Raleigh-based Distillery Pictures Collaborates on Tom DeLay Documentary Opening May 19 “The Big Buy” Supports North Carolina Film Industry RALEIGH, N.C. (May 19, 2006) – Filmmakers Mark Birnbaum and Jim Schermbeck are set to open their feature documentary about the Texas criminal investigation and indictment of Representative Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader. Raleigh-based Distillery Pictures collaborated on the film, "The Big Buy: Tom Delay’s Stolen Congress,” which opens May 19. Texas-based Birnbaum and Schermbeck wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited “The Big Buy.” They’re teaming up with Robert Greenwald – the renowned filmmaker and political activist who brought America such outspoken films as “Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price” and “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” – to distribute the film. When it came time to fine tune the documentary, the pair turned to outside expertise. Their challenge was a limited budget and a tight timeline. Their solution: Distillery Pictures, the long-format boutique of the multi-faceted Trailblazer Studios. Birnbaum had been a long-time friend and professional colleague of executive producer Betty Buckley who moved to the Triangle in 2005 to join the Distillery Pictures team. Through Distillery Pictures, Buckley offered up cutting-edge editorial and music/sound capabilities to help put the finishing touches on “The Big Buy.” “While I was thrilled about my dear friend having the opportunity to make this film, I was equally enthusiastic about working at Trailblazer Studios, the parent company housing four creative boutiques all with wonderfully talented artists,” said Buckley. “I knew we could help Mark deliver the best film possible.” Buckley brought in Serious Robots, the editorial, animation and visual effects boutique of Trailblazer Studios. Robots’ Editor Scott Roy used the Avid DS Nitris for color correction and titles for the film. Blazing Music + Sound – Trailblazer’s boutique for original music composition, sound design and audio-post – was also involved in the project. Blazing’s sound engineer Aaron Keane worked with the film’s original music composer, John Bryant, to perform the final mixing and audio post production utilizing one of the facility’s ProTools HD2 digital audio workstations. “As believers in great feature documentary storytelling, we’re thrilled to be involved in making this film,” said Buckley. “It’s gratifying to work on a project that influences debate about important issues of the day.” “Making this film has been an experience of a lifetime,” said Birnbaum. “We’ve partnered with so many talented people in the industry, and Distillery Pictures and Trailblazer Studios are high on that list. They’re a great resource with diverse experience and creativity, and their technical capabilities compare with those of many major national production and postproduction facilities.” Indeed, according to Buckley, a 20-year veteran filmmaker and founder of Women in Film Dallas, the North Carolina film industry is well equipped for growth. “We have amazing facilities in North Carolina, including Wilmington, Raleigh and elsewhere, creative and talented crews statewide, excellent schools for filmmaking, recently approved tax incentives, and a world-renowned documentary film festival held annually in Durham,” Buckley said. “There’s every reason for more original content and production to be coming out of North Carolina. There’s a vital industry here poised to springboard off of its great legacy.” For now, North Carolina can add "The Big Buy: Tom Delay’s Stolen Congress” to its list of film credits. The movie opens this Friday, May 19, in Houston and Dallas before runs in New York and cities across the nation. In North Carolina, screenings are currently scheduled for June at The Scene on South Elm in Greensboro. For show dates and times or to purchase the DVD online, visit www.tomdelaymovie.com. Distillery Pictures is a long-format production boutique focusing on documentary television, film and new media from concept to broadcast. Its work includes programming for Discovery Health, National Geographic, PBS, TLC, Sundance, ESPN and an original new media project called Turtle TV. A part of Trailblazer Studios, Distillery Pictures is a sister boutique of Serious Robots, providing animation, editorial and visual effects; Blazing Music + Sound, providing original music composition, voiceover recording, sound design and audio-post; and Red Truck Films, a leading TV commercial production company for advertising agencies in the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest. For more information, call 919-645-6600 or visit www.distillerypictures.com. Film Credits:
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