Network Entertainment Acquires Rights to Andrew McCarthy's Best-selling Memoir Brat: An 80's Story
VANCOUVER, BC, Nov. 2, 2021 /CNW/ - Network Media Group Inc. (TSXV: NTE) (OTC: NETWF) and Network Entertainment Inc. ("Network" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has acquired the rights to Andrew McCarthy's best-selling memoir, Brat: An 80's Story.
Network will adapt the book, which was released earlier this year, into a documentary that Andrew will star in, direct, and produce alongside Brian Liebman from Liebman Entertainment, with Network Entertainment's Derik Murray, Paul Gertz, and Brian Gersh executive producing.
Most people know Andrew McCarthy from his movie roles in Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Weekend at Bernie's, and Less Than Zero, and as a member of Hollywood's Brat Pack. Andrew has long pondered what it has meant to him to be an integral member of this iconic group of movie stars, and
writing the book answered many of the questions that he's wrestled with throughout his life, but it also brought up more. Was being identified as a Brat Packer the worst thing that ever happened to him? Or was it actually the best?
Network's Los Angeles based Executive Producer Brian Gersh shared, "The book explores a defining moment in pop culture through the lens of a charter member of Hollywood's Brat Pack, and we are excited to partner with Andrew as he dives deep into his quest to understand what it has meant to be part of this iconic group of actors."
Brat will follow McCarthy across the country as he goes directly to the source, seeking out other members of the Brat Pack in search of answers. He will meet with other members of the Pack to find out what it has meant to each of them, in their lives and careers, to have been a part of that famed group of stars. He'll reconnect with actors he hasn't seen in years, and discuss the iconic films they made from 1982 to 1989 and learn about their experiences since those days.
"This is a personal journey of discovery," said McCarthy. "It's been pulling at me for years. I need to know if the other members of the Brat Pack have felt like I've felt, or if they've had a different experience entirely."
"Having the opportunity to work alongside Andrew McCarthy and his producing partner, Brian Liebman, to focus our storytelling expertise on such a significant and revolutionary time in pop culture history, is a journey that our entire team at Network is excited about, and further motivates our belief that this film will be embraced by audiences around the world," stated Network's CEO Derik Murray.
Andrew McCarthy is a director, an award-winning travel writer, and — of course—an actor. He made his professional debut at 19 in Class, and has since appeared in dozens of films, including such iconic movies as Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Less Than Zero, and cult favorites Weekend at Bernie's and Mannequin. Andrew has directed nearly 100 hours of television, including The Blacklist, Grace and Frankie, New Amsterdam, Orange is the New Black, and many others. For a dozen years McCarthy served as an editor-at-large with National Geographic Traveler magazine, and he has written for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic, Time, and many others. He was named Travel Journalist of the Year by The Society of American Travel Writers and served as guest editor of the prestigious Best American Travel Writing anthology. McCarthy is the author of a travel memoir, The Longest Way Home, and a Young Adult novel Just Fly Away — both New York Times bestsellers.
Network Entertainment is a creatively driven boutique film and television production company that develops, finances, and produces award- winning programming for television networks, streaming digital platforms, and movie audiences around the world. Focused on producing feature documentaries and documentary series, Network celebrates the lives of the world's most iconic personalities and their enduring legacies and dives deep into fascinating and inspiring pop cultural topics from the worlds of music, film, comedy, sports, politics, and business.
Network was shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary for Facing Ali, its first globally distributed feature documentary, on the life of Muhammad Ali. The Company followed this success with the critically acclaimed I Am Bruce Lee, which garnered the highest ratings for a documentary in the history of Viacom and inspired the creation of Network's signature I AM brand, a series of premium, intimate feature documentaries that now includes 14 completed films.
Other recent releases include the electric four-part docu-series PUNK, executive produced by legendary fashion designer John Varvatos and punk pioneer Iggy Pop which made its U.S. premiere on EPIX; The Age of A.I., an eight-part series in partnership with host and executive producer Robert Downey Jr., which launched on YouTube Originals and has attracted 45 million views and counting; and I Am Patrick Swayze, which became the highest- rated documentary on U.S. cable TV when it was released, premiering to an audience of over two million viewers. Network also recently announced a partnership with MRC Non-Fiction to produce a feature documentary on groundbreaking artist Sly Stone, which will be directed by four-time Grammy and Sundance Film Festival winner Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and executive produced by Oscar and Emmy award-winner Common.
McCarthy is represented by ICM Partners and Liebman Entertainment. Network is represented by ICM Partners.
For additional information on Network Entertainment Inc., visit www.networkentertainment.ca
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Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking Information
Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These statements are necessarily based upon management's perceptions, beliefs, assumptions and expectations, as well as a number of specific factors and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management of the Company as of the date of such statements are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and contingencies that could result in the forward-looking information ultimately, perhaps materially, being incorrect. All forward-looking information in this news release involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are beyond the control of the Company and may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Except as required pursuant to applicable securities laws, the Company will not update these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.
SOURCE Network Entertainment Inc.
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