Tag Archives: actor

IT’S ONE THING TO FIND OUT YOUR HUSBAND HAS BEEN CHEATING ON YOU, IT’S ANOTHER TO FIND OUT THE OTHER WOMAN IS ONLY 17 AND PREGNANT

Josie Bissett (Melrose Place) stars with Roark Critchlow (Pretty Little Liars), Zoe De GrandMaison (Orphan Black) and Rogan Christopher (Nikita) in the thriller

“PREGNANT AT 17” Premiering Saturday, February 20 on Lifetime

Sonia, (Josie Bissett) a veterinarian, is married to Jeff (Critchlow), a successful, but self-involved businessman. Sonia, who desperately wants to have a child, recently suffered a miscarriage and finds out she will never be able to conceive. Hoping to find comfort from her husband, she instead discovers he is having an affair. When she finds out who his mistress is, she uses a fictitious name and develops a friendship with Chelsea (De Grand Maison). To Sonia’s surprise, she actually likes the young woman she expected to hate.

Sonia files for divorce to allow Jeff to marry Chelsea, but when Chelsea tells Sonia that Jeff ended the affair and wants nothing to do with her or the baby, Sonia becomes Chelsea’s ally. When a sinister figure from Chelsea’s past comes back into her life, the two women bond together to fight not only for their lives but the life of the baby.

“Pregnant at 17,” premieres on Saturday, February 20 at 8pm ET/PT on Lifetime.

It is executive produced by Pierre David, Tom Berry, Neil Bregman and Christine Conradt. Producers are Donald M. Osborne and Curtis James Crawford. The film was written by Conradt and directed by Crawford.

Social Media Handles

Website: roganchristopher.com, mylifetime.com
Twitter: @rogeyc, @lifetimetv
Facebook: Rogan Christopher, Lifetime
Instagram: @rogey_c, @lifetimetv
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm3310118

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
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ACTOR ROGAN CHRISTOPHER TAKES ON A CHALLENGING ROLE IN LIFETIMES’ TV MOVIE “PREGNANT AT 17” STARRING JOSIE BISSET AIRING AT 8:00 PM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20TH and FEBRUARY 21ST AT 12:02 AM

Actor Rogan Christopher takes on a challenging role in Lifetimes’ TV Movie “Pregnant at 17.” With a single father that’s always gone, it’s understandable why 17- year-old high school dropout CHELSEA (Zoe De Grand Maison) falls for JEFF (Roark Critchlow), a successful, polished businessman who makes a million promises to her about their future. Unfortunately, Jeff is married to a veterinarian named SONIA (Josie Bissett), who desperately wanted a child but found out she can’t conceive. When Sonia discovers Jeff’s affair she becomes obsessed in finding out who his mistress is and begins to develop a friendship with Chelsea using a fictitious name. To her surprise she actually likes the young woman she expected to hate, and feels sorry for Chelsea when she tells Sonia that she’s pregnant and that the father (Jeff) wants nothing to do with her or the baby. She also confesses to Sonia that she’s only 17 years old. Sonia files for divorce and becomes an unlikely champion for Chelsea, doing everything she can to prevent Jeff from taking advantage of this young girl. It won’t be as easy as they thought, especially when a dark figure (Rogan Christopher) from Chelsea’s past emerges. Together, Chelsea and Sonia must each face their own truths and team up to fight not only for what’s right, but the life of the baby…

Rogan’s character, Greg Foster, is uneducated and stuck in the poverty trap. He’s angry at the world, and thinks he’s been ripped off his whole life. After robbing a neighborhood convenience store, Chelsea’s eyewitness testimony puts him in prison. While behind bars, his mind is consumed with revenge. On his release, he sets off to hunt Chelsea down, stopping at nothing to make her pay.

Rogan starred as Martin Tate in the feature film “Footsteps” which garnered him the award for Best Performance and the film won Best Picture at the 2012 Mississauga Independent Film Festival. “Footsteps” follows, Martin Tate, a young Afghanistan veteran determined to make his way out of violent and tragic military service after his best friend and bunk-mate’s suicide into peaceful civilian life, while struggling with past addiction demons, his overbearing widower father, and a new-found love.

In 2012 Rogan booked his first recurring role on The CW’s “Nikita” starring Devon Sawa, Peter Outerbridge, and Melinda Clark. Other television series Rogan has appeared include “Bitten,” “Reign,” “Saving Hope,” “XIII: The Series,” and the Battlestar Galactica prequel series, “Caprica.”

Rogan currently has two feature films in development called “Transcendence” and “In The Blood”. Transcendence is a psychological thriller that touches on metaphysics about a widower who is seduced in to a suicide cult. Rogan wrote transcendence and in December 2015 he was selected as one of six producers from across Canada to participate in the Power Pitch Competition at Whistler Film Festival. In The Blood is a feature film he is developing with Canadian Aboriginal filmmaker Kays Vanderest about a twenty-something whitewashed Indigenous girl reconnecting with her estranged father and a culture she’s never known after a chance encounter on skid row. Both projects are currently closing financing, and will shoot in summer and fall of 2016.

