For immediate release: 8.10.04
1st Annual Williamsburg Music & Arts Festival
Music. Film. Activism. Get Involved. Take Action.
August 21st, 2004
Noon – 8pm
Mc Carren Park, Williamsburg
Bedford & N. 12th Sts.
August 10, 2004 - Brooklyn, NY -- Film Director and Producer Roy Szuper and veteran music event and tour producer, Christine Hansen, announce the creation of the First Annual Williamsburg Music & Arts Festival. The concept for the festival was inspired by Szuper’s film Gonzo Music Diaries, which documents New York City’s musical and political post-9/11 landscape. Szuper has teamed with Hansen, President/CEO of Thirty-Three Productions, to create this pioneering event to take place on August 21, 2004 from Noon to 8:00pm.
The festival is designed as a celebration of music and the activist scene documented in his soon-to-be released 3rd film Gonzo Music Diaries (www.gonzomusicdiariesnyc.com), as well as an event to be filmed and incorporated in the documentary. The film features over 20 New York City bands including, but not limited to: Murphy’s Law, Black 47, World Inferno Friendship Society, Dufus, Big Lazy, Dana Fuchs, Jimmy Vivino, David Peel, the Danglers, plus over 20 subway musicians.
Sponsored in part by SPIN Magazine, American Apparel, and The Village Voice, the Williamsburg Festival in Mc Carren Park, will include two stages of music and performance, as well as various booths.
An eclectic roster of artists will perform on 2 stages during the course of the day. The festival will spotlight the extraordinary talent that hails from the 5 boroughs in addition to presenting some of the finest nationally-renowned artists. Talent at the festival will include local artists featured in the film.
As part of the festival’s theme of celebrating local talent and involvement, the event will also showcase several activist organizations, alongside performance and visual artists. Participating organizations include:
A portion of the proceeds from the film and the concert event will be donated to Charl’s Handijam for the Handicapped, to locally benefit terminally ill children.
Said Szuper. “The period of time I documented was so intense and inspiring that I needed to create an extraordinary event like this in order to celebrate and culminate the film”
Hansen concurs, “Much of my work is internationally based, but this really gave me an opportunity to support my local scene and to show the world what tremendous talent, support, and energy we have in our city.”
Szuper, of Universal Beef Productions, can currently be seen filming punk rock bands and freak shows in New York City as well as graffiti artists, musicians, and subway performers searching for their groove. A native New Yorker, Szuper has a B.A. in Political Science from Fairfield University, which helps explain his penchant for infusing his films with politics and subversion. He began working on concert production with Metropolitan Entertainment in the early 90’s and went on to produce CONCERT JOE: A NY STORY. As with all of Szuper’s projects, this 40 minute film was shot guerrilla style and completed in 2000. It told the story of one man’s quest of getting into the Guinness Book for seeing the most concerts. The film was featured on VH-1 and MTV. In 2002, Szuper wrote, directed and produced a short titled CHARCOAL. Based on an event that happened to his own family in the days after 9/11, the film chronicles one ethnic family’s post 9/11 barbeque gone dangerously awry.
Thirty-Three Productions, founded by Christine Hansen in 1998, is an event production and entertainment marketing company that implements a unique integrated marketing approach to producing music festivals, tours, and entertainment driven events on a global scale. Its clients and production credits include Björk, the Black Eyed Peas, Duran Duran, Jeremy Scott: NY Fashion Week – September ‘04, 10th Anniversary events for Agent Provocateur, St. Maarten Regatta Events for Heineken, Sundance Film Festival Events for Procter & Gamble, New York/Los Angeles Fashion Week Events for House of Field (Sex & the City), Grammy Week Events for Rock the Vote, Coca-Cola/KMX Events at the Winter Olympic Games, the JENSENERGY Tour, and Ministry of Sound, amongst others.
About Spin magazine:
From next big things to innovative icons, Spin, launched in 1985, champions all the music that rocks, and is the respected home for a trendsetting audience passionate about music. With a circulation of 550,000 Spin, a monthly, currently reaches an audience of nearly 3 million. Spin magazine is published by Vibe/Spin Ventures LLC, a leading music/lifestyle media company that also publishes Vibe magazine.
For more information and details about the event contact:
Christine Hansen
Thirty-Three Productions, Inc.
718.383.7071
christine@33productions.com