Documentary Aims to Raise Awareness of The Veteran Suicide Epidemic
LOS ANGELES, CA (August 30, 2021) – In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, another epidemic is raging—the high suicide rates among veterans. But independent distributor Invincible Entertainment is attempting to raise awareness of this problem through an epic film, Hell or High Seas.
A new report by Boston University reveals that military suicides are four times higher than deaths in war operations. The report estimates that 30,177 active duty personnel and veterans of post 9/11 wars have died by suicide compared to the 7,057 service members killed in post 9/11 war operations. The report cites several factors that have influenced this high rate of suicide, such as difficulty reintegrating into civilian life, high exposure to trauma, and stress.
Hell or High Seas is a true story of a Navy Vet’s struggle with PTSD after re-entering civilian life, and his quest to sail around Cape Horn to calm the storms within. The film follows former Navy rescue swimmer Taylor Grieger and writer Stephen O’Shea on the adventure of a lifetime. As the two sail the world’s most treacherous ocean waters to raise awareness about veteran suicide, Grieger finds healing from his own painful journey with PTSD.
From director Glenn Holsten, producer Chayne Gregg and executive producer, TV Personality and Founder of the Robert Irvine Foundation, Robert Irvine, Hell or High Seas presents a gripping emotional and physical journey. Grieger and O’Shea were able to capture hundreds of hours of footage over months at sea, including the team’s battle with Hurricane Harvey.This footage was combined with other key footage and interviews shot by Holsten with director of photography John Pope. Working with a team of post-production professionals, Holsten and Gregg have crafted an adventure film with an important message that feels both organic and highly polished.
Commenting on the upcoming launch of the film, Irvine said: “Taylor Grieger’s story is an honorable one, and I hope eye opening for all who watch Hell or High Seas. Through the Robert Irvine Foundation, I’ve dedicated much of my life to raising awareness around the sacrifices that active and retired military members have made on behalf of this great country. To be a part of showcasing this incredible story is an absolute privilege. I am immensely grateful to Taylor for sharing his journey with us.”
Like so many other veterans, Grieger was diagnosed with complex PTSD after his discharge from the military. Sadly, he was given little-to-no guidance on how to cope with his condition, and suffered in silence. At his lowest point, he tried to take his life. Thankfully the universe had other plans and a failed suicide attempt sparked a life-changing mission: conquer Cape Horn to raise awareness about the veteran suicide epidemic, and help pave a smoother path for veterans returning to civilian life.
Hell or High Seas sheds light on a subject that is often considered taboo; however, Grieger is changing the tide through his bravery and honesty in sharing his struggles and charting a path to overcome them. When asked to share his motivation for documenting his experiences of living with PTSD, he explained: “Stephen and I decided to document this because too many of my buddies were leaving the military and killing themselves shortly after. We thought that maybe if we let as many veterans as we could know that they weren’t alone in this fight, that with time your mind can heal, we might be able to turn the tide in the veteran suicide epidemic. We also figured we couldn’t just film ourselves sitting in a room talking about these things, we’d have to do something big and bad enough to grab people’s attention. Hence using this planet’s deadliest waters as the backdrop for our mission, Cape Horn.”
Through this gruelling expedition, Grieger found healing in what could be described as an adventure of therapy. His dream is to get a boat big enough to start running expeditions for vets battling the same issue. He said: “If I could get those guys on the water and show them what it’s like to just be in glass water and a purple sunset, I think it’d give them a different perspective. It gave me a different perspective.”
Founder and CEO of Invincible Entertainment Thomas Ashley is excited about the upcoming launch of the film. Ashley states, “Hell or High Seas is Invincible’s first post COVID theatrical release and we could not think of a better cause to bring people together for. We are truly inspired by the message of hope this film portrays and we know that message will resonate with audiences everywhere.”
Through a series of pre-screenings, Hell or High Seas has already sparked a fresh debate on veteran suicides and what can be done to prevent them. One previewer who saw the film was inspired to contribute to the change. He said: “Most eye-opening documentary I’ve ever seen. Truly amazing what these guys have accomplished and are doing for our veterans. I will definitely join the fight and help raise awareness for this physical and mental struggle that nobody should have to go through alone. One team one fight!”
Set to premiere in theaters on October 8th, Hell or High Seas’ debut follows September’s Suicide Prevention and Awareness month. For further information or to watch a trailer of the film, visit: https://www.invincibleent.com/hell-or-high-seas.
