Leon Acord Comes Home For Indy Shorts Festival's Pride Stride Event

Kokomo, Indiana native Leon Acord has worked as an actor in California for over 25 years -- most notably in the award-winning series Old Dogs & New Tricks (2011-2016), now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, about four middle-aged gay best friends in youth-obsessed West Hollywood.

Acord's returning to Indiana, and he's bringing Old Dogs & New Tricks (which he also created and wrote) with him. On July 24, Heartland Film's Indy Shorts film festival teams with Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival to present "Indy Shorts Pride Stride," an evening celebrating LGBT films -- including Old Dogs & New Tricks. Acord will be joined by the show's LA cast for a Q&A after screening a handful of the series' best episodes.

"It's surreal," exclaims the Lewis Cass graduate. "The cast from LA will be there. My parents and family are coming. Some friends from high school I haven't seen in over 30 years. It's going to be a real When Worlds Collide kind of night."

"Seriously, I'm beyond honored. Most of the films on my resume are shorts, and most of them are better than the features I've done. I'm a fan of the form. Most fests give short films short shrift, but Indy Shorts truly honors them. I'm flattered they choose the show."

Acord also says it's fitting, since his show was "born" in Indiana.

"In 2010, I took a two-month break from LA, came back and stayed with my parents. It was during that visit I first conceived the show. I wrote the drafts of the first dozen episodes while I was here. So Old Dogs & New Tricks is actually a product of the Hoosier State!"

For tickets and information on Indy Shorts Pride Stride, visit http://bit.ly/ODNTPride Learn more about Old Dogs & New Tricks at www.odnt.tv