Mayor Pro Tem John Erickson honored WeHo resident Timothy Sullivan, the subject of a new documentary titled “Relighting Candles,” before a sold-out screening of the film Wednesday at WeHo Library.
Directed by Zeberiah Newman and Michiel Thomas, with Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone serving as executive producers, the documentary delves into the life and entrepreneurial journey of Tim Sullivan, a candlemaker. The film is especially striking for its portrayal of Sullivan’s personal challenges, including his experience coming out and his journey to sobriety, as well as his business, Timothy Jay Candles. One of the highlights of the documentary is Sullivan’s altruistic practices, such as employing homeless individuals and those in recovery.\
He got the idea of making candles while mentoring someone from his 12-step recovery program who expressed an interest in candlemaking. Utilizing his prior experience with fragrances from his time at Lancôme and Avon, Sullivan successfully replicated a specific scent that Jackie Kennedy famously had in her home, the Rigaud green candle. After achieving this, he gifted some of these candles to a friend who owned an antique shop in Los Angeles. This led to an order of 48 candles from Mercedes Bass.
John certainly is a great cheerleader
This film sounds more riveting than “Avatar.”