Rogan worked in Corporate Finance and Business Intelligence as an Analyst before moving to New York City to pursue a career in Acting and Filmmaking. He trained in New York City at Sanford Meisner’s prestigious The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre. He was a recipient of the Peter Armstrong Community excellence award for his contributions to Renascent Addictions Centre in Toronto. Dr. Patrick Smith of Renascent Canada (addictions recovery) is a good friend who Rogan has appeared in PSA’s and stays involved with their efforts as one of Canada’s leading addiction treatment centres.

Rogan was a two-sport athlete at Queen’s University (Canada), lettering in Football and Track & Field. At Queen’s, Chopped Canada host and first Bachelor Canada Brad Smith was a teammate and remains a close friend. Rogan earned a degree in Mathematics and Statistics, followed by a second degree in Applied Economics from Queen’s. He is also a graduate from Central High School in London, Ontario, known nationally for its academics, where he was classmates and friends with Juno Award winning Hip Hop artist, and CBC’s Q host, Shad. During his senior season at Queen’s a career-ending injury derailed his dreams of professional football. Later that year, his close friend and teammate was murdered in a student bar. Both things led him to evaluate what he really wanted to do with his life and everything came back to acting, writing, and his love for the art of storytelling.

Rogan is a home chef and loves to cook. While beginning his acting career in Toronto he worked at various fine dining restaurants. His warm root vegetable and bone marrow salad was published and featured in Canada’s National Post Newspaper.

Rogan is still very competitive in his workouts. He runs as a great way to relieve stress and maintain focus and mental acuity during shoots and between jobs. He incorporates a lot of his knowledge from his sports career into his athletic and dietary regimen. He is an avid golfer with an 8 handicap who has been playing since he was five years old. His favorite teams are the Patriots, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Blue Jays. He loves to ski. He now resides now in Vancouver, BC, Canada with his puggle Cito, who is named after Toronto Blue Jays former manager Cito Gaston.

Rogan is available for interview upon request.
Please contact: Lesley Diana | Lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca | 604-726-5575

Social Media Handles

Website: roganchristopher.com
Twitter: @rogeyc
Facebook: Rogan Christopher
Instagram: @rogey_c
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm3310118

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

EMMANUELLE VAUGIER JOINS THE CAST ON THE THIRD SEASON OF MISTRESSES TO PREMIERE ON THURSDAY, JUNE 18TH 9/8C AND WILL BE AIRING ON ABC IN THE US AND CTV IN CANADA

Emmanuelle Vaugier continues to reprise her role as The Morrigan in the popular television series Lost Girl now airing on the Syfy Network in the USA

Now in production, stunning actor Emmanuelle Vaugier is shooting a six-episode guest role on the upcoming third season of ABC’s summer series Mistresses. She will play Niko, who’s tough, sexy, rocks a very distinctive style and doesn’t care what you think about it. She becomes the new mixologist at Wunderbar and a thorn in Joss’ (Jes Macallan) side. The third season of Mistresses premieres on June 18^th at 9pm on ABC in the US and CTV in Canada.

Emmanuelle continues to reprise her role on the innovative series Lost Girl, a supernatural highly rated drama series. Playing the role of The Morrigan, Emmanuelle breathes life into her vain and dangerously sociopathic character. The fifth season of ‘Lost Girl’ promises to be the most electrifying season yet. Lost Girl premiered on Showcase in Canada and is now airing on Syfy in the USA.

Photo Credit: Brie Childers

Emmanuelle is best known for her popular role as Charlie Sheen’s ex-fiancée Mia on the award-winning CBS comedy Two and a Half Men in which her character returned for the series finale earlier this year. For three seasons she played Detective Jessica Angell on CSI: NY, and in the USA Network crime series Covert Affairs.

One of the roles that Emmanuelle connected most with was playing a woman who rescues animals in Susie’s Hope, a role for which she won best actress at the Greensville International Film Festival. It’s Christmas, Carol! another starring role for Emmanuelle, won her a Leo Award. Emmanuelle also stars in Absolute Deception alongside Cuba Gooding Jr.

Her numerous television appearances include the female superhero for the SYFY television pilot of the comic Painkiller Jane, and had a starring role in the Master of Horror series directed by John Carpenter. She also portrayed Dr. Helen Bryce; Lex Luthor‘s wife on the WB‘s hit drama Smallville. Emmanuelle spent two seasons in a recurring role on One Tree Hill.

