POKER JUNKIES
Written by Mars Callahan
Mars
Callahan - Writer / Producer
The greatest assets of any company are its personnel. The Big Sky Motion Pictures’ C.E.O., Mars Callahan, is a living testament to that, having written, directed and packaged three films by the time he was twenty-eight years old. Callahan also independently created “Poolhall Junkies” starring Academy Award Winners, Christopher Walken, and Rod Steiger as well as Academy Award Nominee, Chazz Palminteri. The critically acclaimed film was nominated for best sports movie at the 2003 ESPY Awards. In 2007, Callahan wrote, starred in and directed “What Love Is”, also starring Academy Award Winner, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sean Astin, Matthew Lillard, Anne Heche, Gina Gershon, and Tamala Jones. Most recently Callahan wrote directed and produced “Spring Break ‘83” starring John Goodman, Jamie Kennedy, Morgan Fairchild and Lee Majors. As an actor, Callahan has appeared in films with some of the top box office stars in Hollywood, including Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Liv Tyler, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, James Garner and Martin Short.
T.V.
(acting): “The Wonder Years”.
“Cagney and Lacey”, “Growing Pains”,
“The Facts of Life”, “ER”
Film (acting): “Kalifornia”,
“The Accidental Tourist”, “That
Thing You Do”
Film (directing): “The Red
Bag”, “Double Down”, “Poolhall
Junkies”, “What Love Is”
Rand
Chortkoff - Executive Producer
& Music Supervisor
Rand Chortkoff’s innovative approach to motion picture financing and production as well as music development, acquisition, production and supervision has made him one of the most highly sought-after executive producers of independent film and music in the world. Mr. Chortkoff has financed and produced seven films in the past six years, including most recently What Love Is, starring Cuba Gooding Jr., Anne Heche, Gina Gershon, Sean Astin and Matthew Lillard and Spring Break ’83, staring John Goodman, Jamie Kennedy, Morgan Fairchild and Lee Majors. In addition, Mr. Chortkoff has also produced many of the most critically acclaimed Blues and Roots albums of the past decade, continuing to collect nominations at the annual Blues Music Awards each year by the dozens, including nominations for BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR at the 2009 Blues Music Awards and BLUES ALBUM OF THE YEAR at the 2008 Grammys. Considered one of the foremost authorities on Blues and Roots music, founder and C.E.O. of Delta Groove Music, the world’s premiere Blues label, and Eclecto Groove Records, his newest venture into the main stream music market, Mr. Chortkoff, continues to tour the globe promoting, producing and performing at some of the biggest Blues and Roots festivals and live concerts on the planet, including The Netherlands, France, Italy, Canada, Spain, as well as major festivals and concerts across the United States. In 2009, Mr. Chortkoff’s record label Delta Groove was honored with a prestigious K.B.A. (Keeping The Blues Alive) award by the Blues Foundation..
John
Hermansen - Producer
John Hermansen has produced over 250 episodes of network television and five feature length motion pictures. After earning degrees in film and public relations from Iona College, John attended New York University and then went on to work directly for director Tim Burton on the film Ed Wood. John has also worked with directors Jodi Foster, Peter Yates, Barry Levinson, Christopher Guest, and James Cameron, leading to him becoming one of the youngest members to be accepted into the Director’s Guild of America. He began working as an assistant director on such notable studio films as Con Air, The Crucible, Almost Heroes, Waiting for Guffman, Home for the Holidays, as well as a myriad of independent features. In the year 2000, John founded his own television company and went on to produce over 250 episodes of network television including MTV’s #1 hit show Taildaters (over 130 episodes), MTV’s Burned, GSN’s Vegas Weddings Unveiled & Ballbreakers, The Style Networks’ Ultimatum, and VH1’s Love Songs: SOS. John then went on to produce such notable feature films as Poolhall Junkies, starring Mars Callahan, Christopher Walken, Chazz Palminteri, Rod Steiger and Rick Schroeder, Kickin’ It Old Skool, starring Jamie Kennedy and Michael Rosenbaum, Gray Matters starring Heather Graham, Bridget Moynahan, Tom Cavanaugh, and Sissy Spacek and What Love Is starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Matthew Lillard, Gina Gershon, Anne Heche, Sean Astin and Mars Callahan. In 2008, Hermansen teamed up with Callahan yet again to produce their third feature film together Spring Break ’83 starring John Goodman, Jamie Kennedy, Morgan Fairchild and Lee Majors as well as their second television series Casting Call which looks to become the new American Idol.
