For Immediate Release, Please
"PAPER CHASERS" BEING FINANCED BY NEXT WAVE FILMS SANTA MONICA, CA - June 14, 2000 - The Independent Film Channel's Next Wave Films today announced that it is financing "Paper Chasers", a non-fiction feature currently in production. Being directed by Maxie Collier, "Paper Chasers" is the first feature to fully explore the world of hip-hop entrepreneurs. The picture is the second digital feature to receive production financing through Next Wave Films' new digital production arm Agenda 2000. According to Next Wave Films' president Peter Broderick, "We are very excited to be financing 'Paper Chasers', which examines the emergence of entrepreneurship in the international hip-hop community. Maxie Collier and his talented team bring real passion and great digital expertise to the project. They are using digital tools at every stage of the process to reveal how these creative entrepreneurs are taking care of business." Collier adds, "After coming across an assortment of wack Hollywood offers, Next Wave Films stepped forward with a deal that is completely in line with our entrepreneurial and artistic vision for 'Paper Chasers.' I'm happy to be doing business with them." "Paper Chasers" is following Collier and his close-knit, seven member production crew as they travel across the United States in an RV, interviewing hip-hop business owners and executives at all levels of success, the full gamut from hungry upstarts to old school veterans. The crew kicked off production May 6th in Las Vegas at Black Entertainment Television's (BET) 20th Anniversary event, where they taped interviews with rapper Rah Digga, rapper/executive Chuck D, producer Jermaine Dupri, actor Jamie Foxx, clothing designer Karl Kani, actor/director Bill Duke, and the legendary James Brown, amongst others. "Paper Chasers" is director Maxie Collier's third feature project. He previously co-produced the award-winning film, "Detention". His directorial debut, "Hacks", will be available on home video in the fall of 2000. Collier is a digital video enthusiast who in October of 1998 launched The DV Filmmaker's Website (www.dvfilmmaker.com), and later self-published The DV Filmmaker's Handbook, currently a leading educational text on digital filmmaking. In conjunction with the documentary, Collier and his production team will be launching ThePaperChasers.com (www.thepaperchasers.com), a business-to-business website devoted to connecting hip-hop entrepreneurs worldwide. "With 'Paper Chasers' we're studying successful hip-hop entrepreneurs and using the film and website to share the lessons we learn along the way," says Collier. Agenda 2000 is utilizing digital technologies to expand opportunities for established as well as emerging independent filmmakers. Next Wave Films (www.nextwavefilms.com) has been at the forefront of the Digital Revolution. Broderick and his colleagues Mark Stolaroff and Tara Veneruso have been giving presentations about the benefits of DV production at festivals worldwide, including Sundance, Cannes, Toronto, and Rotterdam. Broderick notes that "With our digital allies, resources, and expertise, Next Wave Films is well-equipped to finance provocative DV features. Agenda 2000 is empowering digital pioneers to blaze trails that many others will follow." Next Wave Films was created by the Independent Film Channel to help launch the careers of exceptionally talented new filmmakers. In addition to furnishing finishing funds to outstanding, low-budget, English language features, Next Wave Films also provides assistance during post-production, helps filmmakers implement film festival and press strategies, and assists them in finding distribution by serving as a producer's rep. Its films include: Joe Carnahan's "Blood Guts Bullets and Octane", Christopher Nolan's "Following", Ron Judkin's "The Hi-Line", and Julie Money's "Envy". Next Wave Films' involvement with documentaries began with "Sound and Fury" (which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival), and has continued with "Fighter" and "Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale" which are now screening at leading film festivals in the United States and overseas. "Paper Chasers" joins Jordan Melamed's "Manic", currently in production, as the first two features to be financed through Next Wave's digital production arm, Agenda 2000. The Independent Film Channel (IFC), managed and operated by Bravo Networks, is the first channel dedicated to independent film presented 24 hours a day, uncut and commercial-free. The Independent Film Channel, reaching more than 30 million homes on a full-time basis, is the most widely distributed channel dedicated to independent film on television. |