Emmanuelle’s feature film endeavors are just as impressive include Saw II, Saw IV, Secondhand Lions (Michael Caine, Robert Duvall), 40 Days and 40 Nights (Josh Hartnett) and House of the Dead 2: Dead Aim to name a few.

Off-screen, Emmanuelle is an avid animal lover. A project that is very close to her heart is her own 501c3 charitable foundation ‘The Fluffball’, which raises money for various animal charities through her annual cocktail event. This year ‘The Fluffball’ will be held in Los Angeles on October 3^rd. A dedicated equestrian Emmanuelle competes on a horse rescued from a situation of neglect. Emmanuelle paints to express her creativity and contributes a major portion of her sales to the many charitable animal rescue organizations she supports.

Emmanuelle’s inner and outer beauty shines through as she is among the select group of women to be on ‘Maxim‘s Top 100’ list twice. She was also named fifth on Femme Fatal magazine’s 50 Sexiest Women on the Planet’, and was named ‘Sexiest Woman Alive’ for the sixth time by Smartasses Magazine. Emmanuelle has graced the covers of Maxim, Femme Fatal, Dolce Vita, Flare, UMM, Status, Modern Dog, LA Health, Vancouver View, Vancouver Lifestyles, Western Living Condo, Donato, Steppin’ Out and Infamous.

Social Media Handles

Website: emmanuellevaugier.com, syfy.com/lostgirl
Twitter: @evaugier
Facebook: The Real Emmanuelle Vaugier

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Is Gary Busey really ‘God’? IndustryWorks Studios Acquires the World Wide Rights to Independent Film CANDiLAND (2015)

Oscar Nominee Gary Busey stars in CANDiLAND

IndustryWorks Studios has acquired the World Wide distribution rights to the psychological drama CANDiLAND starring Gary Busey in what might very well be his ‘comeback role’. IndustryWorks will be bringing the film to Cannes to sell at the 2015 Marche du Film.

CANDiLAND stars Oscar nominee Gary Busey (The Buddy Holly Story), Chelah Horsdal (Arrow, Hell on Wheels) and James Clayton (Foodland). CANDiLAND marks a nuanced departure for Busey, who has been seen recurrently as a contestant in reality TV shows such as NBC’S The Apprentice. Busey was drawn to the role, finding parallels between his character Arnie and himself and the echoes of the father/son relationship shown in the film familiar. His performance plays earnest and sincere.

CANDiLAND tells the story of intensified mutual attraction to the point of deadly obsession. Peter (James Clayton), a retired and embittered tennis pro, who is estranged from his father Arnie (Gary Busey), decides to leave the solace of his apartment and happens upon Tess (Chelah Horsdal). Tess, a recent vulnerable divorcee, finds Peter’s intensity and attention irresistible. Together they pursue ‘oneness’ and consciously shut out the world, barricading themselves inside Peter’s apartment. A desperate Arnie attempts to liberate the pair from CANDiLAND– but will he make it in time?

Gary Busey states “CANDiLAND teaches us to pay attention to the heart of the injured like you haven’t paid attention before.”

Rusty Nixon says, “Elizabeth Engstrom’s cult novel has haunted me since I first read it twenty years ago. It was an honour to bring the book to life and to work with such a passionate cast and crew to create an unforgettable film experience.”

Produced by Motorcycle Boy and Greendale Productions, CANDiLAND was written and directed by Rusty Nixon.

ABOUT INDUSTRYWORKS STUDIOS/PICTURES – CANADA, INTERNATIONAL

IndustryWorks is a fully integrated Distribution, Production, Finance and New Media, worldwide content provider. IndustryWorks sets itself apart by having a keen sense of recognizing the potential in projects for distribution and is dedicated to releasing unique and marketable content to the world market place. The Company has several in-house projects in development and acquires films from producers around the world. IndustryWorks distributes its content through all media outlets, including box office, VOD, SVOD, broadcast, airlines, internet and digital platforms, retail and rental outlets.

CANDiLAND in CANNES: Please visit IndustryWorks in Cannes, at the Marche du Film – B3 Riviera

Social Media Handles

Website: industry-works.com/content/candiland
Twitter: @candilandfilm, @IWPictures, @THEGaryBusey
Instagram: @candilandfilm
Facebook: facebook.com/candilandfilm
IMDb: pro-labs.imdb.com/title/tt3620120/

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Actor Nicole Oliver keeps busy with roles in Hallmark’s Radio Hype, Lifetime’s Ungodly Acts, and the feature film Marrying the Family

As one of the most respected voice-over actors Nicole continues to be in demand in animation

Multi-faceted Nicole Oliver continues to keep extremely busy with roles on screen as an actor and in the voice-over market. This spring Nicole divides her time with roles on Hallmark (Eone) “Radio Hype,” Lifetime’s “Ungodly Acts” and the feature film “Marrying the Family.” As one of the most respected voice-over actors Nicole continues to be in demand in Animation on Season 5 of “My Little Pony” now airing on Discovery Family and “Kate and Mim Mim” airing on the Disney Channel.

