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Honey Production Information


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About the Filmmakers



BILLE WOODRUFF (Director) marks his feature film directorial debut with Honey. He has directed music videos for some of the recording world’s top artists, including Outkast, The Backstreet Boys, Usher and Britney Spears, among many others.

Woodruff’s super-stylish videos, which feature attention-getting performances by artists on eye-catching futuristic sets, have undoubtedly helped propel those artists to stardom. While establishing himself as a director with a keen eye for fashion, he has captured memorable images of artists ranging from rap acts Timbaland & Magoo and Salt-N-Pepa to R&B groups like Dru Hill and The Tony Rich Project; up-and-comers like Next and Joi to pop veterans like Gloria Estefan, Jody Watley and Celine Dion.


Honey marks the solo feature film screenwriting debut of ALONZO BROWN & KIM WATSON (Screenwriters), who also lent their talents to the script for the feature Liberty Street.
MARC PLATT (Producer) has worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years, during which time he has contributed to many facets of the business. He has served as president of production for three movie studios, produced live theatre, practiced as an entertainment attorney and handled business affairs at a major talent agency. He now heads Marc Platt Productions, an entertainment company for the production of feature films, television and live theatre. The company is located on the Universal Studios lot.

Prior to Honey (produced under the banner of Marc Platt Productions), Platt’s most recent release is Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, the sequel to the 2001 summer hit. The film, directed by Charles Herman Wurmfeld (Kissing Jessica Stein), has grossed over $100 million worldwide to date.

For HBO, Platt is adapting the Pulitzer Prize-winning Richard Russo novel Empire Falls for a movie that will be directed by Fred Schepisi (Six Degrees of Separation, Roxanne). Its stellar cast includes Ed Harris, Helen Hunt, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright Penn, Lou Taylor Pucci and Kate Burton.

In the television arena, Marc Platt has a production deal with Disney’s Touchstone Television. He has executive-produced three pilots for the studio and the series MDs, which aired on ABC. Platt currently has a major TV development slate, including a series based on David Lipsky’s best-selling novel, Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point.

For the legitimate theatre, Marc Platt has created a musical entitled Wicked, based on the novel by Gregory Maguire. Wicked played at San Francisco’s Curran Theatre in June to a sold-out house and standing ovation every night, garnering glowing reviews along the way. The show premiered on Broadway in October 2003 at the Gershwin Theatre. Wicked stars Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel and Joel Grey. This clever and evocative show exploring how author Frank Baum’s classic Wicked Witch of the West became wicked, has Academy Award® winner Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt) as its composer and lyricist, with Winnie Holzman (Once and Again) writing the book. Joe Mantello (The Vagina Monologues, Assassins, Design For Living) directed the show. In addition, Platt is developing a stage musical version of the film classic Edward Scissorhands, with the film’s composer Danny Elfman (Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas) writing the music and two-time Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Matthew Bourne (Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Car Man) contributing his unique vision and talents.

Platt’s past feature productions include the hit comedy Legally Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair and Jennifer Coolidge; the film debuted at number one in the United States and has earned over $140 million worldwide. The first Marc Platt Productions film to commence photography was Universal Pictures’ Josie and the Pussycats, starring Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Parker Posey and Alan Cumming. The movie’s hit soundtrack was certified gold.

Prior to establishing this independent venture, Platt served as President, Production for Universal Pictures from 1996 to 1998. Among the first films Platt put into production were the hugely successful Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams, written by Steve Oedekerk and directed by Tom Shadyac; the critically acclaimed One True Thing, starring Meryl Streep, William Hurt and Reneé Zellweger, directed by Carl Franklin; and the equally acclaimed Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. In addition, Platt developed and put into production October Sky, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Laura Dern; Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey and directed by Milos Forman; The Mummy, written and directed by Stephen Sommers; and American Pie, written by Adam Herz and directed by Paul Weitz and Chris Weitz. Continuing his long association with Oscar-winning® director Jonathan Demme and actor Tom Hanks, Platt put into place overall deals with both filmmakers at Universal.

