What does a second generation NBA targeted prodigy, whose brother happens to be Christ, do for a living?
By CANDY CAMPBELL

Tim Caviezel, brother of the infamous Jim Caviezel who starred in a number of Hollywood roles (including Jesus in The Passion of the Christ, Bobby Jones in Stroke of Genius and Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo) may not be a celebrity on screen, but he has made serious headlines of his own.

Someday, years from now, the two will reminisce about how they each made their mark. Chances are it will be on a basketball court somewhere. For now, measuring the success between these two very humble and very personable six foot something second generation basketball all stars is a bit tricky.

Once dubbed “Mr. Basketball” in the state of Washington, Caviezel was a high-scoring star for Mount Vernon and heavily recruited by Washington where he played two years for the Huskies before transferring to Long Beach State and finally landing as starting point guard for the Western Washington Vikings. If one could say this is where the famous brothers got their start, in basketball, Denver is fortunate to add an up and coming success story.

It’s All About Timing
Caviezel has certainly ranked high among some well known players. Caviezel found himself on a touring team with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the mid 1990’s.  

“I was with my brother in California, we walked into the gym at UCLA where Magic Johnson was playing. We were just sitting there – watching him play. Before I knew it, one of the players gets injured. Magic scans the room, spots my brother and asks him if he wants in. My brother says no, turns to me and says he [Tim] will.  I played a fantastic game. Magic said he was getting his team together and asked me if I was interested. That was awesome. Luck. Sometimes being in the right place at the right time has a profound impact.” 
Luck didn’t have much to do with the success factor for Caviezel who in one game for the Finnish professional club, scored an impressive 73 points.  So why not continue with professional basketball? “It’s all about timing,” says Caviezel. “I played ball twenty years of my life. When you first play, through high school, its fun. After college, playing professional, it became a job to me. Playing and training roughly six hours a day –I lost the passion I had for it when I was younger. I think a lot of athletes struggle with that.”

For Caviezel, defining what he wanted to do after became critically important. “What do you do ‘after’ when all you know is sports?”

“I had no clue what I was going to do after basketball,” he says. “That’s when I started looking into acting. I move to L.A. and began taking acting classes, tapping into the same acting coach as my brother.” Caviezel found he took up acting more because of his brother. “He was doing it and I wanted to explore it as a possibility,” he says. “Acting is a tough industry. My brother just knew in his soul, he was meant to be an actor.”

Again as luck would have it, Caviezel met a guy in marketing in the movie industry. “Acting wasn’t something I felt, but with the marketing –I became fascinated.”

Caviezel connected with a family friend, George Deverees, who worked for Marriott. “He thought it would be something I’d be good at,” he says. “I took the opportunity to watch him, see what he did. I went on a presentation, sat in on a tour – at the end, I was ready to buy. I jumped in. Deverees was in Palm Springs at the property at Palm Desert, starting a new project in Tahoe. I interviewed, got the job and right away, I had a gift for it –consistently in the top five for sales.”

Gaining valuable insight and tremendous training through Marriott, Caviezel took an offer from his boss who jumped on board with East West Partners as the VP of Sales. “He took five of us to the new project,” says Caviezel. “At the time it was a tough move. I loved Marriott –but this new company, East West Partners, was doing a very high profile project – bringing in Jack Nicklaus and building an amazing course. I took a risk –and it was the best move I made.”

House of Glass
Transitioning from Tahoe to Denver became another strategic move for Caviezel. “I had been in Tahoe for over three years. I was ready for more of a city life. I basically went to one of the partners and said ‘I love East West Partners, and I want to move’. Being single, Tahoe is a tough place to live. Probably one of the most beautiful, but difficult. I was ready for a change. Chris Frampton pulled me into the developing projects in Denver and I love it here.” 
Caviezel’s move to Denver is on the heels of the East West Partners current notable project, the Glass House at Riverfront Park. Designed after its name, the Glass House is a new 23 story glass and steel building set in the heart of Riverfront Park with panoramic views of downtown Denver. Currently under construction, the estimated completion date is set for January 2007 for the south tower. The entire development is made up of two towers.
At 23 stories, Glass House is positioned to be one of the highest of the new Riverfront Park residential development. A very progressive move for Denver, targeting the 27-30 single downtown resident with an affordable buy in prospect. “Downtown gets the highest rental rate for residential properties,” says Chris Frampton, Marketing Director for East West Partners, “This gives a specific young professional demographic the choice to buy something downtown that is affordable.” 

In addition to its innovative approach to downtown living, East West Partner’s developed the Glass House without pre-sales. “Completion was not dependent on sales,” says Frampton. “Beginning the second quarter of this year, prospects will buy and move in roughly eight months later. The highly amenitized property includes a pool on the 8th floor, a full service concierge, a movie theatre, and of course, easy access to all downtown has to offer,” says Frampton.  Certainly one of the biggest features is the structure is an almost entirely glass building.  

“It’s a great place to live. Riverfront Park is the place to be. You don’t even feel like you’re in a city – you cross the bridge – and there is Denver,” says Caviezel “When I first got here, it was easy to see why people love to live here.  I’ve lived many places – this is one of the best places I’ve been. There is nothing like being able to walk to four sporting events, any bar, restaurant, club etc – Its amazing the amenities Denver has to offer. With the development of the Glass House, it’s a fun young vibrant place to be. I’ll be buying there.”

“When you enjoy what you are doing, it isn’t work,” says Caviezel.

Success and  Sibling Rivalry
A little friendly competition never hurt anyone. Coming from a team playing sports background that two brothers with humble beginnings share, begs the question “What happens when your older brother becomes an overnight success, ten years in the making?”  Caviezel is a bit reminiscent when questions about his mega-star brother, Jim Caviezel, enter the conversation.