About Invincible Entertainment Partners
Invincible is an established entertainment production and distribution company based in Philadelphia, PA, with diverse operations in OTT, streaming and technology. Invincible manages a massive content catalog of nearly 5,000 assets including major brands such as “The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog,” “Kong,” “Double Dragon,” “Highlander” and many others. Invincible operates 12 FAST, Free Ad-supported Streaming TV, networks with channels including FrightFlix, Watch it Kid, Watch it Scream, Cinepride, Dungeon TV, XFC TV, Slopes, El Conflicto and our flagship Galxy TV—a free television streaming service that gives audiences access to great programming from multiple providers. For more information, visit https://www.invincibleent.com/.
About Director Glenn Holsten
Glenn is a documentary storyteller who creates human-driven films from the arts to the sciences with an emphasis on mental health. Long-form documentary credits include WYETH (2018, American Masters/PBS); Hollywood Beauty Salon (2016); The Barefoot Artist (2014); OC87: The Obsessive-Compulsive, Major Depression, Bipolar, Asperger’s Movie (2012, Netflix) and Saint of 9/11 (2006, Tribeca Film Festival, Netflix, Amazon).
About FreshFly
FreshFly is a collective of creative storytellers who use imagery to inspire human connections, engage diverse audiences, and captivate the curious.
About The WorkShop
The WorkShop Content Studios is an award-winning production company that produces compelling documentaries and unscripted original content. They bring stories that matter to life and are a turnkey production partner for the biggest names in the industry.
by Emily Nagle
This morning, Netflix revealed the main cast list for its live-action version of “Avatar: The Last Airbender.”
Starring as Aang, the last surviving Airbender, will be Gordon Cormier. Siblings Katara and Sokka will be respectively portrayed by Kiawentiio and Ian Ousley. Dallas Liu is on board to play Zuko, the prince of the Fire Nation.
Also confirmed as part of the team as writer, show runner, and executive producer Albert Kim. In a blog post on the Netflix website, he discussed the importance of casting AAPI and Indigenous actors in the series, explaining that it adds a layer of authenticity to the story.
“A live-action version would establish a new benchmark in representation and bring in a whole new generation of fans,” Kim wrote. “This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.”
After airing on Nickelodeon for three seasons from 2005 to 2008, “Avatar: The Last Airbender”’s popularity only skyrocketed over the years. The critically acclaimed show even received a sequel, “The Legend of Korra”, which ran from 2012 to 2014 for four seasons.
The creators of the original series, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, will not be attached to the upcoming revival. Although they exited the project last summer, the duo established Nickelodeon’s Avatar Studios, which will create all kinds of content set in the “A:TLA” universe.
by Emily Nagle
Sony has acquired anime streaming network Crunchyroll from AT&T in a deal worth $1.175 billion. While the deal was initially created in December 2020, the deal was not approved until Monday.
The streamer was purchased by Funimation, Sony’s anime distribution and dubbing company. Now that the two companies are merged, what can anime lovers expect? According to Tony Vinciquerra, the chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures, the corporation will use this merger to enhance the anime viewing experience by providing more for customers and also expanding distribution. He announced in a press release on the Sony Pictures website, “With the addition of Crunchyroll, we have an unprecedented opportunity to serve anime fans like never before and deliver the anime experience across any platform they choose, from theatrical, events, home entertainment, games, streaming, linear TV — everywhere and every way fans want to experience their anime. Our goal is to create a unified anime subscription experience as soon as possible.”
It’s not yet clear what the merger will mean for the streaming companies – Funimation and Crunchyroll are still separate platforms. However, there are talks of Crunchyroll being a perk of a more expensive Playstation Plus plan.
As for AT&T? With the money it earned from the deal, it’ll now be able to pay off the debt it has accrued while building its streaming empire. The company is also in the process of another merger as it passes WarnerMedia onto Discovery, which will be finalized by mid-2022. After extinguishing all of its debt, it plans to return to strictly being a connectivity business.
This week’s Box Office raked in a total of $62,376,000.
- “The Suicide Squad” – $26,500,000 (Premiere)
- “Jungle Cruise” – $15,693,000 ($65,317,454 total gross)
- “Old” – $4,140,000 ($38,523,145 total gross)
- “Black Widow” – $4,007,000 ($174,358,784 total gross)
- “Stillwater” – 2,860,000 ($10,000,070 total gross)
The Suicide Squad,” led this weekend’s box office which is struggling to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic with the delta variant now surging around the world. The film, is a sequel to the 2016 hit, and has generated $26.6 million in North American ticket sales. This is lower than it’s industry projected sales of $28 million. “The Suicide Squad” is one of the strongest openings in the pandemic, but is far short of what sales would have looked like in a world with no pandemic. New coronavirus cases are cutting into ticket sales, and film fans are opting to watch the movie at home on HBO Max, where it’s available at no extra charge.
