Saskatoon Philanthropist Turns Top Corner Gas: The Movie Kickstarter Prize into Charity Event, Making it the Reward that Keeps On Giving

Overwhelming Fan Response to Corner Gas: The Movie Kickstarter Campaign as Rewards Snapped Up Fast

– Bart Hunter takes top Kickstarter prize – the opportunity to host the private, world-debut screening of Corner Gas: The Movie with Brent Butt – and turns it into a fundraiser for Saskatoon charities on November 24 –
– Campaign introduces two new perks in response to demand from fans and continues to welcome backers over the next 16 days –

To tweet this release: http://bit.ly/cgkickstarterupdate2

TORONTO and SASKATOON, June 2, 2014 /CNW/ - Fan response to Corner Gas: The Movie's Kickstarter campaign has been tremendous.

**Media Note** Download artwork for Corner Gas: The Movie at BellMediaPR.ca.

Today, Prairie Pants Distribution is happy to announce that Saskatoon philanthropist Bart Hunter has snagged the top Kickstarter reward:  the opportunity to host the private, world-debut screening of Corner Gas: The Movie at Cineplex's Galaxy Cinemas Saskatoon with Creator/Star/Writer and Executive Producer Brent Butt in attendance on November 24. Hunter aims to make the private screening a charity event for the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation and for local children's charities through the Cindy and Bart Hunter Endowment Fund by way of the Saskatoon Community Foundation. Plans for the event are currently underway; details will be announced in November. In response to overwhelming demand for more fan engagement, the Executive Producers of CORNER GAS are introducing two new Kickstarter perks including the opportunity to be involved in the film's closing credits and the chance to obtain personalized Jackass videos from CORNER GAS star Eric Peterson (Oscar Leroy).

Bart Hunter, 55, has been a member of the financial services industry since 1993. He is a Director with ScotiaMcLeod and leads The Hunter Financial Group in Saskatoon. From 1975-83, he was a goaltender, beginning his hockey career with the Alberta Junior League and playing professionally with the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals. His father, Bill Hunter, was a founding member of the World Hockey Association, the Western Hockey League and the Edmonton Oilers. Hunter and his wife of 27 years, Cindy Hunter, President of Quantum Capital Corporation, are heavily involved in their local community. Hunter is a board member of Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation, past board member and chair of the Saskatoon Community Foundation, and past president and 25-year member of the Saskatoon Kinsmen Club, among others.

"I'm a big fan of Brent Butt and of CORNER GAS. I think the world premiere of Corner Gas: The Movie is a perfect opportunity to host a client event and raise money for charity, giving back to my community," said Saskatoon philanthropist Bart Hunter.

"I look forward to meeting Bart and supporting this charity event. What a fantastic idea! I think it's pretty awesome that Saskatoon scooped up the world premiere screening. I always thought Saskatoon was cooler than Cannes anyway," quipped Creator/Star/Writer and Executive Producer Brent Butt.

"We look forward to hosting the world premiere screening of Corner Gas: The Movie in Saskatoon," said Pat Marshall, Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations, Cineplex Entertainment. "With Bart Hunter as host, the screening is sure to be a terrific event, benefitting a great cause."

Launched May 20, the 30-day campaign to promote fan engagement and raise funds for once-in-a-lifetime rewards and experiences has support from fans from around the world, including Canada, the US, UK, Europe, Australia and as far afield as Oman, India, China, and Kyrgyzstan. Less than halfway completed, the campaign has doubled its original goal. Top perks are going fast.

Continuing through to June 18, Corner Gas: The Movie's Kickstarter is a fan engagement campaign with the goal to provide once-in-a-lifetime rewards and behind-the-scenes experiences, enhance special and visual effects in the production, fly the cast to Cineplex premieres across Canada, create a behind-the-scenes documentary for the DVD, and maintain the CORNER GAS set in Rouleau, Saskatchewan, as a tourist destination for one year. Fans can access the campaign at cornergasthemovie.com.

Kickstarter pledges to Corner Gas: The Movie range from $5 to $300 for collectable, 'backers-only' items, and from $350 to $8,000 for limited, personalized one-of-a kind experiences. Contributions may be made securely by credit card.

Rewards include a chance for backers to get exclusive 'backers-only' t-shirts, ball caps, posters and DVDs, autographed scripts, rare collectables from the set, voice messages from Brent Butt, VIP tickets to red carpet screenings and two newly introduced perks: personalized Jackass videos by Eric Peterson and a chance to be in the credit sequence of the film.

Eric Peterson, one of the stars of the feature offering Jackass videos as part of the Kickstarter campaign says, "I'm thrilled to be part of this Kickstarter campaign and so very grateful for all the fan support; but it's got me thinking what happens when you combine a Kickstarter with a jackass?  Simple, you get a jack starter ass kick, kick start for a kick-ass funny Corner Gas: The Movie… Jackass…"

Backers can also obtain entry to the Corner Gas Backers' Club, an exclusive, online, all-access backstage pass where they will receive video messages from the cast and crew, interviews with fans that visit the set, the latest behind-the-scenes updates, photos, and footage - from the cast reunion, to the making-of process, to red carpet premieres.

