DJ Perry and Shane Hagedorn on the set of ASHES OF EDEN

As we mentioned last time, CDI closed 2012 by wrapping the filming of an associated project ASHES OF EDEN. Post-production is moving smoothly. Check out the teaser here for a glimpse at what’s to come. It was fun filming here in our home state of Michigan. Portland, Ionia, and our home base city of Lansing were all locations and none of them disappointed us in front of or behind the camera.

It looks like 2013 will see our next project also filming right here in Michigan. We’re not ready to say more about it quite yet, but we are starting to look at some casting. Check out the information here under Work with CDI for details.

Another associated project that we hope you’ve been keeping an eye on is LOCKED IN A ROOM. In a test run, this thriller climbed to #12 on Google Play’s horror list. The official release date is March 7, so look for it through your favorite video on demand provider.

We also have a new release date for DARKEST NIGHT. In our last update, we listed it as March 22, 2013 .To accommodate a potential limited theatrical release, it has been pushed to July 24, 2013.

In non-movie news, a huge snow storm–and in some areas blizzard–has been making its way across the country. The local weather underestimated how much we would get, and this morning the ground was covered with a fresh fluffy blanket. If you have some (or a lot!) hopefully you are staying warm, driving safe, and maybe even finding some time to play in it. Winter’s going to end before we know it, and then we have another movie to make.

DONORS is just coming out of editing and moving over to sound design music composing. Our own post supervisor Mr. Dennis Therrian will do the score. A first look teaser and promotional art was released in December 2012. Mr. Charles Pisaeno was our director on this project.

DARKEST NIGHT was edited down to a release cut and premiered at the FACINE US/Philippine film festival to great applause. The film is signed for US release with Midnight Releasing on March 22, 2013. South Korea and other foreign territories are also being set up for release. The film was directed by Noel Tan.

LOCKED IN A ROOM enjoyed some theatrical play before being signed to an exciting domestic distributor. Look for release art, trailer and announcement of street date very SOON!

7 STONES–this Telly Award winning drama enjoyed a Michigan TV premiere in December. It will now be shopped for TV distribution worldwide in 2013.

DEADLY RENOVATIONS, released 4^th quarter with Midnight Releasing, just announced their 1^st foreign sale to Scandinavian for early in 2013.

CDI’s DJ Perry also had producer participation in the short film REALIZISM (theatrical/DVD release in April 2013) and the acclaimed feature BENJAMIN, which played several NYC festivals and most recently the Cairo Film Festival in Egypt. BOOK OF RUTH, JOURNEY OF FAITH has continued to sell around the world. In 2013 the company plans to release many more of its films into TV and foreign markets while developing an exciting slate of films for new production.

Thank you to all the cast, crew, and fans that helped make 2012 a little brighter. Here’s looking to another bright new year ahead. Lights!

Shane Hagedorn

For Immediate Release – August 2012
Lansing, Michigan, USA

Three Lansing, Michigan area filmmakers join to produce ASHES OF EDEN, a dramatic feature length film. Writer and director Shane Hagedorn united two media powerhouse companies that have been making their mark on the national/international stage.

Ahptic Productions is a commercial giant in the Lansing area that boasts corporate clients like Audi, MTV, Wells Fargo and high profile clients such as Miley Cyrus and Nelly Furtado. Collective Development Inc. is a Lansing based motion picture company whose films have been released with major studios like Lionsgate, E1 and networks like ABC, NBC, Comcast, and TBN with six feature films coming out this year alone. Shane Hagedorn has produced and acted in other award winning films shot in Michigan. This is his second feature film as writer, director, and producer. He will also act in ASHES.

The film is in pre-production, with Ahptic co-owner and director of photography Dominic Cochran bringing his company’s state of the art production gear and his camera skills. Collective Development Inc. president DJ Perry is bringing his producing skill set and front of the camera talent. CDI has already brought interest from Fontana, a division of Universal Music, in the soundtrack. Perry, who has starred in nearly 50 films, is also pulling upon his international talent base to assist in casting and will set up the worldwide distribution. Shane Hagedorn has truly brought together the best of the best in Mid-Michigan and together Lansing will once again shine when ASHES OF EDEN rolls cameras this fall.