Before joining Universal, Marc Platt served as President of TriStar Pictures commencing in February 1992. Among the films Platt developed and put into production there were the Oscar®-winning As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt and directed by James L. Brooks; My Best Friend’s Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, written by Ron Bass and directed by P.J. Hogan; Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding, Jr. and written and directed by Cameron Crowe; Sleepless In Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan under Nora Ephron’s direction; Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and directed by Jonathan Demme; Legends of the Fall, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Julia Ormond and directed by Ed Zwick; Jumanji, starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt and directed by Joe Johnston; and The Mirror Has Two Faces, directed by Barbara Streisand and starring Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan and Lauren Bacall.

In the fall of 1987, Platt joined Orion Pictures as Vice President of Production, was promoted to Senior Vice President in the summer of 1989 and became President of Orion Pictures in early 1990. During his tenure as President, Orion produced and released such films as Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs and Mermaids. Platt was also responsible for such films as Little Man Tate, directed by and starring Jodie Foster; The Addams Family (subsequently released by Paramount Pictures); Blue Sky, starring Jessica Lange; and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. While President of Orion, Platt also put into place overall deals with such talent as Jodie Foster, Alec Baldwin, Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in April, 1957, Platt earned his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from New York University Law School in 1982, was a member of the NYU Law Review and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award. During this time period, Platt produced the off-Broadway musical Frances and associate-produced the Broadway production of Total Abandon.

After practicing entertainment law in New York City for a year-and-a-half, Platt joined International Creative Management (ICM), where he worked exclusively with prominent agent, Sam Cohn, negotiating agreements on behalf of clients including Woody Allen, Bob Fosse, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Robert Benton, Nora Ephron, Robin Williams and Cher. Prior to joining Orion, Platt served as Vice President of Production for RKO Pictures.

Platt currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Julie, and their five children, Samantha, 19; Jonah, 16; Hannah, 13; Benjamin, 9; and Henry, 4.


ANDRE HARRELL (Producer) is an image-maker, master interpreter of musical and cultural trends, and multi-talented music and entertainment entrepreneur. Born September 26, 1961,F in Bronx, New York, Harrell has established a reputation in the industry as one of the most astute, progressive and creative executives in the business.

His acute intuition has defined and articulated the kinds of trend-setting and rule-breaking concepts that guide youth culture. His ability to frame these concepts into a way to dress, talk, walk and dance is a talent that he has cultivated and honed over the years.

Like many of his contemporaries, Harrell got his start on the talent side of the business. In the early days of hip-hop, he teamed up with childhood friend Alonzo Brown (co-writer of Honey) and formed the business-attired rapping duo, Dr. Jekyll (Harrell) and Mr. Hyde (Brown). The pair enjoyed three top 20 hit singles and appeared in the cult classic and first-ever hip-hop movie, Krush Groove. In 1983, he joined forces with good friend and fellow rap music pioneer, Russell Simmons, and spent two years as the vice president and general manager of Rush Artist Management.

Harrell realized there was a void in the marketplace for an alternative sound—one that was less hard-core, more melodic—a hybrid of rap coupled with traditional R&B. Influenced by both the urban flavor he observed while living in a Bronx housing project and the style and fashion sensibilities of the sharply dressed urban professionals he’d see while commuting to Harlem and midtown Manhattan, he founded Uptown Records in 1985. Uptown gave birth to a lifestyle movement that promised fun, excitement and serious entertainment.

In 1988, he secured a label deal with MCA records, taking the fledgling Uptown (home of Al B. Sure, Heavy D. and the Boyz, Mary J. Blige and Jodeci) from a small brownstone in Brooklyn to a high-rise in midtown Manhattan. In 1992, Harrell expanded the deal by signing an unprecedented $50 million contract—creating Uptown Entertainment, which now included a film and television division in Hollywood.

During this period, Harrell produced the romantic comedy, Strictly Business, introducing the world to a young ingénue, the Academy Award®-winning actress, Halle Berry. On the small screen, he co-created and executive-produced the hit Fox Network police dramatic series, New York Undercover—giving the hip-hop generation their first ever African American heroic lead character as portrayed by Malik Yoba while also successfully integrating the hottest R&B and rap/hip-hop musical artists into a TV series. The show exposed a mainstream, national television audience to an edgy, trend-setting urban lifestyle—the hip-hop Cultural Revolution was now televised.