Corner Gas: The Movie begins production in Saskatchewan on June 23, 2014. The 90-minute feature film will be delivered to Canadians as a national event on multiple screens. The film will open with a Cineplex exclusive theatrical debut followed by premieres on The Movie Network, CTV, and The Comedy Network, complemented by a special collector's edition DVD available for purchase before the holidays.

Corner Gas: The Movie is an inter-provincial co-production produced by Corner Gas The Movie (ON) Inc. and Corner Gas The Movie (SK) Inc. in association with CTV, Telefilm Canada, Cineplex Entertainment, Tourism Saskatchewan, Creative Saskatchewan, the Canada Media Fund and Prairie Pants Distribution Inc. CORNER GAS is distributed world-wide by Prairie Pants Distribution Inc.

WEBSITE:

cornergasthemovie.com

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Twitter:
@CornerGas
#CornerGasMovie
@VirginiaTV – Virginia Thompson
@BrentButt – Brent Butt
@MillerGabrielle – Gabrielle Miller
@FredEwanuick – Fred Ewanuick
@janetwstorm – Janet Wright
@LorneCardinal – Lorne Cardinal
@TSpencerNairn – Tara Spencer Nairn

Facebook:
Facebook.com/cornergasthemovie

Instagram:
Brent Butt

About Prairie Pants Distribution
Prairie Pants Distribution Inc. is the world-wide distributor of Corner Gas: The Movie. Owned by CORNER GAS Executive Producers Brent Butt (Sparrow Media), David Storey (Aslan Entertainment) and Virginia Thompson (Vérité Films), Prairie Pants Distribution is responsible for creating, managing and fulfilling the Corner Gas: The Movie Kickstarter Campaign.

About Vérité Films
Vérité Films Inc. is a boutique production company committed to incubating great ideas and championing creative talent. Founded in 1994 by Producer/Series Creator Virginia Thompson and Writer/Director/Series creator Robert de Lint, the company has established a reputation for producing quality prime-time dramas and comedies, as well as children's, youth and family programming — with smash hit successes including: CORNER GAS, INSECURITY, RENEGADEPRESS.COM and INCREDIBLE STORY STUDIO. Vérité has created and produced over 250 episodes of critically acclaimed television that has sold worldwide. The company has won or been nominated for 114 national and international awards including an International Emmy, several Gemini Awards and The Prix Jeunesse. Vérité is developing a dynamic slate of hour-long drama series, half-hour comedies and features for Canadian and world markets. For more information, please visit www.veritefilms.ca.

About Sparrow Media
Sparrow Media Co. is comprised of hard-working, no-nonsense, rough-and-tumble go-getters with a knack for hyphenated phrasing. Brent Butt, the creator, head writer, showrunner, executive producer, and sometime director of the top-rated sitcom in Canadian television history, CORNER GAS, is President and Executive Producer of Sparrow Media. Laura Lightbrown of DA VINCI'S INQUEST and INTELLIGENCE is VP, Business Affairs and Executive Producer. Together they co-executive produced with David Storey, the television comedy series HICCUPS; Butt was also creator, writer, and show runner for the series. They recently co-executive produced the feature film NO CLUE, a comedy noir detective tale written by and starring Brent Butt. Carl Bessai was recently awarded Best Director for NO CLUE at the LAComedyFest. More information is available at sparrowmedia.com.

About Aslan Entertainment
David Storey, an award-winning executive producer, director and show developer, is President of Aslan Entertainment Inc., an independent production company creating quality digital, television and feature entertainment. Best known for co-executive producing and directing the runaway hit television series CORNER GAS, he also co-executive produced and directed Brent Butt's follow-up series HICCUPS. With Pier 21 he co-executive produced the two-part mini-series KEEP YOUR HEAD UP KID: THE DON CHERRY STORY and co-created and directed the Ron James' series BLACKFLY. He also directed THE SEÁN CULLEN SHOW and the standup comedy series COMICS where he worked with some of Canada's best and brightest funny men, including Brent Butt, Ron James and Mark Farrell. Storey is the recipient of six Leos, three Geminis, two Canadian Comedy and two Director's Guild Awards. He is currently in development as Executive Producer on two features, one is a co-production with Vérité Films. More information is available at aslanentertainment.ca.

Image with caption: "Corner Gas: The Movie (CNW Group/Executive Producers, Corner Gas: The Movie)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140602_C2045_PHOTO_EN_2438.jpg

SOURCE: Executive Producers, Corner Gas: The Movie

For further information: Margaret Sirotich, Unit Publicity, 647.466.1746 or [email protected]