Hallmark’s “Radio Hype” is directed by Kris Tabori and is starring Alison Sweeney. Nicole has the role as Julie, the owner of a fashion boutique and sister to Nick (Jonathan Scarfe – Hell on Wheels). Carl Bessai directs Lifetime’s “Ungodly Acts”. Nicole plays Paula Martin one of the leaders of the Church of the Blessed Light Ministry.

“Marrying the Family” unites Nicole with many of the ensemble cast from the Film Festival darling (VIFF 2013; TIFF Next Wave 2014) “Leap for Your Life”. “Marrying the Family” follows Dylan (Taylor Hill), as she is getting ready for her wedding to her high school sweetheart Corey (Adam Di Marco). However, any plans for a simple wedding are put on hold when her wedding planner mother Kathy, played by Nicole, steps in to design a wedding Dylan will never forget. Marrying the Family is a sweet comedy about love, family, growing up and letting go and is directed by Peter Benson (What An Idiot).

Nicole Oliver has been nominated for several Leo Awards for her work on both the small and big screen. She is the recipient of the UBCP/ACTRA award for Best Voice for her work in animation.

She has guest starred on numerous television series “Supernatural and “Rogue”. She has also starred in many MOW’s including “The Christmas Ornament” starring Cameron Mathison and Kellie Martin, “The Woodcarver” with John Ratzenberger; “Taken Back – Finding Haley” with Amanda Tapping and “Innocent” with Bill Pullman and Marcia Gay Harden. For four seasons, Nicole was also the host on the hit Slice Network series “Crash Test Mommy”. A high light for Nicole was acting along side her young son, William Ainscough, who starred as Billy in City TV’s “Seed” for two seasons.

Well known throughout the world at Brony and Fan Conventions as Princess Celestia and Cheerilee on “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic” and Zoe on the cartoon “Littlest Pet Shop”, her voice-over work continues to thrive. In animation, she has popular roles on “Max Steel”, “Martha Speaks”, “Strawberry Shortcake”, and “Superbook”. She is currently the voice for Wireless Wave, and has provided her voice to over 100 companies including American Express, Starbucks, Salon Selectives, Club House, and IKEA.

Nicole Oliver has worked for over twenty years in the entertainment industry as an actor, producer, and director. This multi-talented, incredibly busy mother and professional has mastered the balance between family and work, and has furthered her education with a Masters of Arts in Communication from Royal Roads University (2011). She is the recipient of both the Founders Award for leadership and sustainability and the Chancellors Award for highest academic achievement.

Nicole believes that diversification is the key to success, and that with success in life there can be balance. She resides in Vancouver with her husband and their two sons. Nicole is available for interviews and photographs upon request.

Social Media Handles

Website: nicoleoliver.com
Twitter: @mouthnoize
IMDb: Nicole Oliver

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Read Sonja Bennett’s journey to writing her first screenplay for the now popular feature film Preggoland now playing in theatres in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in Canada and opens in the US on May 8th to a limited release in 10 cities.

By Sonja Bennett

The almost rise, kinda fall, and sorta resurrection of a Canadian actress

In 2001 I was in theatre school getting the dregs of the acting roles. In the last production, I played eight parts – two of which were barnyard animals. My career goal at that point was to be a Bard on the Beach regular and maybe not have to live with three roommates. But my prospects weren’t looking great.

Then something happened. My father, Guy Bennett, was about to direct his first feature, Punch, about a father-daughter relationship. The story goes that the producer said offhandedly, “Too bad your daughter isn’t an actress, that’d be a good hook.” Um, does a proficiency in the back half of a horse costume count? I was “cast” in the movie and my career in film was put in motion.

Headhunters from Fox television were at our TIFF premiere and put me on a contract old-school style like I was Shirley Temple or something. Me and a little unknown comic named Zach Galifianakis. Ever heard of him?

Suddenly I was being groomed as “the next Calista Flockhart.” But my body rebelled against this idea. Somewhere I had read that cashew nuts were a healthy snack and I was eating them by the Dan-D-Pak. I gained 20 pounds, had a stress rash all over my face and had developed an audition-selective stutter. I was completely unprepared for 12-page last minute auditions in LA where I had no support network except my loyal agent, Dylan Collingwood, who came down and tried to help jam lines in my head and figure out the LA highway system.

Needless to say, I didn’t get my Ally McBeal, nothing came of my Fox contract and I slinked back to Vancouver with my tail between my legs. My ego was bruised pretty bad and I took to embarrassing behaviour like hitting gold-level tanning beds to give the town the impression I was “just up from LA for the weekend.”