Exciting news for CDI co-productions here in the middle of the third quarter. We’ve been keeping you posted on the progress of DEADLY RENOVATIONS and are happy to announce that it will be released to rental and retail outlets on August 21! You can find it at Blockbuster, Hastings, and on Netflix. It’s available for pre-order on Amazon now. Get movies somewhere else? Look for it there.  Want to read a review first? Check out this one on Alien Bee. (In case you missed it, catch CDI’s own DJ Perry in his recent interview too.)

Negotiations for distribution rights are underway for LOCKED IN A ROOM. Check out the trailer!

Our first internationally associated project, DARKEST NIGHT, is currently in talks for worldwide rights. A planned, pre-Christmas theatrical release is being set up in the Philippines and possibly other territories, such as South Korea. New CDI and GPI associated projects are in active development and we are looking forward to continuing to build our bridge between east and west audiences.

But, not all of the CDI work is far afield. An associated project that will shoot right here at home in Michigan is beginning pre-production. More details on that coming soon.

We’ll be back here with more updates soon, but until then, enjoy these summer days as we prepare to slide into 2012′s fourth quarter!

For Immediate Release – May 2012

DJ Perry’s and Jeff Kennedy’s Michigan-based film company Collective Development Inc. has always been associated with diverse artistic talent. The company boasts several in-house writers, directors, producers and tight circles of experienced film talent.  Together they have been steadily hammering away at the film industry by releasing film after film in various genres worldwide.  Recently the company has been associating with some new exciting artists/filmmakers. Below are some of the 2012 films moving into distribution.

This week at the Grand Rapid’s Celebration Cinema North (Knapp Corner), “7 Stones,” a powerful action/drama, will show on May 17th at 7 pm. This will serve as a preview before the film starts a campaign of theatrical and festival showings. The TV film was written and directed by Tom Norton and stars Melissa Anschutz and DJ Perry. The story takes place in a South American prison and has strong themes of reflection, redemption and relatable topics pulled from current headlines.

CDI also associated with Yuma, AZ based filmmakers Charles Pisaeno and Robert Gwinn with the production of “Deadly Renovations.” The film is a tense thriller about greed and murder centered on the historic Hotel Del Sol.  The sales trailers can be seen here.  The film is due out domestically on August 7th, 2012 with Midnight Releasing after a limited theatrical.

To tell a story halfway around the world CDI associated themselves again with award-winning director Anthony Hornus (“An Ordinary Killer”) on his first documentary film entitled “Outside the Wire, Forgotten Children of Afghanistan.” This film has played several festivals and venues across the country aligning itself with major organizations like The Wounded Warrior Program.

Another exciting international association came when CDI joined with Philippine-based film company Gothic Pictures International. Noel Tan directs this “found footage” horror film entitled “Darkest Night”. Demonology and witchcraft plague a Christmas gathering that had 17 people mysteriously disappear.  The film is prepped for worldwide theatrical and will screen in Hollywood for distributors in June. A series of trailers can be seen our their website.

The horror/thriller vein is strong with CDI’s association with At Risk Entertainment with “Locked in a Room.” This psychological mind tease packs a powerful scare factor. It was directed by Larry Simmons and stars Robert Miano, Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly, Carlucci Weyant and DJ Perry.  It has started playing in Limited theatrical with Rocky Mountain Pictures booking.

DJ Perry & Melissa Anschutz on the set of 7 STONES

And we want to give them to you! First up, Current Projects.  7 STONES is in final stages of post production after an invitation only preview in late January. It is slated to be finished by the end of the month and several festivals are being targeted.

DARKEST NIGHT is also in the final stages of post, with producer Russ Williams now in the Philippines overseeing the theatrical cut. Screenings for distributors in LA will most likely happen sometime in April.