George Bours - Producer
Bours worked as Director of Audio Services for Crest Digital Media for the past 18 years, supervising the completion of hundreds of titles for domestic/foreign theatrical film, DVD, TV and radio markets. His clients have included Buena Vista, Warner Bros., Dreamworks SKG, Anchor Bay and other major studios, working on titles such as Robert De Niro's A Bronx Tale, Michael Mann's Manhunter and The Last of the Mohicans, Ron Howard's Far and Away and Apollo 13, Wim Wender's The American Friend and Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and his Dream. He has also worked on various titles with Dennis Hopper, Werner Herzog, Wes Craven and Peter Fonda.
In 1998, Bours first teamed up with writer/director Mars Callahan, producing his critically-acclaimed short film The Red Bag, which they then followed up with Callahan’s first feature, Zig's (a.k.a. Double Down) starring Jason Priestly in 2000.
In 2005, Bours founded Take 3 Productions which has collaborated on a number of projects including an independent film entitled Absurbia: Four Tales, and a music video for Christopher Guest's recent music project, The Beyman Bros. He also directed a behind-the-scenes documentary for blues artist Rod Piazza's latest album, Rod Piazza and the Mighty Flyers: The Chosen Who Sessions, for Delta Groove Productions. He is currently working on the documentary film Voices of Uganda, featuring Martin Sheen, which follows a theater program working with youths in IDP camps in Uganda.
In 2007, Bours produced his third project with Callahan, the independent feature film What Love Is starring Cuba Gooding, Jr., Sean Astin, Matthew Lillard, Gina Gershon, and Anne Heche. Bours’ knowledge and expertise in the production work-flow as well as his history in video and audio production made him the perfect fit for the technical challenges presented by this film, which was shot in only eight days using four Thomson Viper cameras. In his most recent collaboration with Callahan, Bours finished producing the feature film, Spring Break '83 starring John Goodman and Jamie Kennedy as well as the reality television series Casting Call: Spring Break '83.
Robert Fitzpatrick - Music Supervisor
Robert Fitzpatrick has been well-known and highly respected within the music industry since the 1960s, when he was The Beatles' attorney. He also represented such high-profile artists as The Rolling Stones, The Who, and singer Peggy Lee. Fitzpatrick later joined with entertainment mogul Robert Stigwood to form the management firm Stigwood Fitzpatrick, Inc., and managed such groups as Cream, The Bee Gees, and Taj Mahal, as well as actor Don Johnson among many others. He has also produced for the stage and television, and worked on the soundtracks for films such as "Pulp Fiction," "Remember The Titans," and "The 51st State." He put himself through Princeton University and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, eventually serving as a Captain in Vietnam. After his discharge, Fitzpatrick was accepted into UCLA Law School, where he earned a LLB and a JD degree, and launched his career as an Entertainment Attorney and manager. Prior to joining Eclecto Groove Records & Big Sky Motion Pictures, Fitzpatrick was President and CEO of Vista Ave Entertainment Group, a multi faceted film and music company, RFO Entertainment, a management and production company, and The Robert Fitzpatrick Organization.
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Steven J. Canino
SENIOR PRODUCTION EXECUTIVES
Robert Brown
Jerry Ross
PRODUCTION EXECUTIVES
Bill Cox
Steven Dhanjal
Danny Pape
Yvette Ford
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