For Immediate Release
GMC TV PRESENTS AN ORIGINAL WORLD PREMIERE SERIES
‘FOR RICHER OR POORER’
ROCKMOND DUNBAR, GRAMMY© AWARD-WINNER LETOYA LUCKETT, ANGELL CONWELL, JACKÉE HARRY AND GOSPEL MUSIC ARTIST ANTHONY EVANS LEAD AN ENSEMBLE CAST
PREMIERES SATURDAY, JANUARY 26TH AT 9:00 P.M. EST EXCLUSIVELY ON GMC TV
ATLANTA -- January 17, 2013 – GMC TV, America’s favorite channel for uplifting family entertainment, presents the original GMC World Premiere Series “For Richer or Poorer” a new original six episode limited series produced exclusively for television starring Rockmond Dunbar (Raising Izzie, The Family That Preys, “Sons of Anarchy,” “Soul Food”), two-time Grammy© Award-winning R&B singer LeToya Luckett from “Destiny’s Child” (“Tremé”), Angell Conwell (Baby Boy, “The Young and the Restless”), Jackée Harry (“Sister, Sister”, “227”) and gospel music star Anthony Evans (“The Voice”). The inspirational series about a couple overcoming challenges after a financial setback is based on the first play in GMC TV’s popular wedding vow-themed productions that aired on the network in 2012. For Richer or Poorer” premieres exclusively on GMC TV on Saturday, January 26th at 9:00 p.m. EST.
Based on original screenplays written by Cas Sigers Beedles (A Cross to Bear, “If You Really Love Me”) and directed by Roger Melvin (“The Love You Save,” “If You Really Love Me”), “For Richer or Poorer” follows our couple Kya (Luckett) and Aubrey Wilson (Dunbar)—who are on an upswing after suffering a major financial blow when Aubrey loses his six-figure job. Back on track and living a more modest lifestyle, the couple find themselves facing new challenges when they take a trip down memory lane with mementos given to each by ex’s, Kya’s new business takes off, home ownership on the horizon and dreams of expanding their family come in to play. As they explore issues such as honesty, trust, financial role reversal, and parenting, they find a new and deeper respect for their lifetime partner and build for a better future.
“For Richer or Poorer” stars Rockmond Dunbar (“Sons of Anarchy,” “Soul Food”), LeToya Luckett (“Tremé”), Angell Conwell (Baby Boy, “The Young and the Restless”), Jackée Harry (“Sister, Sister”, “227”), Carl Payne
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(“The Game,” “Martin”), Buddy Lewis, DeEtta West and gospel music star Anthony Evans. Screenplay by Cas Sigers Beedles (A Cross to Bear, “If You Really Love Me”). Directed by Roger Melvin (“The Love You Save,” “If You Really Love Me”).
“We are thrilled to bring ‘For Richer or Poorer’ to our GMC audience as a lively series,” says Leslie Glenn Chesloff, GMC’s executive vice president of programming. “This series is a wonderful follow-up to our original stage play of the same name and continues to follow this family as they face so many of the joys and challenges of marriage today. It’s a unique blend of drama, comedy, music and morality that you won’t find anywhere else on television. We continue to seek out and bring to the screen fun and compelling stories that our audience can relate to. This series is no exception and we are proud to bring it to our GMC family.”
GMC’s” For Richer or Poorer” is produced by Swirl Films’ Eric Tomosunas, who has produced and taped numerous stage plays and feature-length films for television and DVD including Somebody’s Child, Love for Sale, A Mother’s Prayer, There’s a Stranger in My House, 35 and Ticking, Love Me or Leave Me”, “The Ideal Husband”, “The Love You Save”, and “Sugar Mommas”.
“For Richer or Poorer” will be televised as follows. All times are EST.
Saturday, January 26 Episode 101 – “The Ex Files” (9 and 11 p.m.) Episode 102 – “The Switch” (10 p.m. and 12 a.m.)
Saturday, February 2 Episode 103 – “She Trusts Me, She Trusts Me Not” (9 and 11 p.m.) Episode 104 – “Me & Mrs. Jonesy” (10 p.m. and 12 a.m.)
Saturday, February 9 Episode 105 – “You’re Perfect, Now Change” (9 and 11 p.m.) Episode 106 – “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, Baby” (10 p.m. and 12 a.m.)