Six months after my Fox contract had ended, I booked the new lead character on the seventh season of the Canadian series Cold Squad, and despite my whole management team’s disappointment, I was very happy. From that point on I worked steadily for almost a decade. I did comedy, I did drama, I got to work with Atom Egoyan and I won awards and stuff. Life was pretty sweet. I’d once again redefined what my dreams were and could say I was now living it.

And then the recession happened.

Movie stars were turning to shitty TV for work, and the roles I realistically had a shot at were getting smaller and sillier and less lucrative. I had also turned 30 and was apparently no longer the “right kind” of pretty for Smallville. So I did what most actresses do when the work dries up. I decided it’s time to have a baby!

I’m kidding – sort of. Motherhood gave a context to my career. I tried being pickier with roles, but all the good ones went to Oscar winners.

My body was starting to rebel against the slog of being a Vancouver actress in her 30s; to the high probability that the project I was auditioning for had the word “Fatal” or “Tornado” in the title.

I was getting bitter-actress-itis.

I remember my kid saying, “Mama sad, mama have dish-in.” I guess I was sad about my “dish-in” and more importantly I wasn’t a good enough actor to hide it from my son.

So I stopped acting. For almost three years. It was hard. But it was the right decision. I detoxed from the crack that is the highs and lows of the entertainment industry, I had a second child without consulting the UBCP/ACTRA “what’s shooting” list, and I went back to university to seek out another career path cause god knows if I’m not pretty enough for Smallville I’m definitely not getting a job at Cactus Club.

But I still found myself drawn to my husband’s (actor Stephen Lobo) callsheets and scripts. I missed being creative and telling stories and making movies. I wanted back in but knew it had to be different this time round.

I decided to write myself the juicy lead role that no one was going to give me otherwise. The plan was to write a starring vehicle to resuscitate my nearly dead career. I had stories from my motherhood experiences and I came up with the concept for a movie called Preggoland.

And then I wrote. Before my kids woke up, during their naptimes, in the middle of the night if I couldn’t sleep. I channeled all that creative energy into a story. My dear friend Kevin Eastwood agreed to produce. Ironically, by far the most difficult thing about getting the film made was convincing the decision makers to have me star in it. But the producers and the director, Jacob Tierney, supported me entirely – which meant a much smaller budget and a bigger pain in the ass for all involved. They did it anyway and never made me feel guilty.

Now, of course, I would never be so cavalier as to suggest the answer to all out-of-work actresses is to just “go out and make a feature.” It was the simple act of being creative on my own terms and taking control of my own destiny that empowered me. My bitter actress-itis was cured long before Preggoland went into production.

And did all my dreams come true with this film? Has Hollywood come knocking?

I guess the answer is, I don’t know yet. I’m not thinking about it all that much because I’m too busy with my family and the new ideas in my head. In my quest to write a vehicle to launch a “comeback,” I fell in love with writing along the way. And so the parameters of my dream life have shifted once again.

I won’t pretend that it doesn’t twinge my heart a little when I see Zach Galifianakis hosting Saturday Night Live and wonder what could have been if I’d laid off the cashews. But then I move on fast because I’m too busy writing my next feature.

-Sonja Bennett

Social Media Handles

Website: sonjabennett.ca, mongrelmedia.com/film/preggoland.aspx, indiegogo.com/projects/preggoland-help-us-finish-the-movie
Twitter: @sonjabennett123, @Preggoland
Facebook: facebook.com/Preggoland
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm1060641/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

STAR AND SCREENWRITER SONJA BENNETT’S FEATURE FILM “PREGGOLAND” OPENS MAY 1ST IN CANADA AND MAY 8TH IN THE USA THE FILM SHOWCASES HER MANY TALENTS WITH CO-STARS OSCAR NOMINEE JAMES CAAN AND DANNY TREJO

Taking two years off to make Preggoland Sonja books her first role back on ABC’s “Mistresses”

Star and Screenwriter Sonja Bennett’s Feature Film Preggoland will be released Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal in Canada on May 1st and in the US on May 8^th to a limited release in 10 cities.

Preggoland is very much Sonja Bennett’s baby (pun intended!). The movie marks her foray into screenwriting; in addition to starring in the Canadian indie, the award-winning actress penned the script. Sonja realized there weren’t as many roles for women over 30, so she decided to be proactive about her career by writing herself the juicy lead she’d been craving. “I was interested in exploring of how motherhood changes female friendships, the artifice of this giant clique of motherhood and the pregnancy pedestal,” Sonja shares. Inspiration came from Bennett’s  own experience of becoming pregnant with her now five-year-old son.

