisiana, for bank fraud. And if you haven’t read it; you should. It’s an inspirational, magnum tale of a young man who decided he’d do just about anything to conquer the business world and maintain his place in professional society; even bank fraud, who gets caught and is sent to the Carville National Leprosarium, one of only two leprosy hospitals in the United States.
The leprosy facility also housed 500 federal prisoners who fell into an experimental system, hence White’s temporary home for a year. Behind those doors, White met everyone from physicians and executives to counterfeiters and drug dealers, and of course, the leprosy patients.
“I was a 28-year-old who was certain he was going to conquer the business world. Felt invincible,” he said. “I broke the law to avoid failure. I would have done almost anything to maintain the appearance of perfection. Then, I was sentenced to a year in federal prison for bank fraud. As fate would have it, I was sent to a prison that housed 500 convicts alongside the last 130 victims of leprosy in America. So, I spent about a year in prison for mishandling almost $1 million, but I was surrounded by men and women who had been quarantined for a lifetime because they were susceptible to a bacterial infection.”
White knew that not only was he serving his time for his crime; he was also an eyewitness to a story that needed to be told. So, he began to interview patients and inmates and he made friends with people he wouldn’t have probably spoken to before his incarceration.
“I was witnessing a convergence of cultures like never before. Within the colony walls you had 500 inmates (including Jimmy Hoffa’s lawyer, mobsters, and the steroid guru of the bodybuilding industry), the last Americans imprisoned for a disease, an ancient order of nuns, fifty prison guards, and a Franciscan monk,” White said. “It made for some fascinating interaction — and misunderstanding.”
And now this epic tale is in the planning stages to become a movie that should mesmerize as it unfolds not only White’s story, but also the plight of leprosy patients who entered the facility under mandated quarantine and for some, never left again.
According to White, the catalyst that set the movie ball into motion all started with a friend.
“Like all things happen . . . fate, luck, timing; a friend of mine named Billy Neville (founder of The Rouge retail store) attended a writing workshop I led,” White said. “Then, he read the book; thought it had potential for a film. He sent a copy to his friend Stratton Leopold (the producer). Stratton didn’t read it for months. Then, an investment group approached Stratton about putting together movies set in Mississippi and Louisiana. That was about the time he started reading. He called, flew down, we liked one another, and I felt like — based on his experience and industry ties — he would make a good film.”
White said that one of the best things to him about the whole endeavor, as far as allowing his story to be told on the big screen, was the fact that Leopold is open to letting White be creatively involved with the entire process.
“One of the most appealing things about Stratton is that he wants me to be involved creatively. Usually, a production company buys the rights to a story and asks the writer to go away,” White said. “But with our arrangements, I speak to the scriptwriter regularly. We all flew to Carville and spent two days together at the colony where I pointed out locations and events. They interviewed, and got to know, my children. They want me to be on location for the filming, which, again, is somewhat rare.”
As far as who might play him in the movie, White said at this point, he had no idea. The movie is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2016, but White said these things could be tricky.
“Well, the press release says fall 2016, but to be candid, these things can fall apart at any moment and typically they do. We still have to develop a great script, find the right director, build a solid cast . . . and arrange solid financing. I’m hopeful, but there is still a long way to go,” he said.
If all goes according to plan, the movie will have some scenes actually filmed onsite at Carville.
“The colony, it seems, will be available for some scenes. And I do plan to be there whenever I can make it. I’ve been back to the facility dozens of times. The prison side closed, so I was free to return whenever I wanted,” White said.
Hotty Toddy.com will keep you updated…
Angela Rogalski is a HottyToddy.com staff reporter and can be reached at angela.rogalski@hottytoddy.com.
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