After spending 10 years building Uptown Entertainment into a well-respected organization, Harrell sold it in 1995 to take over the task of revitalizing Motown records. During his short stint, he sponsored the first-of-its-kind national talent contest to give local acts an opportunity for national exposure. Leaving Motown in 1997, he consulted various artists and labels until he was persuaded by his protégé, Sean Combs, to take on the day-to-day management of Bad Boy Records.

In 2000, Harrell left the label and moved to Los Angeles, where he would pursue a challenging opportunity to establish and build a new record label into a pivotal player in the recording industry. His latest venture, NUAMERICA, is a boutique record label he founded and then partnered with singer/songwriter/producer Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds.

The past two decades have only been a prelude to Andre Harrell’s mission to bring the trend-setting ideas in music, fashion and lifestyle from his community to the forefront of American Pop Culture and beyond.
BILLY HIGGINS (Executive Producer) recently served as producer on Children on Their Birthdays, New Port South and Simon Birch. He was the unit production manager on the features Ali, High Fidelity, The Straight Story, Rudy, Folks, Music Box and Betrayed. His credits also include television miniseries, pilots, telefeatures and episodic series for the CBS, NBC and ABC networks.
JOHN R. LEONETTI’s (Director of Photography) most recent work as cinematographer was on the worldwide action hit The Scorpion King, a prequel to the successful Mummy franchise that stars The Rock and is directed by Chuck Russell. He previously worked with director Russell on the hit action comedy The Mask. He learned his craft in both television and films, making his film debut as a camera assistant on the film One From the Heart in 1982.

He went on to be first assistant camera operator on the films Poltergeist, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Commando, Weird Science, Extreme Prejudice and Hard to Kill, among others, before becoming the cinematographer on the films Child’s Play 3, Hot Shots! Part Deux, Spy Hard and Detroit Rock City. He teamed up with director John Frankenheimer on two highly acclaimed HBO films, Against the Wall and The Burning Season. He served as cinematographer on Mortal Kombat and directed its sequel, Mortal Kombat 2. He has also directed episodes of the television series Providence and Sons of Thunder. Additional director of photography credits include The Adventures of Joe Dirt.


JASNA STEFANOVICH (Production Designer) designed Universal’s Josie and the Pussycats, also produced by Marc Platt. She also designed Sofia Coppola’s debut feature film, Virgin Suicides, a 1975 period piece. Her work on Vincenzo Natali’s 1996 cult science-fiction film Cube garnered her a Genie nomination for best art direction and she has since collaborated twice with the director: on the upcoming Cypher, starring Lucy Liu and Jeremy Northam; and on Natali’s highly conceptual third feature, Nothing. Jasna also designed the pilot for the television series Witchblade, as well as several other television productions, including Two of Us, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, Love and Murder, The Scream Team and The Day Reagan Was Shot. Her work will also be seen in the upcoming Nia Vardalos comedy feature Connie and Carla.
MARK HELFRICH, A.C.E. (Editor) most recently edited Universal’s 2002 smash hit prequel to The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon. Helfrich has edited Rush Hour 2, The Family Man, Rush Hour and Money Talks. Helfrich’s other feature film credits include Scary Movie, Predator, Striking Distance, Showgirls, Nowhere to Run, The Last Boy Scout, Action Jackson, Rambo: First Blood II and Jumpin’ Jack Flash. Among Helfrich’s other credits are numerous cable television features and music videos, including Madonna’s 1999 award-winning “Beautiful Stranger.”
EMMA E. HICKOX, A.C.E. (Editor) was born in London to a family well-established in the international film industry (her mother is film editor Anne Coates and her father was film director Douglas Hickox). She most recently edited the 2002 summer hit Blue Crush, as well as the Mandy Moore hit feature, A Walk to Remember. Her credits also include Tangled; The Breed; On the Borderline; The Brylcreem Boys; This World, Then the Fireworks; The Crew; and Miracle Beach. She served as an additional editor on How To Make an American Quilt and as supervising editor on French Exit. Her upcoming projects include Modigliani.

