“MAYA ANGELOU: THE PEOPLE’S POET,” the feature doc being produced by Media Process Group’s Bob Hercules and Keith Walker, will air on PBS’ “American Masters” when it is completed next February.
“Maya” is the first-ever doc made about the great writer and champion of Civil Rights, Women’s Rights and the Arts Movement. Angelou also amazingly wrote 65 TV shows and 14 movies, directed and acted in them for 50 years.
To complete the film, MPG has a Kickstarter campaign going to raise $150,000 to pay for vast archival licensing costs and the finishing. Of the $150,000 Kickstarter goal, $50,000 has been pledged, with a deadline of Nov. 30.
To date, the project has received two grants — a $100,000 grant from the Independent Television Service and a $70,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Hercules is co-directing with award-winning producer/author and Maya Angelou specialist Rita Coburn Whack.
EPs are Marquetta Glass of MGS Marketing Innovations and casting director/producer Reuben Cannon. MPG’s Walker is DP.
NEW OWNER of agency Marc USA is Memphis-based Eastport Holdings, LLC, a network of agencies and media business. Marc chairman Tony Bucci says that nothing changes at Marc Management. No jobs will be lost, nor will there be changes at Marc’s Chicago office at 325 N. LaSalle, nor at its Pittsburgh, Miami and Boston offices. Chicago clients include DePaul University, Rite-Aid Pharmacy, TrueValue and Navistar.
ZANDRA RIVERA’S MAINSTREAM MEDIA has partnered with Miami-based Estella Vetrano’s DCV Media to produce an inspirational feature biopic, “Azucar,” about the life and legend of Celia Cruz, the Queen of Salsa, based on the eponymous 2003 novel by Eduardo Murceles.
The project grew out of Rivera and Vetrano’s love for the singer and their mission to celebrate the American Latin culture.
Scheduled to shoot in the fall of 2016, Colin Vaines (“Gangs of New York”) will produce and Grammy-winner Victor Daniel serves as music producer.
“Azucar” is Rivera’s first feature film, although Mainstream Media has produced a variety of shorts.
CAMERA AMBASSADOR, the camera rental company co-owned by Erica Duffy and Brandon Werlin is offering its new Canon C300II for a special introductory rate of $395 a day for a limited time. The new camera has an expanded dynamic range of 15 stops, 4K/2K/HD internal and external recording (including 4K RAW output), improved Dual Pixel CMOS Autofocus, and dual CFast card slots.
Camera Ambassador is located at 2425 W. 14th St. (a few blocks south of Cinespace Studios); phone 773/791-6522.
MOXIE PICTURES OF NEW YORK was scheduled to shoot Season 3 of reality TV show “Arranged,” for the SyFy Network in Chicago a couple of weeks ago. A casting call went out seeking engaged couples in the area whose marriages were arranged for them by their families and were planning to wed soon.
But alas, no such couples answered the casting call, so the Moxie crew headed back to New York and will search for candidates in other markets.
ABELCINE’S CHICAGO LEARNING CENTER held its official Open House Saturday in its unique showroom, community and educational space at Cinespace Studios. See who attended on ReelChicago’s Photo Booth HYPERLINK
SEND NEWS of your company’s projects, personnel, prizes and everything else to ruth@reelchicago.com, or phone 312/274-9980. Items welcome from everyone.