Montreal’s Jacob Tierney (The Trotsky) directs Preggoland, a laugh-out-loud comedy about a 35-year old woman Ruth (Sonja Bennett) whose high school friends have moved onto motherhood, while she’s still partying in the parking lot. But when Ruth is mistakenly thought to be “with child,”  her life changes – old pals embrace her, strangers give up their seats and her father (James Caan) approves of her for the first time. How can she keep up the ruse? Also starring are Lisa Durupt (Ruth’s baby-wanting sister), Paul Campbell (the  boss Ruth bonds with over a song), Jared Keeso (the doctor she surprises) and  Danny Trejo (the co-worker who surprises her).

Photo by Ed Araquel
BCBGMAXAZRIA

The film opened to a much-hyped premiere as a Special Presentation at TIFF and in Sonja’s hometown at the Vancouver International Film Festival where it won the Most Popular Canadian Feature Film Award and was nominated for best BC film by the VFCC. Preggoland won the Best screenplay award at the Fargo film festival and most recently, on March 15^th, the film won the audience choice award for best feature film at the Omaha Film Fest and screened at Miami 2015. Upcoming festivals include Sonoma International Festival on March 27^th, the Gasparilla Film Festival in Tampa Bay Florida where Preggoland will be the closing night film and the film has also been accepted into the Bejing Film Festival.

Dorkshelf says “Preggoland has a stellar script and a star making performance from writer and lead Sonja Bennett.” Scene Creek billed the film “smart and savvy” while NOW Magazine said “Bennett’s written a sharp comedy that explores the societal pressure on women without children and gives a knockout performance as bad girl Ruth.”

After taking two years off to make Preggoland Sonja books her first role back as a ballerina with a blood disorder in the third season of ABC’s drama/thriller Mistresses. She and her husband (Ed Quinn) get tangled up in the lives of one of the Mistresses in an interesting way. Sonja will join the series stars Jes Macallan, Rochelle Aytes, Yunjin Kim, and Jennifer Esposito.

Acting for more than 10 years, Sonja Bennett has appeared in critically acclaimed films such as Atom Egoyan’s Where the Truth Lies, Elegy starring Ben Kingsley and Penélope Cruz, and TIFF opening night film Young People Fucking – for which she earned a Vancouver Film Critics Circle award. The Vancouver native has kept an equally busy profile on the small screen with recurring roles in Eureka, Battlestar Galatica, Blade: The Series. Her performances in Random Acts of Romance, In No Particular Order, Cole and the TV series Godivas and Cold Squad garnered her Leo Gemini, and Genie nominations.

Shot in Vancouver, the film is produced by Kevin Eastwood (Fido) and Dylan Collingwood, Fake-a-baby Productions, Titlecard Pictures Inc. and Optic

Nerve Films Inc. with the support of Telefilm. Preggoland is being released in Canada by Mongrel Media.

Social Media Handles

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Alan C. Peterson plays King Minos in OLYMPUS airing now on Syfy in the US, Spike TV in the UK & Super Channel in Canada

Alan voices the villain in animated feature SPARK with Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon & Hilary Swank

In demand character actor Alan C. Peterson plays King Minos in the popular television series OLYMPUS. Peterson’s character, King Minos’ character is first introduced premieres on April 23 in North America in the episode entitled MINOS.

OLYMPUS, a 13-episode mythological drama set in the world of gods, humans and monsters, premiered on April 2 on Syfy in the US, Spike TV in the UK and Super Channel in Canada and made it’s UK launch on Spike TV last week. OLYMPUS tells the story of how a few brave men and women banished the Gods to the realm of the unconscious – a place they called the Underworld or the Kingdom of Hades. The series follows the protagonist Hero (Tom York, Tyrant) as he seeks the truth about his past, which may be intertwined with the Gods themselves. The series also stars Sonya Cassidy (The Paradise, Vera) as Oracle, Sonita Henry (Star Trek, The Fifth Element) as Medea, Graham Shiels (Guardians of the Galaxy, True Blood) as King Aegeus, and Matt Frewer (Orphan Black, The Knick) as Daedalus. Created by Nick Willing (Tinman, Alice, Neverland), OLYMPUS is a Canada-UK co-production.

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Internationally recognized character actor Alan C. Peterson is known for his ability to disappear into the hundreds of varied roles he has played onscreen and onstage. Growing up as an actor in the impassioned and vital Estonian theater scene in Toronto, after University, Alan was inspired to go to New York City to study with two true greats, Stella Adler and Kim Stanley, and begin his professional acting career.

Soon to be seen, Alan plays “J” in the Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Whitehouse Down) and major feature film STONEWALL, with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ron Perlman.

Alan has worked with many other pre-eminent directors, such as Antoine Fuqua in his film SHOOTER, as Officer Stanley Timmons, with Mark Wahlberg and Danny Glover, in Zack Snyder’s film SUCKERPUNCH as Big Boss, with Jon Hamm and Emily Browning, and in Sydney Furie’s film PRIDE OF LIONS, with Seymour Cassell and Louis Gossett Jr. Other films include DEFENDOR with Woody Harrelson, Joe Carnahan’s NARC with Ray Liotta and Jason Patric, and THE SAMARITAN with Samuel L. Jackson and Tom Wilkinson. Alan is particularly proud of his role as the eccentric conspiracy theorist, Terrance, in THE CONSPIRACY.

