Minds Eye Entertainment has a clear focus in Alberta

Released: September 27, 2001

(CALGARY) The Minds Eye group of companies, with offices in Edmonton, Calgary, Regina, Vancouver and Los Angeles is fast becoming a mainstay on the Alberta motion picture scene. With plans to open new offices in Winnipeg and Toronto, the fully integrated production, post production, new media and distribution entity will soon have a cross-Canada presence.

In Alberta, the company produces both television series and feature films, as well as having a strong development division based in Edmonton and a cutting-edge post-production facility, PostMaster Digital, based in Calgary. Minds Eye also spreads production between the two Alberta centres, shooting the award-winning half-hour children's TV series Mentors in Edmonton, and the new one-hour family series MythQuest in Calgary.

Mentors (www.mentorstv.com) is a Gemini Award-winning half-hour dramatic children's series on Family Channel about the adventures of young brother and sister team, Simon and Crystal Cates and the historical figures they transport from past to present. Mentors was created by Josh Miller of Minds Eye Entertainment who is producing the series with Margaret Mardirossian of Anaïd Productions with Kevin DeWalt of Minds Eye Entertainment as Executive Producer. The series features Stevie Mitchell (Real Kids - Real Adventures) as Simon Cates, Samantha Krutzfeldt (Orange Seed Myth & Other Lies Mothers Tell) as his sister Crystal, Brian Martell (Texas Rangers) as their father Norm Cates and Jane Sowerby (The Young Person's Guide To Becoming a Rock Star) as their mother, Peggy. Mentors will wrap Season III on October 2 and looks forward to filming Season IV in 2002.

MythQuest (www.mythquest.tv) is a one-hour dramatic family series for PBS, CBC and Showcase that follows teens Alex and Cleo Bellows as they cross into a cyberworld of mythic imagination. Like a magic looking glass, a computer screen becomes a gateway to the kingdom of myths: a gateway into which their own father, a celebrated archaeologist, disappeared. Now on a quest to find him, Alex and Cleo must test their own heroism as they cross into a cyberworld of mythic imagination. MythQuest stars Christopher Jacot (The Famous Jett Jackson) as Alex Bellows and Meredith Henderson (The Adventures of Shirley Holmes) as his wheelchair-bound sister Cleo. MythQuest is a coproduction of VIP Producktions and Minds Eye Entertainment in association with David Braun Productions and TiMe Produktions. Wolfram Tichy, Kevin DeWalt, and David Braun are executive producers, Knut Winkler, Ray Sager and Josh Miller are Producers. The series will continue production for its second season in early 2002.

On Thursday, September 27, the company will premiere its feature film Viva Las Nowhere at the Calgary International Film Festival. Viva Las Nowhere (www.vivalasnowhere.com), produced by Franchise Pictures in association with Minds Eye Entertainment, tells the wickedly funny tale of Frank Jacobs. The mundane life of a country western songwriter wannabe and owner of a failing dirt roadside motel (Frank Jacobs) situated "smack dab in the geographic center of the U.S. of A", is pulled inside out by a femme fatale lounge singer and her abusive personal manager.

Viva Las Nowhere stars Daniel Stern (Very Bad Things, Home Alone), Patricia Richardson (Ulee's Gold, Home Improvement), Lacey Kohl (How the Grinch Stole Christmas, E.R..) and James Caan (Mickey Blue Eyes, The Godfather) and was directed by Jason Bloom. Executive producers are Elie Samaha, Andrew Stevens and Kevin DeWalt. Producers are Demitri Samaha, Tracee Stanley and Josh Miller.

President of Minds Eye Alberta and Vice President Development for Minds Eye Entertainment, Josh Miller comments, "We're thrilled that Viva Las Nowhere is premiering in Canada at the Calgary Film Festival. Viva represents the first of what we hope will be many feature films to be brought to Alberta by Edmonton-based Minds Eye Entertainment, who also currently co-produce three Alberta television series: Mentors, MythQuest, and RIP - Great Cemeteries of the World."

Established in 1986, Minds Eye Entertainment is a fully integrated production, post-production and distribution entity with offices in Canada and the U.S. As Western Canada's largest independent film and television production company, Minds Eye Entertainment has been instrumental in contributing to the country's thriving motion picture industry. Its award-winning feature films, television series, shorts and documentaries have been seen in more than 100 countries and 450 million households worldwide.