Category: Industry Work

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Ketchup Entertainment & Bridge Independent Ink Digital Deal

From Deadline.com. Click here for the full story.

EXCLUSIVE: Straight Outta Compton producer Bill Straus’ newly relaunched sales outfit Bridge Independent and indie distributor-financier Ketchup Entertainmentare teaming on a digital distribution pipeline for select titles from Bridge’s indie slate. The plan is to distribute 5-10 titles a year with a marketing push.

As a former executive at New Line, Straus in 2012 founded New York-based BGP Film, where he has repped recent pics including Darling, Buzzard, Through A Lens Darkly and Sweaty Betty.

“As Ketchup continues to expand its U.S. distribution business we are excited to partner with Bridge Independent,” said Stephen Stanley, Ketchup’s Head of Distribution and Acquisitions. “Bill Straus has repeatedly shown extraordinary vision in finding smart, commercial, and forward looking independent films and we’re excited to formalize an already great working relationship.” Continue reading “Ketchup Entertainment & Bridge Independent Ink Digital Deal”

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This Is Not A Club to premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival

I couldn’t be more proud that This Is Not A Club will make its festival premiere at Newport Beach Film Fest!   The doc features Chris Pine narrating and tells the story of an amazing group of young people competing in high school Speech Club (also known as Forensics to those of you back home in the South).   Here’s a clip from the film:

This is Not a Club: Clip 1 from Ari Levinson on Vimeo.

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Ketchup, Altitude form Pact

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From Screen Daily Via IMDB:

Altitude to distribute Ketchup titles across UK home ent, pay TV and free TV windows.

Ketchup Entertainment has formed a distribution partnership with UK sales and distribution outfit Altitude Film Entertainment, which will see the latter distribute Ketchup titles across home ent, pay TV and free TV in the UK.

The deal was negotiated by Gareth West and Stephen Stanley, head of acquisitions, on behalf of Ketchup and by Will Clarke and Andy Mayson on behalf of Altitude Film Entertainment. Continue reading “Ketchup, Altitude form Pact”

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Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘The Love Punch’

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From Brian Brooks, Deadline.com

The Love Punchlovepunch
Director-writer: Joel Hopkins
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson, Tuppence Middleton, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie, Marisa Berenson
Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment

Ketchup first had a taste of The Love Punch at the 2012 AFM. The comedy revolves around a divorced couple who scheme to recover the retirement money that was stolen from them. “Even at the promo stage, it had great chemistry,” said Ketchup’s Stephen Stanley. “It then premiered in Toronto and we closed the deal.” Stanley said that the older demographs are the natural fit for The Love Punch, though, they hope it will break out. “The film had the elements we like. It’s a commercial film with great actors,” added Stanley. Continue reading “Specialty B.O. Preview: ‘The Love Punch’”

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VARIETY: Soccer Doc ‘Next Goal Wins’ Gets U.S. Distribution

From Variety:

Ketchup Entertainment has acquired U.S. rights to soccer documentary “Next Goal Wins,” the directorial debut of Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, and plans a spring theatrical release.

K5 Intl. is selling “Next Goal Wins” at Berlin. It recently struck theatrical distribution deals with Icon (U.K.), Bodega (France), Madman (Australia), Asmik (Japan) and Falcon (Middle East).

Kristian Brodie produced for Archer’s Mark and Agile Films. The movie follows the fortunes of the American Samoan soccer team, which had not won a game in more than a decade, and the arrival of eccentric Dutch coach Thomas Rongen.

Ketchup CEO Gareth West stated, “With the World Cup happening this year, I am delighted to bring this very timely doc to American audiences.”

The deal was negotiated by West and Stephen Stanley with WME’s Christine D’Souza.

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Deadline: Ketchup Ent. Acquires U.S. Rights To David Hayter-Helmed ‘Wolves’

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From Deadline.com

EXCLUSIVE: Ketchup Entertainment today acquired U.S. distribution rights on Wolves, the action thriller that marks the feature directorial debut of X-Men and Watchmen scribe David Hayter. Written by Hayter, the film stars X-Men: First Class‘ Lucas Till, Watchmen‘s Stephen McHattie, and Game Of Thrones‘ Jason Momoa. Copperheart Entertainment’s Steve Hoban produced with makeup effects by Oscar-winning creature designers Dave Elsey and Lou Elsey. Till plays a high school student who witnesses the brutal murder of his parents, and finds himself turning into a savage wolf. He is thrust between two warring wolf packs fighting for control of Lupine Ridge.  Merritt Patterson and John Pyper-Ferguson round out the cast. The film will be released this summer.

