Producer
OLIMPIA LUCENTE served as co-producer on FRANCESCO LUCENTE'S first short film, THIS OLD MAN" which had a successful run on television and PAY TV.
OLIMPIA co-wrote the screenplay and co-produced the teenage comedy, THE VIRGIN QUEEN OF ST. FRANCIS HIGH released worldwide in 1987. The film starred: Joseph R. Straface (SUPERMAN III), Stacy Christensen (STORM), and J.T. Wotton (SUPERMAN III).
OLIMPIA co-produced the motion picture drama, THE INNER VOICE, in 1992. It premiered at the HENRI LANGLOIS FILM AND TELEVISION FESTIVAL in TOURS, FRANCE.
OLIMPIA has co-written the motion picture adventure, THE CHALLENGE, based on the true account of Buffalo Bill's life, with Francesco Lucente and Franco Ferrini (Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA).
OLIMPIA has co-written the motion picture thriller, FIRST YOU DREAM, THEN YOU DIE, a retelling of famed writer Cornel Woolrich's life, with Francesco Lucente and Enrico Medioli (Academy Award Nominee for Luchino Visconti's THE DAMNED) and Franco Ferrini (Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA).
Producer
JÖRG G. NEUMANN is making his producing debut with BADLAND. In 1985 he established the COPEX-Group to provide a full range of corporate and trust services for private individuals and corporate clients to achieve their short, medium and long term objectives and maximize their profitability and benefits.
JÖRG hopes to continue producing motion picture and television projects following the release of BADLAND.
Executive Producer
As Head of Development, Producer and Executive Producer, CLAUDIA DUMMER-MANASSE has been working in the motion picture and television industry since her first feature film MONTY MAD RAT. For several years she worked as a Producer for different TV Networks in Germany.
During her tenure at Cologne, Studios MMC Independent, CLAUDIA was involved in such successful motion pictures as THE FABULOUS WORLD OF AMELIE POULAIN (nominated for an Academy Award in the category of "Best Foreign Film") and THE KING IS DANCING.
CLAUDIA is currently developing several different motion pictures either as a Creative or Executive Producer. She is also expecting to establish a new Production Company and a European-based International Sales Company with affiliates in London, Paris and Munich.
Executive Producer
JOSEPH BITONTI worked as a photo-journalist for several years after graduating from college with a Journalism degree.
JOSEPH was born in Italy and immigrated to Canada with his parents at an early age. Unable to communicate because of the language barrier, he started drawing pictures to explain what he was saying. As a result he developed an extraordinary ability to tell great stories. It won him praise and friends quickly.
JOSEPH began writing fiction and non-fiction seriously during his high school days as the editor of the school paper. He developed a knack for taking the most unusual photographs and writing interesting, albeit sometimes fictitious, scenarios around them. He won numerous awards and accolades for what he termed his "photo-stories". This experience led to his interest in motion picture cinematography and screenwriting. He felt the format was a wonderful way of combining his two loves, writing and photography.
In 1985 he was co-cinematographer and co-producer on FRANCESCO LUCENTE'S first independent feature film THE VIRGIN QUEEN OF SAINT FRANCIS HIGH.
In 1986 he started writing screenplays and continued to work as a still photographer.
In 1995 he wrote the screenplay THE INNER VOICE which was produced and directed in 1991 by FRANCESCO LUCENTE. He also served as Co-Executive Producer. His other screenplays include, GUILTY CONSCIENCE, AQUARIUS ALIGNMENT, STARBRIGHT, and THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD.
Executive Producer
GORDON GUIRY has been a corporate film industry executive for over 40 years managing companies such as Astral Films, The Shannock Corporation and TVA International. He is currently corporate director and film industry consultant with various media companies in North America.
Throughout his career as a key Canadian distributor, GORDON has managed important theatrical and video film distribution companies as well as international sales. In particular, as President of Astral Films, he negotiated the acquisition and distribution of numerous film products and coordinated the distribution of films from 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures and Tri Star Pictures products in Canada.
