|
press resources
|
Martin Scorsese And Jody Patton To Executive Produce Mini-Series “The Blues”
Monday, June 12, 2000
NEW YORK – June 13, 2000 – Clear Blue Sky Productions, OFFLINE Entertainment Group and Cappa Productions are joining forces to produce a six-part documentary mini-series on blues music to be directed by a premiere group of feature film directors with documentary experience including Michael Apted, Charles Burnett, Marc Levin and Wim Wenders. In addition to serving as executive producer with Jody Patton, Scorsese may direct one episode.
Scorsese commented, “I’ve always felt an affinity for blues music – the culture of storytelling through music is incredibly fascinating and appealing to me. The blues have great emotional resonance and are the foundation for American popular music.”
“From Howling Wolf to Muddy Waters to B.B. King, this seminal music genre is a rich part of our cultural landscape,” said Jody Patton, president of Clear Blue Sky Productions. “We’re excited to be working with this range of directors and feel that the series dovetails perfectly with the mission and vision of Experience Music Project.” Experience Music Project is the 140,000 square foot interactive music museum opening later this month in Seattle. Patton serves as its executive director, and renowned architect Frank O. Gehry designed the museum.
New York-based OFFLINE Entertainment Group and Scorsese’s Cappa Productions will produce the series. The series producer will be Alex Gibney, an Emmy® Award-winning producer and the president of Offline TV. Cappa Productions’ Margaret Bodde, associate producer of Scorsese’s 1995 Emmy-nominated documentary “Eric Clapton: Nothing But the Blues,” will share producing duties with Gibney.
“OFFLINE is a company fueled by the synergy between documentaries and feature films,” said Gibney. “So for us, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. We have a group of feature film directors – who are also skilled documentarians – who love music. Taken together, their personal visions will form a mosaic that will reveal a bigger picture: the epic story of the history of the blues, the wellspring that flows into almost all popular music – from jazz to rock ‘n’ roll, to hip-hop.”
“We’ve created a truly unique way to explore the blues – from its African origins through its current worldwide appeal” said Bodde. “ By bringing together this diverse group of directors, the series will provide a fascinating view of the blues layered through different cultural and historical perspectives.”
About OFFLINE Entertainment Group
OFFLINE Entertainment Group is a New York-based production company known for producing both award-winning feature films (SLAM) and documentaries (THUG LIFE IN DC, David Halberstam’s THE FIFTIES). OFFLINE recently produced a TV movie THE HUNTRESS for USA, now being produced as a series. In addition to THE BLUES, Offline is working on a number of documentaries for HBO and two TV movies for Fox. Visit OFFLINE Entertainment Group on the web at www.offlineonline.com.
About Cappa Productions
Cappa Productions is Martin Scorsese’s production company – currently involved in GANGS OF NEW YORK – which has produced Scorsese’s feature films and documentary projects for over 10 years.
About Clear Blue Sky Productions
Clear Blue Sky Productions is the independent film production company founded by investor Paul G. Allen in 1997 to originate, develop and finance creative, artistically driven motion picture and television projects. Under the direction of president Jody Patton, the company has produced a variety of feature and documentary films including the forthcoming LUZHIN DEFENSE as part of their co-production deal with Renaissance Pictures, starring John Turturro and Emily Watson, Academy Award-nominee TITUS, directed by Julie Taymor and starring Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange, John Sayles’ MEN WITH GUNS, a Golden Globe Award nominee for Best Foreign Language film (1998), and Michael Apted’s latest documentary projects INSPIRATIONS and ME & ISAAC NEWTON, the latter of which debuted at the 1999 Toronto International Film Festival. Clear Blue Sky Productions has also partnered with WGBH-TV in Boston to produce an eight-hour series on evolution, under the creative direction of Paula Apsell (NOVA) and executive producer Richard Hutton. At the 2000 Cannes International Film Festival, CBSP announced a multi-year development and production deal with Killer Films, founded by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, the creative force behind such critically-acclaimed projects as BOYS DON’T CRY, SAFE, KIDS and HAPPINESS. Visit Clear Blue Sky Productions on the Web at clearblueskyfilms.com.
Charles Schuerhoff of CS Associates is handling foreign distribution. Co-executive producers are Henri M. Kessler, David Peipers and Ezra Swerdlow. OFFLINE Entertainment Group is represented by Steve Glick and Paul Nagle at William Morris Agency. John Sloss of Sloss Law Office helped to broker the deal.
| Contact Information |
OFFLINE Entertainment Group
Belinda Clasen,
Clear Blue Sky Productions
Jason J. Hunke,
|
|
|
|
|
|