Brainstorm Media Launches SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Meyer Shwarzstein, President of Brainstorm Media, today announced that the company is launching SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT (www.IndieDocs.net), a new model for distributing documentaries.  Attention from the theatrical exhibition is meant to generate awareness and conversation, and the availability of the films via Video on Demand will allow that conversation to be conducted in living rooms across the country.

After the screenings, filmmakers, speakers and personalities will engage with the audience and be available for a Q & A.  Those discussions will be filmed and distributed via the SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT social network (http://something2talk.ning.com/), where people will be encouraged to continue to their dialogue and connections.

Non-profits will also be involved with the events and the movies. "Docs are great tools to raise money and awareness for non-profits," says Brainstorm Media president, Meyer Shwarzstein.  "Movies make ideas accessible.  We're not talking about documentaries that require a master's degree to watch; these movies convey a feeling, they portray people who are inspiring. It's great to work with this group of filmmakers. They're just as dedicated as their subjects."  

The first movie to be released under the SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT banner is Terry Bradshaw Presents Hurricane Season: Walking on Dead Fish, a compelling and touching film about a small-town high school football team forced to adopt players from twenty rival high schools after their schools were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Season will be presented in association with the Katrina Wildcat Scholarship Fund, a non-profit started by the filmmaker to raise money for college scholarships. "I'm honored to be the first film in this incredible field of documentaries," says filmmaker .  "SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT is a great platform for filmmakers like myself to get the film out, get the word out, and to reach new audiences."

Coming in March and April are two documentaries that encourage people to "grow your own".  Food Fight, the story of the birth of the local food movement, features famous foodies; Alice Waters, Wolfgang Puck, Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, and Suzanne Goin.  Revolution Green has changed people's minds about bio-diesel.  Narrated by Woody Harrelson, it tells the story of mavericks Bob and Kelly King and features biodiesel supporter Willie Nelson.

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT will be launched at the landmark Majestic Crest Theater in Los Angeles.  "The Crest is a historic, lavish theatre and really takes you back in time to a day where seeing a movie was not just an ordinary experience, but an event," noted owner Robert Bucksbaum.  "We feel that this is a great partnership that will inform and inspire audiences and enhance the cinematic diversity of what we offer."

To bring the films to the broadest possible audience, Brainstorm will make the movies available via Video on Demand on a day-and-date basis.  The major VOD providers have agreed to support the program, whether they connect to the home via cable, telephone, satellite or the Internet.

SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT will also be available to schools, churches and other organizations. Loyola Productions has signed on to market educational DVD's to Catholic schools, universities and parishes.  Father Eddie Siebert, President of Loyola says, "LPI is thrilled to be working with the team at Brainstorm Media, bringing these informative and entertaining documentaries to a wider audience.  Our goal as a media company is to tell stories that matter, and that's what SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT will do!"

"SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT is like a book club, but without the book or the club," says Shwarzstein.  "Buy a ticket and all you need to bring is your opinion."

"It's amazing how many good films are out there.  I'm grateful to people like Peter Broderick who've brought them to my attention,"  Shwarzstein continued.

"SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT is an innovative way to brand quality documentaries and make them available across the full spectrum of distribution," said independent film guru Peter Broderick. "Meyer combines decades of experience in television distribution with a passion for exceptional independent films and real excitement about new ways to bring them into the world."

About the films:

Franklin Martin's Hurricane Season is a heart-felt documentary about a small-town high school football team forced to adopt players from 20 rival high schools after their schools are destroyed by the powerful floods of Katrina. The unlikely teammates learn to put their differences aside to become a team. In doing so they uplift the spirit of a broken community.

Chris Taylor's Food Fight looks at how American agricultural policy and food culture developed in the 20th century, and how mavericks in California rebelled against big agribusiness to launch the local organic food movement.

Stephen Strout's Revolution Green profiles Bob and Kelly King, who pioneered a waste-to-energy process that created America's first retail biodiesel pump and refinery.  Their work inspired Willie Nelson and, together, they are bringing their ideas and the technology to the countryside…and to the big cities.

Brainstorm Media

Founded in 1995, Brainstorm Media is the largest independent aggregator of feature films for Video on Demand and television in the United States. The company manages a library of hundreds of movies and its clients have included Lions Gate, Blockbuster, BMG, The Samuel Goldwyn Company, and Magnolia Pictures.  The company also develops and produces feature films, documentaries and series.

Loyola Productions

Loyola Productions, Incorporated (LPI), is a nonprofit creative media company that builds on the 450-year-old Jesuit tradition of effective involvement in the communication arts.  LPI's mainstream films and TV series grapple with real-world issues, always focusing on the most compelling human stories - stories that entertain while touching minds and hearts.  LPI's award-winning documentaries, promotional films and instructional videos reflect the Jesuit commitment to education and social justice.

SOURCE Brainstorm Media