WOODY CREEK PRODUCTIONS in association with FLYING SPOT presents

THE HEART OF THE GAME

music supervisor SUE JACOBS music by THE ANGEL sound design BAD ANIMALS

edited by ERIC FRITH director of photography WARD SERRILL executive producer LARRY ESTES

produced by WARD SERRILL and LIZ MANNE written and directed by WARD SERRILL

Ward Serrill

Director • Writer • Producer • Director of Photography

Ward Serrill's mission is to tell stories that inspire and heal. He has written, directed and produced independent feature documentaries as well as films, multi-image productions and publications primarily for cause-oriented and non-profit organizations.

A former C.P.A., Ward is executive producer of the film and video department for Pyramid Communications, a social cause public relations firm that works nationally on issues ranging from the environment to health care and the arts.

He has written, directed or produced over 30 short films. He was executive producer for Wild America, narrated by Sissy Spacek, to generate protection for the last remaining wild lands along the Lewis and Clark trail. He co-directed and produced Building One House, narrated by Robert Redford about empowering Indian tribes to build straw bale homes on America's reservations and which was instrumental in the film's central character winning Oprah Winfrey's Use Your Life Award and appearance on her show. Serrill's film Esther Shea: The Bear Stands Up about a leading Alaskan Tlingit elder was broadcast nationally on PBS stations. The Heart of the Game is Serrill's first feature-length film.

Ward lives on a house barge in Seattle and is a tango dancer and harmonica player.

Larry Estes

Executive Producer

Larry Estes began his corporate career acquiring videodisc rights for release on RCA's SelectaVision VideoDisc system. In 1984 he became Senior Vice President of Feature Film Acquisitions at RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video. From 1987 – 93 he developed and operated an arm of Columbia TriStar Home Video's acquisition program, specializing in quality independent film development and financing. His films at CTHV include Steven Soderbergh¹s sex, lies and videotape, John Sayles' City of Hope, Passion Fish and other films. He was responsible for the production and distribution for over 75 independent movies made since 1988.

He produced the acclaimed Smoke Signals written by Sherman Alexie as well as Alexie's The Business of Fancydancing.

In 1992 Estes accepted the Independent Feature Project/West "Findie" award and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the Entertainment Business by both Entertainment Weekly and Premiere Magazines.

Liz Manne

Producer

Liz saw an advance cut of The Heart of the Game, decided it could touch a lot of lives, and wanted to help. Liz was co-founder of Fine Line Features and later served as Executive VP of Programming and Marketing for Robert Redford's Sundance Channel. At Fine Line she was instrumental in distributing Hoop Dreams along with dozens of other films including Shine, The Player, and Short Cuts. In 2002, in partnership with veteran film and television executive Catherine Tait, Liz founded Duopoly, a New York-based independent film and TV production company.

In addition to The Heart of the Game, Liz is producing A Dog Year written and directed by George LaVoo based on the book by Jon Katz (for HBO Films). Duopoly is currently in development with Walking into the Night based on the novel by Olaf Olafsson, and is involved with Bam Bam and Celeste, the first narrative feature film from comedy sensation Margaret Cho, and the new documentary from Jeffrey Blitz (Spellbound).

external link: www.duopoly.net

Eric Frith

Editor

Eric has been in the Seattle film and video industry for over 10 years. In 2000 he partnered with his wife, Holly Taylor, as owner of Byrd Productions, and as Director and Editor for the company.

Eric directed and edited the short titled 49? which screened in the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival, the 2003 Seattle International Film Festival, and many other festivals. 49? was recently chosen to be in the South by Southwest Presents program and also was selected to tour as best of the Northwest by the Northwest Film and Video Festival (Portland).

Recently, Eric edited Pipe Dreams, a documentary about a World Bank funded oil pipeline through Cameroon. Pipe Dreams screened for the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Africa Social Forum.

Eric and Holly currently have a feature film in development through Byrd Productions based on the short story The Garbageman's Daughter by David James Duncan (author of The River Why and The Brothers K). David Duncan is slated to team up with Sherman Alexie (Smoke Signals, The Business of Fancydancing) to write the screenplay for the film.

external link: www.byrdproductions.com

The Angel

Composer

Brooklyn native, Los Angeles transplant by way of London, along the way The Angel has created a sound all of her own. The sound she has established through her own recordings, remixing, producing and, most recently, scoring for film and television is an amalgamation of the many environments she has inhabited. She is one of a minority of female composers in an overwhelming male dominated industry.

1997 saw Angel's first foray into film with her co-writing and producing the track "Anything" featuring Angie Hart (of Frente) for the David Duchovny and Angelina Jolie picture Playing God. This whet Angel's appetite for an entirely new discipline, film composing, and later that year she scored music for her first two films: the Tupac and Tim Roth feature Gridlock'd and the Sarah Jessica Parker and Dylan McDermott romantic comedy 'Til There Was You.

While promoting her 60 Channels album throughout 1999, Angel was approached by New Line Cinema to score the film Boiler Room. The film starred Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Nicky Katt, Jamie Kennedy, Nia Long and Ben Affleck in a story revolving around a renegade brokerage firm. The film premiered in January 2000 at the Sundance film festival and was both a critical and commercial success. To coincide with the release of the DVD, the score album was also released in July, 2000.

In the works is a new film scored by The Angel. Kidulthood is a UK feature directed by Menhaj Huda and will be released in late 2005 / early 2006.

external link: www.theangelsoundclash.com

Flying Spot Entertainment Group

Post Production Services

Flying Spot was founded in 1992 as a design driven post-production boutique. Early work included music videos for artists such as Tribe Called Quest, Pearl Jam, and Bon Jovi, and editorial for the film HYPE! documenting the Seattle grunge music phenomenon.

In 1994 Flying Spot first received national attention for its Emmy-award winning opening title sequence for National Geographic's The World of National Geographic. This was followed by series work for Discovery Channel's Popular Science, Big Stuff, and Mega Structures, among others. Recently, Flying Spot has completed editorial on the series Tech Effect for The History Channel and HD finishing for Knievel's Wild Ride for A&E Network.

In addition to The Heart of the Game, Flying Spot has played a pivotal role in the creation of independent films Hedda Gabler, Taos, and Inheritance. Flying Spot also provided finishing for the well-received documentary film, Busting Out, and produced the DVD, Yes, You Can Go Home featuring Eric Burdon and the Animals (available at www.cinepix.com).

The success of The Heart of the Game affirms the Flying Spot (now known as the Flying Spot Entertainment Group) approach to the invention, partnership and creative development of unique film & television properties. The company follows The Heart of the Game with the much-anticipated release of the film Platinum (www.flyingspot.com/platinum), and is currently in development and production of nine television specials and episodic series.

external link: www.flyingspot.com

other team members