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Viewpoint Creative Announces Selection of "Worcester 6: Heroes Remembered" Into Boston International Film Festival

Monday, 04 May 2020 09:00 AM

Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

Produced in conjunction with The Leary Firefighters Foundation, the series honors the fallen Worcester heroes and drives fundraising for actor Denis Leary's foundation

NEWTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 4, 2020 / On International Firefighters' Day, Viewpoint Creative, a leading boutique production and branding agency, and wholly-owned subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:DLPN), announces the selection of "Worcester 6: Heroes Remembered" into the Boston International Film Festival. Viewpoint Creative conceived, shot, and produced the 5-part short-form digital series on behalf of The Leary Firefighters Foundation to honor the six heroic firefighters that perished in the Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse Fire twenty years ago.

The first episode recounts that devastating winter night and how a seemingly routine fire turned into a raging inferno that no one could anticipate. Subsequent episodes highlight how the fire impacted the department and the community, and how, remarkably, seven of the sons of the fallen have become firefighters themselves, following in their fathers' footsteps to serve and protect the city of Worcester.

The series premiered December 3, 2019, on the 20th anniversary of the fire, on the Leary Firefighters Foundation's website as well as their social media channels, receiving hundreds of thousands of views in the first month alone. Elements of the series also aired on the Rachael Ray Show in late December.

The series aims to raise awareness and donations for The Leary Firefighters Foundation, which was started by actor and Worcester native Denis Leary in the aftermath of the tragic fire. Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $13 million for first responders nationwide. Leary's cousin, Firefighter Jerry Lucey, and childhood friend, Lt. Tommy Spencer, were two of the six men that perished that night.

Leary commented on the importance of the series, "This documentary tells an important story about the incredible dedication and bravery of firefighters and takes the audience behind the scenes to witness just how dangerous the job is - and how deep it's family bonds really go. It's the story of The Worcester 6 but also a celebration of legacy, featuring the new generation of firefighters - their sons."

Added Leary, "I have received and heard nothing but overwhelming praise about the series and the Leary Firefighters Foundation received a big spike in donations during the postings of each episode on social media. This was a huge initiative for the foundation and continues to build awareness for it. Viewpoint Creative produced a great series that was beautifully and respectfully executed."

Over four days of shooting, Viewpoint conducted over a dozen interviews with firefighters who were on the job 20 years ago, as well as relatives of the Worcester 6. The crew captured extensive b-roll of current Worcester Firefighters in action, including live fire training exercises in the city's burn building, a facility made possible by donations from The Leary Firefighters Foundation. Archival footage and photography were also gathered, providing historical context and moving imagery of the tragic events of December 3rd, 1999.

David Shilale, Viewpoint's General Manager and Director on the project, said, "Growing up in Worcester and Auburn made being part of this project that much more meaningful for me. Working on the series was incredibly moving and we at Viewpoint were humbled and proud to be a part of it. Our goal from the start was to honor the Worcester 6 and tell the tragic story with respect and dignity. The fact that another Worcester firefighter, Jason Menard, died in the line of duty one week after filming, made it all the more vital that this story be told and more support given to the Leary Firefighters Foundation."

"This story gives you a tremendous appreciation for the work of the Worcester Fire Department and first responders everywhere," said John Murnane, Viewpoint's Creative Director. "It's remarkable to see how this brotherhood responded in the face of tragedy and to witness the resiliency of their families and the community."

About Viewpoint Creative

Viewpoint Creative is an award-winning, full-service boutique creative and video production agency headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. The company occupies 12,000 square feet in the Chapel Bridge Complex, which serves as home base to its staff of creative directors, writers, designers, directors, editors, animators and producers, as well as a full array of production assets. Viewpoint Creative is a subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment.

About Leary Firefighter Foundation

The Leary Firefighters Foundation was established in 2000 by actor Denis Leary in response to a tragic fire in Worcester, Massachusetts that claimed the lives of Denis' cousin, a childhood friend, and four other firefighters. The Leary Firefighters Foundation's mission is to provide funding and resources for Fire Departments to obtain the best available equipment, technology and training. We are dedicated to helping maintain the highest level of public safety in our communities.

About Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

Dolphin Entertainment is a leading independent entertainment marketing and production company. Through our subsidiaries 42West, The Door and Shore Fire Media, we provide expert strategic marketing and publicity services to many of the top brands, both individual and corporate, in the film, television, music and hospitality industries. In December 2019, all three PR firms were ranked among the Observer's "Power 50" PR Firms in the United States, an unprecedented achievement. Dolphin's acquisition of Viewpoint Creative adds full-service creative branding and production capabilities to our marketing group. Dolphin's legacy content production business, founded by Emmy-nominated CEO Bill O'Dowd, has produced multiple feature films and award-winning digital series.

This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. These forward-looking statements may address, among other things, Dolphin Entertainment Inc.'s offering of common stock as well as expected financial and operational results and the related assumptions underlying its expected results. These forward-looking statements are distinguished by the use of words such as "will," "would," "anticipate," "expect," "believe," "designed," "plan," or "intend," the negative of these terms, and similar references to future periods. These views involve risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and, accordingly, Dolphin Entertainment's actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in its forward-looking statements. Dolphin Entertainment's forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release. Factors or events Dolphin Entertainment cannot predict, including those described in the risk factors contained in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, may cause its actual results to differ from those expressed in forward-looking statements. Although Dolphin Entertainment believes the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved, and Dolphin Entertainment undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Contact:

Nora Walsh
Director of Operations
[email protected]
617-597-6667 x142

James Carbonara
Hayden IR
(646)-755-7412
[email protected]

SOURCE: Dolphin Entertainment, Inc.

Topic:
Company Update
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