It started with a book of watercolor portraits.
Newport artist William Heydt had spent years painting the faces of everyday Newport, Rhode Island — the fishermen, the chefs, the bartenders, the shopkeepers, the blue-collar workers who made the city run. He collected them in a book called Working Newport.
When I first saw those portraits, I didn’t see paintings. I saw stories. Every face had a life behind it. Every brushstroke hinted at a history that nobody had ever asked about. I looked at those portraits and thought — what if we found those people and told their stories on camera?
That idea became Newport RI: The Series.
The series follows two fictional characters — journalist Tim Sullivan and artist Richard Davenport — as they team up to uncover the true, unheard stories behind everyday Newport residents. It was produced through Newportant Studios between 2007 and 2015, and it became one of the most ambitious independent media projects in Rhode Island history.
We cast over 70 local actors. We assembled a dedicated crew of 17. We filmed at iconic Newport locations including Fluke and The Black Pearl. We shot aerial footage from donated helicopters. We created a cooking segment — Cooking with Newport RI — where I hosted alongside Executive Chef D. Kenneth Janier of The Black Pearl, and together we debuted the Newport Wellington.
Every face has a story. That wasn’t just a tagline. It was a production philosophy. We didn’t create content — we painted a picture of life, one story at a time.
The series led to Newport City Limits, Rhode Island Comic Throwdown, Newport Arts Scene on WADK-AM, and eventually the formation of Erbana Productions — formerly Newportant Studios.
Looking back, I realize that William Heydt’s watercolors didn’t just inspire a TV show. They taught me something fundamental about storytelling — the most powerful stories are the ones nobody thinks to tell. The faces you walk past every day. The lives happening in plain sight.
That lesson drives everything I create today.
Watch the pilot at here for Newport RI: The Series and the full NRI Channel visit tommyerb.com/media-production for the full story.
— Tom Erb