Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have been announced as executive producers of short documentary “Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story” which tells the story of West Hollywood candlemaker Tim Sullivan who owns Timothy Jay Candles, locate at 8272 Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood.
The documentary short, co-directed by Zeberiah Newman (“Unexpected”) and Michiel Thomas (“Game Face”), chronicles the 82-year-old Bronx native’s journey from coming out as a gay man, to how he got sober more than 40 years ago and his tradition of hiring homeless and newly sober people at his company, Timothy Jay Candles. The documentary also highlights homelessness and the fentanyl crisis in Los Angeles County.
“Once we heard the lovely story of Tim Sullivan and began to understand how many people he’s helped in his life through the making of beautiful candles, we realized these filmmakers were telling exactly the kind of story we want to help get out into the world.” McCarthy and Falcone tell Variety via a joint statement.
Tim Sullivan seen here meeting Executive Producer Melissa McCarthy at the WeHo Pride Parade in West Hollywood.Check out Tim Sullivans interview with Variety Magazine on the link below:
Timothy Jay Candles in West Hollywood is known for creating handmade fragrance candles for private label and international clients. “An intricate process, but everything is done by hand,” reads a post on the business website. “We work in stages melting and pouring the wax hand-placing the wicks and letting them dry properly for 24 hours”
The early days of Timothy Jay Candles can also be found in the About Page:
“It’s a phenomenon…a little studio tucked away on a side street in West Hollywood producing thousands and thousands of candles for stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue, landmarks like the Beverly Hills Hotel and the famous clothing designer Dana Buchman!
In 1998, when I moved in, we had to clear out the remnants of a dry cleaner that had been in the location for years. Slowly, garment trolleys disappeared and long tables were installed to hold the products and materials needed to produce our candles. Soon “locals” were wandering in, following the trail of fantastic fragrances that had wafted into the air. They stayed to watch us hand pouring and the entire process and were fascinated and amazed that we were able to handle such quantities. Orders and Private Labels started rolling in. We needed a “front” to keep in tune with the changing neighborhood, so I designed a small “Studio” space that worked for both clients and the walk-ins.
You might say the whole process is of another time … a time when artisans we’re proud of their work and when finished products were the direct result of hand work rather than machines. I like it that way and I must say … so do my customers!”