SUSAN MATHESON (Costume Designer) designed the wardrobes for John Stockwell’s feature films Blue Crush and crazy/beautiful. Her additional credits include Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, Best Laid Plans, Panic, Highway, Max Keeble’s Big Move and A Piece of My Heart.

Matheson studied drama at Vassar where she segued into costume design. She studied fashion design in Japan before moving to Los Angeles, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Otis Parsons Institute of Design. She won design awards from Nike, Bob Mackie and in 1992, was named Designer of the Year by the Institute. After a year of teaching illustration and design at Otis, she went on to design Barbie Dolls for Mattel and assorted toy characters for Disney.



MERVYN WARREN (Composer) is a highly accomplished film composer, record producer, lyricist, songwriter, arranger, pianist and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner (with 10 nominations) and a seven-time Dove Award winner (with 10 nominations).

Equally adept at various styles, Warren’s work spans many genres—pop, R&B, hip-hop, classical, orchestral, jazz, vocal, country and gospel. His client roster (from Barbra Streisand to DMX and everything in between) and his film scores (ranging from comedy to drama to action) speak for themselves.

Warren was an original member of Take 6, the a cappella sextet that took the world by storm in 1988. He sang with Take 6 from 1980 to 1991 and recorded two albums with the group—one platinum and the other, gold. On those albums, he produced, co-wrote and arranged most of the award-winning songs. Together they won four Grammy Awards, six Dove Awards, two Stellar Awards and a Soul Train Award.

On his own, Warren earned an additional Grammy for the all-star recording Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, as well as five additional Grammy nominations, an additional Dove Award (of two nominations) and two Gospel Music Workshop of America Awards (including one for Contemporary Producer of the Year).

Warren co-produced (with Babyface) a Billboard No. 1 R&B hit, As Yet’s “Last Night”; produced a Billboard Top 10 hit, Whitney Houston’s “I Believe In You & Me” (movie version), from the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum soundtrack to The Preacher’s Wife; and penned a Billboard No. 2 dance hit, Donna Summer’s “The Power of One.”

The artist has written numerous arrangements for his mentors Quincy Jones and David Foster, ranging from Jones’ Back on the Block and Q’s Jook Joint to feature film scoring to various records with such artists as Celine Dion, Brandy, LeAnn Rimes and many others.

Warren currently divides his time between producing records and writing both underscoring and songs for feature films, including the recent hits The Wedding Planner, A Walk to Remember and Marci X.
RODNEY JERKINS (Executive Music Producer) is a Grammy Award-winning producer whose credits include working with top recording talents such as Brandy, Britney Spears, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Monica, Babyface and Jennifer Lopez, among many others. He received his Grammy in 2000 for writing the Destiny’s Child #1 hit, “Say My Name.”

Jerkins started piano lessons at age five. By age 12, he had branched out to gospel and jazz. His early classical training has remained with him, surfacing even in his R&B compositions.

Jerkins produced singles on forthcoming albums by TLC, Monica and Carlos Santana. In 2002, he announced his new label, Darkchild (a name he officially incorporated when he was just 17), which will be distributed by Cash Money/Universal Records.
LAURIEANN GIBSON (Choreographer) is one of the most sought after choreographers in the entertainment industry. With more than three-dozen videos and televised shows under her belt, Gibson has become a driving force behind some of the most successful artists today. Her work can be seen on television, concert tours, award ceremonies, music videos and film. Through her dedication, unique style and skills, she has helped transform artists such as Puffy, Mary J. Blige and Brandy into superstars.

Gibson was born in Toronto, Canada, and attended the Performing Arts High School. Growing up her inspirations were Charlie Atkins and Debbie Allen (with whom she has been compared), which led her to training at the National Ballet of Canada. At age 17, she boarded a Greyhound bus with about one month’s rent in her pocket and headed to New York City. It was there that she trained with the legendary Alvin Ailey Dance Theater for six years, which led to critically acclaimed performances in off-Broadway productions of Cats and A Chorus Line.



Laurieann also plays Katrina, the choreographer who attempts to take Honey’s place.
-honey-


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