Kickstarter

THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED AS WE HAVE REACHED OUR KICKSTARTER GOAL WITH 11 DAYS LEFT!!!  Overall, with online crowdfunding and other efforts, so far we've raised $13,200.   We are waiting on two potential larger financiers to help us reach our ultimate Budget goal . There is more work to be done, so within these last 10 days of the campaign, we're looking for more and more folks to give what they can. We're also looking for those potential larger donors to match the $5000.00 goal.  Help us tell the story!

THE STORY/SYNOPSIS  

The Championship Rounds is the story of a young, deaf, African American boxer and single father of a 6 month- old boy whose life is against the ropes on the brink of homelessness.   After being stricken with tragedy, James receives an unlikely shot at redemption, and now his very survival is dependent on his faith and his decision to seize the moment.

JAMES DEACON JR, having experienced the tragic death of his girlfriend  from childbirth complications, finds himself in one of the most difficult positions of his life.  Maintaining a job as a shopkeeper for a small grocery store, James struggles to maintain a living that is enough to pay for a dismal room in a rough neighborhood and properly care for his surviving baby boy.  Additionally, being deaf, James realizes he has to work extra hard to simply communicate effectively in a society filled with hearing people.

Having been raised by JAMES DEACON SR., a world champion pugilist in the late 80’s, James was exposed to the sport and the glamour surrounding it at a very young age.  Following in his father’s footsteps, James became a very successful three -time Amateur Golden Gloves Champion.  After the tragedy involving his girlfriend, James puts the guilt on himself and decides to fully walk away from boxing and dedicate his life completely to his child.

However, a daily encounter with a local boxing gym and a persistent trainer provides James with an urge and opportunity that can’t be ignored. Once the threshold is crossed, James finds himself battling between the memories/demons of past/present and the potential future road to redemption. 

The Championship Rounds examines not only the boxing world and delineation between the deaf and hearing communities, but also a true test of self and perseverance as a single father under extremely difficult circumstances.

HISTORICAL ELEMENT

Our ultimate goal is to eventually shoot a feature film version of this down the line.  When we do the feature and if we garner either a limited or wide theatrical release, Michael Anthony Spady  (our lead actor) would be the 1st African American, Deaf Actor to have played the title role with a release of that magnitude.  

Your funds are helping launch this process. We are shooting the short first to 1) Use it as a tool to raise awareness around the festival circuit and beyond 2) Use it as a tool to "show" industry professionals/exec/investors in hopes to get feature funding  3) To educate.

PROJECT NEEDS

We've been able to raise $8200 thus far from our first online crowd funding campaign.   We need your help to continue the momentum and help us cover the necessary film costs to get us into production.  We've been able to garner a ton of traction thus far. Much like the recent hit indie film "PARIAH" which started off as a short film and eventually became a feature, we will be taking a similar path.  This isn't just about dollars, it's about really taking part in the bigger picture and embracing a project/people you believe in.   We are currently in talks with a few folks who could help catapult the project. However, we need the support of the general public as well. These campaigns help cause a domino effect and buzz.

CAST/CREATIVE

Harold Perrineau Jr. (LOST, OZ) , Larry Gilliard, Jr (THE WIRE, GANGS OF NEW YORK), Linden Ashby (WYATT EARP, MORTAL KOMBAT) Michael Anthony Spady(THE HAMMER, SYMPATHY FOR DELICIOUS), Emma Reaves (GOD AND VODKA) and Peter Jae (THE PERFECT HOLIDAY, K-TOWN COWBOYS) are all actors attached thus far. 

Director/Co-Writer: Daniel Stine  (pictured below)

 Director Daniel Stine and Rushaway Pictures made waves with their last short film God and Vodka which won multiple awards on the Film Festival Circuit.    God and Vodka has been selected to screen at Oscar (Academy Award) qualifying festivals. To name a few, the Rhode Island International Film Festival, Cinequest and many other major festivals across the country. God and Vodka was recently selected to screen in Cincinnati as part of a Program next to all of this years Academy Award Nominated Shorts.  Besides The Championship Rounds, Rushaway Pictures and Daniel are working on their feature film Mannin Bay, a bed and breakfast thriller which has garnered interest various celebrities and top notch cinematographers.

Due to the concept, we have interest from other named celebrity actors as well as studio level, major motion picture Composers and Sound Designers.  To have this level of talent interested and attached to a short film can almost guarantee a high level of quality and deliver a product that can lead to wonderful results on the festival circuit as we journey into making the feature film. 

Producers Include:  Writer/Creator M.D. Walton, Derrex Brady, and Rushaway Pictures.   For all  Bio's of the Award Winning team please visit : http://www.TheChampionshipRounds.com

Our Cinematographer Pedro Ciampolini's work can be seen below. Look at his reel to get a glimpse of the quality of work we're bringing to this project :   We're looking to shoot on the ARRI Alexa or Red EPIC Camera.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Help us reach our $5000 goal within the 30 days of this campaign by making a donation of any size.    Your Credit Card will NOT be charged UNLESS we reach our $5000 goal by the end of the 30 days.  You can also help by spreading the word on your own Facebook and Twitter pages. Energy sparks energy. We hope to EXCEED the goal passing the $5K goal here and creating more momentum. This is a movement beyond just a film.

If you'd like to make a Tax Deductible Donation, one can be made by check through our Fiscal Sponsor. Send us a message through Kickstarter if interested in taking that route.

On behalf of The Championship Rounds team, thank you for your support.

http://www.thechampionshiprounds.com

Photo #1 : l to r: Actor Michael Anthony Spady

Photo #2: l to r: M.D. Walton and TCR Producer Derrex Brady