Television series work includes, as a regular, BRIDGE TO MOTOR CITY, CRA$H AND BURN, STREET TIME, as well as the mini-series, ZOS: ZONE OF SEPARATION. He has guest starred in many TV series, among them, STARGATE, THE LISTENER, LOST GIRL, COPPER, 19-2. Most recently he reunited with Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara as a guest star on the season finale of their series SCHITT’S CREEK. One of his first onscreen roles was as “Edith Prickly’s Double” on the “Johnny Nucleo Lounge Meltdown” episode of SCTV.

Joining a stellar cast of Jessica Biel, Susan Sarandon, and Hilary Swank, Alan also voices the villain in the animated feature SPARK, an action packed space adventure full of humor and heart.

Social Media Handles

Website: syfy.com/olympus, olympustv.com
Twitter: @AcpetersonAlan, @Olympus_TV, @SyfyTV, @SuperChannel
IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm0012586/?ref_=nv_sr_4

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

Vancouver filmmaker Matthew Campbell vies for CineCoup’s Million Dollar Prize with his feature film “The Wounded” starring Patrick Sabongui

Film follows Afghani father’s trek to Canada to find revenge against the man who killed his son

Filmmaker Matthew Campbell has submitted his action-packed thriller, The Wounded to the social media platform CineCoup, answering their call for indie filmmakers to post trailers of their projects and navigate their way through the selection process. The final five films (voted by fans) will be optioned for development. Among those five is the $1 million prizewinner.

The Wounded is a story of two fathers. The emotional thriller focuses on Naseer (Patrick Sabongui) an average working-class man from Afghanistan who travels to Canada to seek revenge on the Marine (Rob Hayter) responsible for his son’s death. Meanwhile, Patrick (the marine) is grappling with the effects of war on his mental health while desperately trying to patch things up with his own family upon his return. When Naseer puts a plan into motion hoping for justice, both fathers are pushed to the unthinkable as they come to terms with the effects of violence in their lives.

“Think of the classic American ‘my family is dead, now I will avenge them’ flick, a.k.a. Collateral Damage,” Campbell explains. “But put the twist on a normal Afghani, middle class father who has never willed ill upon anyone, who decides to make the trek to North America to find the man who killed his son believing this will bring him peace.”

For The Wounded, Matthew pulled together a great cast to join Patrick Sabongui (The Flash, Godzilla, 300) who plays Naseer, the Afghan father who wants revenge for Patrick the soldier who killed his son played by Rob Hayter (Falling Skies, The 100). Paula Giroday (Once Upon a Time, Psych) who plays the mother and Madison Guppy (Fringe, Jake and Jasper) plays the daughter. Sasha Proctor (Underworld: Awakening, Arrow) is the Director of Photography and Leif Haydale (The Interview, White House Down) coordinated the stunts.

Over the last eight years, Matthew Campbell has worked on some of Vancouver’s most buzzed-about projects – including hit shows like Arrow, Godzilla, and the upcoming Disney flick Tomorrowland starring George Clooney. Now the young director is gearing up to helm his very first feature, The Wounded, with the potential help of a $1 million prize.

Voting for the Top 60 opens April 6 and runs for the following four days. Campbell hopes to make it all the way to the Top 5. The Wounded trailer has garnered seven pages worth of comments on the movie’s CineCoup page – most of which are overwhelmingly positive. One user wrote it was an “action-packed teaser with great stunts!” Another commented: “Great action and editing, looks like strong acting as well. I’ll be following this one!”

Campbell has been hard at work on this project for more than a year. He’s personally invested nearly $35,000 into the film and received an amazing amount of help from friends in the industry. Next up is a longer ‘investor’s trailer’ featuring visual effects from ILM, the Oscar-winning studio that’s worked on blockbusters such as Star Wars and Transformers.

To vote and share the project, visit www.thewoundedmovie.com.

When to Vote
The three Voting Windows are:
Top 60:
April 6 @ 9 PM ET – April 10 @ 9 PM ET
Top 30:
April 20 @ 9 PM ET – April 24 @ 9 PM ET
Top 15:
May 4 @ 9 PM ET – April 8 @ 9 PM ET

About Matthew Campbell:
Born just outside of Vancouver in Delta, B.C., Matthew Campbell grew up having two strong passions: film and adventure. As a kid, he loved to climb, slide and jump on anything and everything he possibly could. He followed through on both interests by going into film and working on action-packed movies and shows. The young filmmaker landed his first industry gig as a production assistant for the sci-fi drama The Last Mimzy.