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The film was funded by Copperheart Entertainment, TF1 International and Telefilm Canada. Ketchup’s West and acquisitions head Stephen Stanley negotiated with UTA Independent Film Group and exec producer Benedict Carver on the deal. Continue reading “Deadline: Ketchup Ent. Acquires U.S. Rights To David Hayter-Helmed ‘Wolves’”

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Deadline.com: Specialty B.O. Preview – ‘Big Sur’

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From Deadline.com:

Big Sur
Director-writer: Michael Polish
Writers: Jack Kerouac (novel)
Cast: Jean-Marc Barr, Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Anthony Edwards, Balthazar Getty
Distributor: Ketchup Entertainment

In the third Beat Generation film to come out in the past year or so, Big Sur recounts Kerouac’s three sojourns to a cabin in California’s Big Sur, owned by poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti. “We first saw Big Sur at Sundance and were immediately impressed with what a beautiful, intimate and lyrical movie Michael Polish had assembled,” said Ketchup Entertainment’s Stephen Stanley. “The strong ensemble cast (Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucas, Radha Mitchell, Balthazar Getty, Anthony Edwards, and a breakout performance by Jean-Marc Barr) gave us confidence it could perform across multiple platforms.” Continue reading “Deadline.com: Specialty B.O. Preview – ‘Big Sur’”

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LA Shorts Fest 2013 Jury Announced

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I’m excited to serve as a juror, and feel like I’m in fine company!

From LA Shorts, the 2013 Jury:

JURY

Derek Connolly | Screenwriter
Derek Connolly is currently writing Second Act for Alexander Payne’s company Ad Hominem and Fox Searchlight, which is his first solo project since winning the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Safety Not Guaranteed.  The film was released by FilmDistrict.   Derek is also co-writing Jurassic Park 4 with Colin Trevorrow for Universal Pictures.   He co-wrote Intelligent Life for Big Beach Films, and also co-wrote Flight of the Navigator and Hank with Colin, both at Disney.  He spent a year writing for Pixar in the Bay Area before moving back to Los Angeles.  Derek grew up in Miami before attending film school at NYU.

Stephen Stanley | Ketchup Enterainment
Stephen Stanley has a broad background in independent film finance and distribution. He is currently Head of Acquisitions at US Distributor Ketchup Entertainment, where he has overseen the development of the company’s initial slate.   Prior to joining Ketchup, he spent five years at The Gersh Agency working within Gersh’s Film Finance and Distribution division, where he assisted in the sale of a diverse array of titles and helped to package and structure multiple features.  Stephen received an MFA in Film and Television Production from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2007. Continue reading “LA Shorts Fest 2013 Jury Announced”

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Variety: ‘Linsanity’ Documentary Gets Distribution (EXCLUSIVE)

From Variety: 

Ketchup Entertainment has acquired Evan Jackson Leong’s “Linsanity” and will release the documentary on Oct. 4.

The Jeremy Lin doc, which premiered at Sundance, will launch in Boston, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco along with 10 to 15 other cities.

Film follows Lin’s life from his childhood in Palo Alto, Calif., to his meteoric ascent to stardom in early 2012 with the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Assn., giving rise to the term “Linsanity.” The film was an official selection at South by Southwest this year and screens Wednesday at the opening night of the Asian American International Film Festival at Asia Society in New York City.

The project was financed by 408 Films, and produced by Christopher Chen/Endgame Entertainment, Brian Yang/408 Films and Allen Lu. “Linsanity” started filming in 2010, while Lin was a relatively unknown basketball player at Harvard University.

Justin Chang of Variety gave the film a positive review:  “An example of long-term documentary filmmaking paying off in ways few could have anticipated, ‘Linsanity’ energetically recounts Jeremy Lin’s astonishing rise to NBA stardom.”

Ketchup Entertainment will partner with ARC Entertainment on the release of the film. Stephen Stanley of Ketchup negotiated the deal with Nick Ogiony and Dan Steinman of CAA, Gregory Schenz at Endgame Entertainment and Helen Dooley at Williams & Connolly.