The new “Suicide Squad” has been much better received by critics and audiences than the original film. The film boasts a solid 92% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to 86% for the original film, which should give stronger legs for a more successful in-theater run.
Falling to second place was last weekend’s box office leader , Disney’s “Jungle Cruise”, which lost a significant number of movie screening to “The Suicide Squad” this weekend. The film dropped 55% to an estimated $15.7M in its 2nd weekend run.
In third place, “Old” raked in $4.1M in its third weekend run, dropping 40% from it’s second week in sales. The Universal horror title has gross sales of $38.5M.
by Emily Nagle
[usr 4.5]
Meet the newest reboot series: C.H. Greenblatt’s Jellystone! on HBO Max.
Set in the town of Jellystone, this show features the classic Hanna-Barbera characters including Yogi Bear, Boo-Boo Bear, and Huckleberry Hound as they get into wacky situations. This show is the first to feature Hanna-Barbera characters in 30 years, since 1991’s Yo Yogi!.
Even though it’s bringing back beloved characters, Jellystone isn’t really driven by nostalgia. Instead, it’s a reboot of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons, completely reinventing them for a new generation. Yogi, Cindy, and Boo-Boo Bear are now doctors and a nurse at the Jellystone Hospital. Some of the characters have been made female when they were originally male, most notably Jabberjaw the shark and Augie Doggie. I imagine they made these changes to balance out the predominantly male cast (this is something the 2018 Muppet Babies reboot did as well by introducing Summer Penguin, a completely new female character, to the group of toddlers), but these changes are actually used to set up the stories for each episode. Jabberjaw takes advantage of Magilla Gorilla getting amnesia to become assistant manager of the store, with one of her primary motivations for this idea being receiving attention from every male citizen of Jellystone.
What initially drew me to this series was the art style. Jellystone! is Greenblatt’s third series after Cartoon Network’s Chowder and Nickelodeon’s Harvey Beaks, both of which are great shows with funny episodes. It’s refreshing to see these cartoon characters that have been around for more than half a century get a new look to them. They look like they’d fit right in as background characters from Greenblatt’s other shows, which I like.
Even though they look similar to those other shows, the animation style is slightly different – there’s more tweening and other aspects of computer animation compared to the hand-drawn style of Harvey Beaks and Chowder. It’s subtle, like how a character’s hair or ears would move when they turn their head. This difference definitely wasn’t a bad thing, because the characters are still super fun to look at, but it was interesting to see something slightly different from Greenblatt.
In addition to giving the colorful cast of characters a new look, the humor also differs slightly from past Hanna-Barbera productions. The stories and dialogue are more reminiscent of C.H. Greenblatt’s past projects, which featured some crazy situations stemming from relatively small problems. Yogi Bear can’t decide what to eat for lunch at work, so Cindy Bear installs a nuclear stomach into his body…but then he’s perpetually hungry and ends up eating the entire town and everyone in it. In another episode, Cindy Bear is so busy that she forgets to do her reading for book club. What does she do to buy herself more time? She ends up turning everyone in Jellystone into gelatin. As someone who loved watching Chowder back in the early 2000s, I love seeing Greenblatt’s chaotic sense of humor again.
Jellystone! is a creative spin on the Hanna-Barbera franchise. I love that Greenblatt chose to do something different with it, instead of trying to make it look the same as it always has, or keeping all the characters the way they were before. It’s fresh and super fun, and has already been confirmed for a season 2! I recommend this show to anybody who’s familiar with characters like Yogi Bear, enjoyed Chowder and/or Harvey Beaks, or just likes wacky animated shows.
by Emily Nagle
WarnerMedia’s ad sales division has announced a new brand studio named House of Max.
Set to launch in the final quarter of 2021, the studio will work with partners to create advertisements featuring beloved WarnerMedia characters from the company’s wide variety of properties, ranging from Cartoon Network to TBS. The creation of House of Max occurs months after HBO Max introduced a cheaper, ad-supported tier to their streaming service. Already, customers have given great reviews on the new AVOD tier, particularly praising the relatively light ad load – only 4 minutes of commercials per hour of viewing.
While no specific brands have been announced for the new venture yet, House of Max will make advertisements more personal to viewers by featuring their favorite characters.
Julian Franco, SVP of Product Management for HBO Max, sees House of Max as promising, helping the 30 million-subscriber service to flourish even more. He believes the new studio “will help us provide an even better experience for our viewers, offering brand partners the opportunity to develop custom creative that fits in seamlessly with HBO Max’s premium content and interface.”
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