Campbell then went on to study Motion Picture Production at Capilano University. He made his directorial debut shortly afterwards with the short film To Save One’s Self (2012). The movie was screened at festivals worldwide and nabbed the “Royal Reel Award” at the Canadian International Film Fstival.

Since then, the B.C. native has worked as a Lead/On-Set Greensman on some of the province’s biggest productions, including Godzilla (2013), Arrow, This Means War and Once Upon A Time.

Campbell is currently working on his feature debut, The Wounded, a dramatic thriller about two fathers from opposite ends of a war.

About Patrick Sabongui:
Patrick’s acting career spans over a decade. Patrick grew up in a 3-language household speaking French, English and Arabic. Patrick earned a BFA in Drama and MFA in Acting. Patrick currently plays Captain David Singh on CW’s The Flash. Patrick has had the opportunity to work with some of the world’s most influential directors including Steven Spielberg, Zack Snyder, Tarsem Singh, John Cassar, Yves Simoneau, Richard Donner, Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard and Roland Emmerich. On television, he has appeared on several hit shows such as “24”, Flashpoint, Covert Affairs, Psych, Smallville and Stargate: Atlantis to name a few. His athletic background and martial-arts training has also landed him work on action films “300”, Immortals, MI:4, A-Team, The Bourne Legacy, Tron: Legacy and more.

As a creative artist he has also written, directed and produced several short films. Patrick is also the co- director of the not-for-profit mentorship program, Fulfilling Young Artists: an organization dedicated to helping young actors and actresses find fulfillment in their pursuit of a positive, sustainable acting career. As a father, artist, actor, director, producer, mentor and athlete he is the embodiment of a renaissance man in today’s entertainment industry.

Social Media Handles

Website: thewoundedmovie.com
Twitter: @thewoundedmovie, @greensman, @patricksabongui, @cinecoup
Trailer: cinecoup.com/the-wounded/trailer

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople

VOICE ACTOR DAVE PETTITT SOARS TO NEW HEIGHTS AS THE VOICE OF DISCOVERY CANADA’S ‘AIRSHOW’, ‘HIGHWAY THRU HELL’ AND TOURISM ECUADOR’S HISTORIC SUPER BOWL COMMERCIAL

Dave Pettitt is a male voice actor with more than just a deep, clear voice. He brings a natural instinct and sound to every read. Finalist at the 2014 Voice Arts Awards, Dave was nominated for the campaign for Tourism Ecuador in the Outstanding National TV Commercial category. Tourism Ecuador made history at this years Super Bowl as the first country to advertise during Super Bowl 2015, Dave was chosen to do the voiceover for this beautiful and inviting commercial. http://youtu.be/toZaCpIzDqg . Canada’s Super Bowl broadcast also heard Dave’s voice with the well known Suncor commercial.

Discovery Canada’s exciting new television series ‘Airshow’ premiered January 26^th. http://www.discovery.ca/Shows/Airshow with Dave at the narration helm. ‘Highway thru Hell’ continues to break audience records every season! And you guessed it, Dave Pettitt narrates the series that airs on Discovery Canada and in over 178 countries worldwide.

The 42^nd Annual Annie Awards were recently held in Los Angeles on January 31^st. The Annie Awards are the highest honor given for excellence in animation. Trophies are awarded for the year’s best feature film, video and television programs. Dave narrated “Best Animated Video Game” winner Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Ubisoft. http://annieawards.org/ http://youtu.be/Khl02WOSfXQ

Dave Pettitt has been a voice talent since 1992. His career began by lending his personality and vocal chops to morning radio in Calgary and on Vancouver Island. During that time, Dave was also being sought after by studios across North America to provide voice over for many well-known international clients. Voice over plays an enormous role in shaping the overall tone and quality of the production as a whole.

Dave is best known for his array of television narration for shows including Great Pacific Media’s ‘Airshow’ and ‘Highway thru Hell’, as well as History Channel’s ‘American Daredevils’ and ‘Draft Year’ on Sportsnet.

With credits in animation, including Lego’s Legends of Chima (2013), and countless National radio and television commercial clients, Dave has provided VO for Disney’s Oz the Great and Powerful (2013) and Frozen (2013) Blu ray extras, Panasonic, Animal Planet Puppy Bowl and Nickelodeon.

It is his down to earth style and an everyman voice that makes him a great match for today’s documentary and real life drama series as well as international brands worldwide.

Social Media Handles

Website: DavePettitt.com
Twitter: @voiceoverdave
Facebook: facebook.com/voiceactordavepettitt
YouTube: youtube.com/user/daveonefourone

Contact The Promotion People

Lesley Diana – Founder, President and Publicist
lesley@thepromotionpeople.ca
604.726.5575

Website: thepromotionpeople.ca
Twitter: @PromotionPeople
Facebook: The Promotion People
Instagram: @thepromotionpeople