Okay, here's the PR
PRESS RELEASE (for immediate release)
Rochester, NY, August 25, 1998---NEW SKY COMMUNICATIONS (OTC:BB:NSKY), in conjunction with its producing partner OWASCO ENTERTAINMENT, announced today that Leonard Shapiro has agreed to serve as Co-Executive Producer of THE HELL CANDIDATE, a theatrical motion picture project currently being developed by NEW SKY and OWASCO.
THE HELL CANDIDATE is based on a novel by Graham Masterton, a well-known British writer of horror and suspense who has written 25 novels.
New Sky and Owasco have obtained an exclusive option on THE HELL CANDIDATE, which tells the story of a U.S. Senator possessed by Satan who is elected President of the United States. New Sky's objective is to obtain financing and produce the film for release around the time of the Presidential election in the year 2000.
Additionally New Sky and Owasco also announced that Leonard Shapiro has been named its worldwide marketing and distribution consultant for all of its projects, including FREAK TALKS ABOUT SEX, starring Steve Zahn and Josh Hamilton which was filmed in 1997 and which is now near completion.
Leonard Shapiro has had extensive experience in the motion picture industry. He is currently an independent production, marketing and acquisition consultant who most recently served as Producer's Representative on MEET WALLY SPARKS (starring Rodney Dangerfield) and Executive Producer of TRIGGER HAPPY, starring Richard Dreyfus and Jeff Goldblum).
From 1982 to 1996 Mr. Shapiro was President/CEO of Shapiro Glickenhaus Entertainment (SGE), an independent company with its own foreign sales department and an exclusive arrangement with MCA/Universal Home Video for domestic distribution of SGE's films. Mr. Shapiro supervised production, marketing and distribution of SGE's 14 in-house productions as well as the acquisition and distribution of over 100 motion pictures from outside producers.
For 13 years prior to forming SGE, Mr. shapiro was Vice-President of Film Acquisitions and Marketing Services of AVCO Embassy Pictures. Mr. Shapiro was responsible for the negotiation and acquisition of films for theatrical distribution by the company, and he assisted and advised with respect to theatrical marketing plans. While at Avco Embassy, Mr. Shapiro was responsible for the acquisition of such films as TIME BANDITS, PROM NIGHT, THE EXTERMINATOR, SCANNERS and PHANTASM. He was also involved in the marketing and distribution of over 25 films, including ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, TAKE THIS JOB AND SHOVE IT, THE HOWLING and THE FOG.
Mr. Shapiro, 57 years old, has been a faculty member of UCLA extension for the past 10 years and teaches a class on independent film production and distribution. For 5 years Mr. Shapiro was a member of the Board of Directors of the American Film Market (AFM), an association of over 100 international companies including ABC, NBC, Miramax, New Line Cinema and LIVE Entertainment.
Carl R. Reynolds, President of New Sky Communications, also said that Mr. Shapiro will be actively seeking additional projects in which New Sky may be involved.
"For over 30 years Leonard Shapiro has been in the mainstream of independent motion picture production and marketing," said Carl Reynolds. "We are very pleased to have a person of his experience involved with New Sky as we continue to develop and produce independent motion Pictures."
Leonard Shapiro said that, "THE HELL CANDIDATE,is an extremely timely project and we all view this film as a potential 'event' movie for the year 2000."
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