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Heartstrings

Author- Ryan Sandholm

LOGLINE:  An aspiring musician searching for love, heads to Vegas to try to win a prestigious song writing competition- in hopes of winning the big prize- and the girl of his dreams.

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SUMMARY:  When hopeless romantic and aspiring musician Cliff Stephenson finds himself broke and lonely, he resorts to an online dating site called ONLYLONLIES.com, longing to find true love.   After striking out on some disastrous dates, Cliff realizes there’s more to love than just swiping left or right.  On the dating site he meets Dimi Hart- a pretty, down to earth gal, who unfortunately lives three thousand miles away in Pennsylvania.  Dimi too, is struggling to find love, so her best friend Val Kilman, talks her into attending a high school reunion.   In hopes of reconnecting with an old flame from back in the day, Dwayne McLean, Dimi realizes nothing has changed, and the night ends in complete chaos and disappointment.  As a result, Dimi and Val decide to get out of town, and take a girl’s trip to Vegas.

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Meanwhile Cliff’s best friend, Stanley Ferrous, has entered him into a prestigious song writing contest in Las Vegas, called “Heartstrings”, with a cash prize of $250,000 and a record deal for the winner.  Although Stanley has good intentions, things always seem to go sideways for them.   After a botched outing at the local Bungee Zone and a stinging hot wing challenge, the guys decide to take some time off work from the local record store.  Never one to give up, and being Cliff’s number one fan, Stanley convinces Cliff to head out on the road with him, and the two drive to Vegas- in search of the grand prize.

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While in sin city, Cliff’s music skills are put to the test when he goes head-to-head with the overconfident and cocky, undefeated Heartstrings Champion, Duran Aria.  The two of them battle it out at a dueling piano bar, with Duran coming out victorious.  This rivalry isn’t over yet however, as they eventually face off for the grand prize at the illustrious Pearl Theater.   By coincidence Cliff and Dimi meet on a Ferris wheel, sparking their romance.  They quickly realize how much they have in common, remembering what life was like before cell phones.  Cliff scrambles to be romantic and gives Dimi a toy ring from a vending machine, which is a four-leaf clover, symbolizing new beginnings.  However, love is never easy, as Dimi’s past comes back to haunt her, inevitably attempting to sabotage her relationship with Cliff.  Cliff gives it everything he’s got, not only to win the contest, but also to win Dimi’s heart.

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