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World Premiere of

JOFFREY: MAVERICKS OF AMERICAN DANCE

four years of work, Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance had its World Premiere at the opening night of the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center in New York. The first screening on January 28th sold out and was simulcast in almost 50 other theatres around the country.

The Chicago Premiere on February 18th sold out as well. There was a lovely panel discussion afterward with Bob Hercules, Charthel Arthur, Hedy Weiss, Harriet Ross and Herb Migdoll. Thanks to everyone who attended and sup-ported the film.

Joffrey was directed by Bob Hercules, produced by Jay Alix, Harold Ramis, Una Jackman, and Erica Mann Ramis, and edited by Melissa Sterne. DP’s were Keith Walker and Michael Swanson. Original music was written by Mark Bandy. For more information about upcoming screenings, or to order a DVD, visit www.joffreymovie.com.

You can also follow Joffrey on and

After

Chicago Panel L to R: Harriet Ross, Hedy Weiss, Charthel Arthur, Herbert Migdoll, and Bob Hercules

New York Panel

Rapt audience at New York Premiere

Haiti, India, Hawaii, LA:

KEITH AND MIKE MISS AN ENTIRE CHICAGO WINTER

Keith Walker and Mike Swanson have had a very toasty winter shooting various episodes for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Net-work. They traveled to Haiti in December to shoot the courageous humanitarian efforts of actor Sean Penn for Oprah’s Next Chapter. Freelancers Matt Vogel and Rich Pooler han-dled the location sound.

Keith, Mike, Matt, and Rich then flew to India in January for another episode of Next Chap-ter. They traveled to New Delhi and Mumbai to shoot Oprah’s interview with doctor and writer Deepak Chopra.

Mike and Matt then traveled to Hawaii in Feb-ruary to shoot an episode of Next Chapter in which she interviewed authors Ram Dass (Be Here Now) and Wayne Dyer (The Power of Intention).

Mike and Matt went directly from Hawaii to LA where Mike DP’ed a five camera shoot for Oprah’s Oscar Special. Ms. Winfrey inter-viewed Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer from The Help, as well as actor Jonah Hill (Superbad, Get Him to the Greek).

The only thing that comforts the MPG staff left to man the office this winter is the fact that it has been the mildest Chicago winter in recent history.

Mike improvising a dolly shot Keith and Mike shooting Oprah in India

A view of a tent village in Haiti post-earthquake

Mike shooting from a rooftop in Haiti

Photo by Keith Walker

DP’s

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New Feature Documentary in the Works:

THE BILLY TAYLOR STORY

has just wrapped production on a new documentary about former Univer-sity of Michigan star tailback, Billy Taylor. The film, co-directed by Dan Chace and MPG’s Bob Hercules, tells the incredible saga of Taylor, who went from an All-American career at Michigan to living on the streets of Detroit to resurrecting him-self, getting a Ph. D. and starting his own rehab center for recovering addicts and alcoholics.

The film features interviews with Billy Taylor, former Michigan head coach Gary Moeller, current Michigan A.D. Dave Brandon, former All-American Thom Darden and Bo Schembechler biographer John Bacon, among others. It was shot over the course of the winter in Detroit and Ann Arbor by Keith Walker and Mike Swanson. Post production starts in early May here at MPG by freelance editor Ryan Mayers.

MPG

Billy Taylor at his facility, Get Back Up

Bob and Mike at Michigan Stadium

Billy Taylor and Co-Director Dan Chace

Billy Taylor #42

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In the Edit Suites

editor Steve Hullfish will be doing finishing/color correction editing for two weeks in March/April at MPG on Refuge: Stories of the Selfhelp Home, on our Avid Symphony Nitris. The film chronicles Chicago's Selfhelp Home - a retirement home founded by and for refugees fleeing Nazi persecution - as well as the stories of the last generation of residents for whom the home was originally created.

The documentary is produced by Beth Sternheimer and directed by Ethan Bensinger. Ruth Epstein edited the film.

Freelance

Hercules has been shoot-ing and editing a series of webisodes for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. You can watch an interview here with Riccardo Muti, the Music Director for the CSO. http://cso.org/ListenAndWatch/Details.aspx?id=18701

Bob

Executives’ Club of Chi-cago is celebrating their cen-tennial anniversary, and commissioned MPG to make a video looking back on the past century of the Club’s history. Freelance editor Melissa Sterne is spending the month of March finessing the historical footage and epic story into a slick pres-entation for the anniversary event in April.

Lisa Pooler was the Post-Production Producer, Paul Garcia handled graphics, Alex Ensign did the archival research, and it is narrated by Bill Kurtis.

The

Riccardo Muti discussing Carmina Burana

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Events of Note

knew that in the heart of coal country—Appalachian Ohio—there would be an amazing cadre of ‘green’ inventor/entrepreneurs working feverishly to change the way we create energy (thus low-ering our dependence on fossil fuels). Producers Bob Hercules and John McCarthy have uncov-ered just such a story in their documentary, Green Fight in Coal County. The film chronicles the exploits of three teams of new energy entrepreneurs and the struggles they face as they try to take their innovative products to market. Using the innovative Kickstarter crowd-funding site McCarthy and Hercules raised seed money to shoot and edit a fundraising demo reel: http://mediaprocess.com/bob/APPALACHIAN_OHIO.mov

Special thanks to D.P. Mike Swanson, sound recordist Hayden Jackson and Brian Wingert (for letting us use his prime lenses on the shoot). Once additional money is raised McCarthy and Her-cules will continue to follow these stories for over a year.

is thrilled to welcome Free Spirit Media to our home as they moved in to our office this January. We have been a long-time supporter of this amazing organization and Keith Walker is one of their board members. Free Spirit Media provides education, access, and opportunity in media produc-tion to over 500 underserved urban youth every year. We are looking forward to collaborating with Free Spirit as things progress.

For more info go to:http://www.freespiritmedia.org/index.php.

Who

, directed by Bob Hercules and Gordon Quinn, has been screening regularly for South-ern Circuit, a tour of independent filmmakers. Bob recently returned from Georgia and Alabama where the film screened several times. You can find out more about Southern Circuit here:

http://www.southarts.org/site/c.guIYLaMRJxE/b.2011243/k.DDA0/Southern_Circuit__Tour_of_Independent_Filmmakers.htm

has continued shooting for a new docu-mentary currently in production entitled Head Games. Directed by Steve James and edited by David Simpson, the documentary explores head injuries in sports.

booking our crew or edit suites, please contact Lisa Pooler at 312-850-1300 or lisap@mediaprocess.com.

MPG

Keith Walker A Good Man

For

Keith, Je� McCarter of FSM, and Bob at the o�ce

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Jessica Stuart of Long Story Short Media. Her video “Aids at 30” for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatrics Aid Foundation won a Silver Telly Award! You can watch the powerful piece here: http://jessica-stuart.com/what/246/aids-at-30

Congratulations