We also have news that LOCKED IN A ROOM is wrapping up post production as well, and a screening has been announced for May 3. More details will be announced as we have them.

Another co-production, DONORS, is in the beginning stages of post after wrapping production at the end of February. That project has been getting some good PR buzz, including some early contacts and interest from distributors. Packaging and development, including location scouting and casting, have been moving ahead on SECONDARY HEROES, SOUL EATER, RACE TO JUDGMENT and LONG ROAD HOME.

We also have news on films from the CDI Catalog. A New Video release of FIGURE IN THE FOREST, HEAVEN’S NEIGHBORS and AN ORDINARY KILLER is scheduled for late second quarter. We are working on dates now and will be sure to share them as soon as we have them confirmed. DEADLY RENOVATIONS is heading to the Hong Kong film market this month and the new sales trailer from our international distributor just arrived today.

The first quarter of 2012 has been a busy one and the rest of the year shows no signs of slowing down. We’ll keep you posted–keep coming back!

Another co-production has had a title change–RENOVATION is now DEADLY RENOVATIONS. This change comes as part of its distribution deal. U.S. theatrical release in select markets will be done by Nocturnal Features. Midnight Releasing will handle domestic distribution and Acort International will manage foreign sales.

After a series of successful screenings of  co-production OUTSIDE THE WIRE, distribution deals are under consideration and further screenings are being planned into 2012. Maybe we could call 2011 “the year of co-productions.”

On a more somber note, we have to mention the death of Bill McKinney on December 1. We were honored to have worked with Bill on GHOST TOWN. As news of his passing spread throughout the CDI tribe, we all shared fond memories of our time together in North Carolina. Rest in peace, friend.

We were thrilled to see the trailer for DARKEST NIGHT make its first appearance, especially when we had a chance to see it on a big HD TV instead of a computer screen. Take a few minutes to watch it for yourself. Also check Facebook for updates including our recent media coverage (national and international). The official website is still in the pipeline, so keep an eye out for that.

Speaking of things still in the pipeline, upcoming news regarding other associated projects RENOVATION and LOCKED IN A ROOM is forthcoming. CDI has also teamed up with fellow Michigan motion picture production company Third Coast Film Partners based in Grand Rapids. Shout out to the west side! Pre-production for that project, 7 STONES, is already underway and filming for the gripping action-drama will begin later in July.

We’re past the 4th of July now, but CDI has had much to celebrate the last few weeks. The Michigan premiere for Outside the Wire in Owosso was a success! The first showing sold out, and turnout was strong for other showtimes over the course of the weekend. CDI has also added a new member to the tribe–legal counsel Eric Nelson.

The CDI tribe continues to grow–not just chiefs but also fans! Please stay tuned for more updates on projects, screenings, and other news. Summer has been, and will continue to be, a busy time for us, but we’re finding time to sit in a lawn chair. We hope you are too!

Tickets are now available for the first Michigan screening of this powerful documentary. OUTSIDE THE WIRE will be presented by the Owosso Community Players on June 25th (8:00 p.m.) and 26th (2:00 & 5:00 p.m.). Click here to buy tickets for any of the three show times.

Several members of the CDI tribe will be in attendance at the June 25th screening. We hope to see you there!

CDI has also licensed photos and footage from Dean Teaster’s GHOST TOWN to Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey. Cast as a mountain man moonshiner in the film, Popcorn Sutton faced a real prison sentence for making illegal whiskey and sadly took his own life. However, Popcorn’s legacy and recipe live on. We are honored and proud to have worked with and known Popcorn. We share a commitment to the honesty of the product and hope to work on additional marketing efforts in the future.

Speaking of Dean Teaster’s GHOST TOWN, if you haven’t yet had a chance to see the “Red Mountain” music video for Paul Proios’s original song, check it out! CDI is open to moving into more music video projects. Contact DJ directly if you are interested in discussing any potential commercial work, including music videos.