Following Astral, he was involved as President of a major Canadian video corporation based on the west coast. This corporation generated sales in video and DVD in excess of eighty million dollars.
GORDON is now involved in the field of international co-productions, financing, national and international distribution, film evaluation including film library evaluation for different financial institutions and companies. He is a member of the advisory committee of FRV Media International Inc., a Montreal based company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is a corporate director of FRV Media.
In addition to heading delegations and companies at national and international festivals, trade shows and film markets, he has also been a guest speaker at numerous industry activities and functions in Canada and abroad. He was also appointed by the Canadian minister of Communications as a member of the Task Force on the Canadian Film Industry.
GORDON has maintained during his career, close friendship and working relationship with many film directors and producers, in particular, over the last fifteen years, with FRANCESCO LUCENTE.
Executive Producers
Hand Picked Films principals MICHEL SHANE and ANTHONY ROMANO have established themselves as two of the motion picture industry's premier independent producers.
Hand Picked Films recently completed production on I, ROBOT starring Will Smith, released by 20th Century Fox, which smashed box office records when the film grossed over $50 million in its opening weekend. I, ROBOT is based on a script they developed at Disney in 1995, entitled Hardwired by Jeff Vintar and inspired by the story written by Isaac Asimov. Announced in January of 2006 is the development of the sequel I, ROBOT II staring Will Smith.
The team has also executive produced Steven Spielberg's award winning CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, starring Leonardo Di Caprio, Tom Hanks, Martin Sheen and Christopher Walken. Romano and Shane worked aggressively developing the project since acquiring the rights to the book in 1990. Collectively, I, ROBOT and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN have grossed nearly one billion dollars.
Other producing credits include Paramount Classic's NORTH FORK, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival starring James Woods, Nick Nolte, Claire Forlani, Peter Coyote and Daryl Hannah, as well as STEALING TIME starring Scott Foley and featuring Jennifer Garner.
A graduate of Canada's McGill University, Shane attended law school for two years before deciding on a career in the entertainment business. Shane is currently teaching film finance and production at UCLA as well. He frequently is a moderator and guest lecturer on how to use incentives to help produce films. He is recognized as an expert in the field.
Romano began working on Wall Street at a very young age and helped take a number of companies' public including Fuji Photo and Sony's Superscope before setting his sights on character acting and, more recently, producing.
Associate Producers
Based out of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and operated by PETER G. HORN and JULIE MITCHELL, Pekisko Creek Productions Inc. specializes in Location Scouting, Locations Management, and Unit Management for Film, Television and Commercials.
Well established as a site support provider in the Special Events industry in the 1980's, Peter and his company moved into film with a contract in 1991 with Warner Bros. to work on Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven. After completing the major part of the shoot in Alberta, the film went on to win 4 Academy Awards. Over the next five years Peter and the crew of Pekisko Creek Productions went on to supply services and personnel for many TV Movies, Documentaries and Feature Films.
In 1996 Peter was admitted to the Directors Guild of Canada and focused exclusively on Location Scouting and Locations Management. He went on to positions as Assistant Locations Manager on such projects as Changing Places for a British Television network, The Jack Bull for HBO, Crossfire Trail for TNT and Snow Day for Paramount.
In 2000 Peter served as Assistant Unit Production Manager for the Feature Film John Q with Denzel Washington. Also that year Peter was Locations Manager on After The Harvest and received a DGC National Award for this project.
Most recently Peter and Julie have scouted for, and Peter served as Locations Manager on the following television and feature film projects: Lazarus Child – feature film, Into The West—Episode 1, TNT mini-series, White Palms – feature Film, Katapult Films, Hungary; Open Range – feature film, Kevin Costner and Touchstone Pictures; Broken Trail - Robert Duvall and AMC Mini-Series. They are currently scouting and prepping for Passchendale, a WW I epic Feature.