“Its funny, growing up, and through high school, I was player of the year in Washington. My brother Jim was my biggest fan. The attention and spotlight were on me. Back then, I was the focus. Now, I’m his biggest fan. Our family has always been motivated to do well – be successful. It’s crazy to see what he’s doing now. Like these people are not real people [in the movies] and what he does when he gets up in the morning, is just his job.  It’s what he happens to do.”

Sibling rivalry is non-existent among the two brothers.  “I go to movie sets and get introduced to guys like Woody Harleson and Dennis Quaid,” says Caviezel, “And the minute I arrive on the set, they know all about me (my brother brags about me) they jump in with questions about real estate, my work, my basketball history. And of course I do the same thing with Jim. When they are family, you just talk about what they do – and you are proud of them.”

Starstruck
Stories of sets, movie screenings, even bit parts in movies are all fondly articulated by Caviezel who is full of the most incredible and almost inconceivable tales.  “I was down in L.A. at the time when my brother calls, says he wants me to come to the private screening of the Passion of the Christ,” says Caviezel. “Of course, it’s L.A. and traffic is horrible. I arrive at Mel Gibson’s private studio, late, and everyone is waiting for me. I’m in a private room, big table, I see the producers, Mel, my brother, Bill Bennett, several priests and pastors. Mel looks at me like “who is this guy?” I sit down in the group, nobody knows who I am and its probably assumed I’m a friend of the producer.  Mel introduces the film, he wanted opinions from a diverse group of people for this production that as of yet, hasn’t been viewed by anyone.”  

“I end up watching the 3 hour plus version of the movie and it hit me big time,” he says. “From all the movies my brother has been in, this was the first time I didn’t recognize him.” 

Certainly being in a room with Mel Gibson at the onset of such a highly controversial and extremely impacting film could be nothing short of spectacular. For many, an awestruck moment, but for Caviezel, a true testament to his upbringing. “Mel asked for opinions about the film, and I watched as each person in the room made their comments. Finally, I raise my hand –Mel looks at me and says go ahead. I said the first time I saw Brave Heart with my brother, I had the same feeling at the end of Passion. It struck me in a way a powerful movie does. The whole time I’m talking, everyone in the room is looking –to see who exactly I am – finally, my brother reaches over and claims me. Mel talked about removing the subtitles – it was so powerful with the images alone, he didn’t feel a need for them. I grew up Catholic. I learned a lot by the subtitles. It’s impacting.”

“It was neat being in the process. You just knew this movie was important – I was moved to say something – (about the possibility of subtitles being removed).”

Caviezel’s direct nature continues to lead him in directions without question. Not many people would find themselves with the opportunity to have Mel Gibson’s captive attention.  Even fewer might take that opportunity to make a simple, straightforward statement.  That directness has proven advantageous for Caviezel whose success with East West Partners is on the rise.
 
“I looked up to Mel Gibson,” says Caviezel, “a guy that took his own money to produce a product he believed in –when no-one else would take on the film. Profit wise, probably one of the biggest movies ever, with worldwide success and global impact.  I was fortunate to go to dinner with him after the screening – we just drank wine and hung out. A friend of mine came along and by luck he was sitting between my brother and Mel. As we were talking about the film, he commented, “This feels like a movie scene”.

Risk and Reward
That admiration for risk takers has carried over into his work with East West Partners.  “I look at Harry Frampton, where he started and where he is now. I admire him for his success,” he says.  Frampton is Chairman of the Board of the Vail Valley Foundation, instrumental in organizing and supporting the 1989 and 1999 World Alpine Ski Championships, the Bolshoi Ballet, the World Championships of Mountain Biking, and former President Gerald R. Ford’s World Forum. Frampton was also the past president of the Urban Land Institute's Large Scale Development Council and Recreation Council.  He is a trustee and presently is the chairman of ULI. 

“Chris Frampton I think is brilliant –I feel very fortunate to have people above me like that. They are your friends at the same time and there is nothing better than to work for someone you respect that much.”

Caviezel’s respect and admiration starts very close to home. “My dad and my brother are the two closest people in my life. Any life decision I make, they are the first ones I call,” says Caviezel.   “I felt the same with basketball. A coach can get on you and make you work hard – but you want them to be proud of you. I want to do well for them. That’s what helped me with sports, having that competitive nature – and you’re on a team – you want everyone to do well.”

“My brother, he went to Hollywood and struggled for ten years. He worked hard to get where he’s at. That’s what I admire.  Maddie Johnson’s another great example. I can see how and why he won 5 NBA championships. He walks into a gym and immediately, there’s respect in the room. Look what he’s doing now.”

Doing what you love and respecting people for their unique talents is a mantra that has brought Caviezel much success. His current stint with East West Partners is a natural fit. Embodying the demographic filling the Riverfront Park area, Caviezel is putting his talent to action.
EastWest Partners has already received accolades for their work in Denver with recognition from the Downtown Denver Partnership Annual Awards in 2003, a Merit Award in 2002 from the American Institute of Architects Colorado Awards and the Groundbreaker of the Year for Residential with the Denver Business Journal/Ernst & Young in 2000.

Certainly most known for its award winning developments under the helm of managing partner, Harry Frampton, East West Partners specializes in real estate development and is currently developing resort properties in Vail, Beaver Creek, and Summit County in Colorado, Lake Tahoe, California and Deer Valley, Utah. 

“I had no idea I’d be here with East West – so I’m looking forward to where that’s taking me,” says Caviezel. “I am interested in what we are doing for the city. I’m excited by the growth.”