“For Richer or Poorer” is the second original stage play to go to series following the success of the network’s first original stage play series, “She’s Still Not Our Sister.” GMC is the only network producing the popular medium and bringing it to a broad television audience.
GMC TV (www.watchGMCtv.com) is America’s favorite network for uplifting music and family entertainment. The Parents Television Council ™ has twice awarded its Entertainment Seal of Approval™ to GMC TV for being “an authentic family-friendly cable network.” The network presents original and acquired movies, series, stage plays
Page | 2 and music specials along with gMovies, the first faith-friendly streaming movie service. The GMC TV brand is reflected in “Uplift Someone,” the network’s successful pro-social initiative. GMC TV can be seen in more than 58 million homes on various cable systems around the country, as well as DISH Network on channel 188, DIRECTV on channel 338 and Verizon FiOS on channel 224. Follow GMC TV on Facebook and Twitter at http://facebook.com/gmctv and http://twitter.com/gmctv.
ABOUT THE CAST
ROCKMOND DUNBAR Rockmond Dunbar has enjoyed success on television and in film for over 20 consecutive years. He began his acting career in 1993 with a small role in Misery Loves Company. Soon after, he landed a series regular role in Steven Spielberg’s “Earth 2” gaining him visibility and notoriety. Dunbar went on to appear as a series regular on several acclaimed television series including “Girlfriends,” “Soul Food,” “Heartland,” “Prison Break,” “Terrier’s” and most recently the FX series “Sons of Anarchy”. He has guest starred in a host of television series including “The Closer,” “Private Practice,” “The Game,” “CSI:Miami,” Grey’s Anatomy,” “Shark,” “The Wayans Bros.,” “Pacific Blue,” “The Practice,” “The Pretender,” and “Felicity,” to name a few.
His film credits include Highland Park and Echo at 11 Oak Drive as well as the made for television movie “A Taste of Romance and GMC’s Raising Izzie. On the big screen, Dunbar has starred in Pastor Brown, Tyler Perry’s The Family That Prey’s, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, All About You and Punks.
A native of Berkeley, California, Dunbar has also enjoyed success behind the camera. He has directed and produced feature films and shorts including Pastor Brown Pastor Brown which is scheduled to premiere of Lifetime in February and The Great Commission, his 2003 directorial debut.
Dunbar is nominated for two NAACP Image Awards for his performances in Raising Izzie and “Sons of Anarchy.”
LETOYA LUCKETT LeToya Nicole Luckett, is a two-time Grammy® Award-winning R&B singer, songwriter, entrepreneur and actress. She is a founding member of the R&B group, “Destiny’s Child” and has since pursued a successful solo career, topping the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
In early 2006, her debut single “Torn” was released and quickly raced up the charts peaking at #1 on Urban Radio and #2 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Its accompanying video broke records by becoming the #1 video on BET’s 106 & Park countdown for 25 consecutive days – the first video to do so since Aaliyah’s “Rock the Boat” in 2003. Amid the success of “Torn” and touring with Mary J. Blige on her 29-city “The Breakthrough Experience Tour”, her second single “She Don’t” and solo debut album LeToya were released. The album topped
Page | 3 several Billboard charts at #1 and was certified Gold just one month later. By the end of 2006, the album was certified Platinum, and she had not only accumulated numerous nominations, but was named “One of the Best New Artists of 2006” by AOL Music and awarded as a “Top Songwriter of 2006” by ASCAP for “Torn.”
In 2009 the Ne-Yo penned hit single, “Not Anymore” and the infectious up-tempo, “She Ain’t Got…” reflected a bolder and more mature LeToya. The success of the singles helped propel her back to the top of Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with the release of her sophomore album Lady Love, which MTV called “golden” and “a R&B classic.” Her third single “Regret” (featuring rapper Ludacris) was quickly added to LeToya’s ever growing list of hit singles and shot into the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart based on airplay alone. It was ranked at #6 on AOL Music’s “Top R&B Songs of 2009” list and on Billboard’s list of the Top R&B Songs of 2010.
LeToya began to pursue a career in acting in 1999 and has since appeared in numerous television and film roles including the critically acclaimed and award-winning HBO series “Treme”, and feature films Killers, The Preacher’s Kid, From the Rough and Note To Self. LeToya will appear in the upcoming new BET series Second Generation Wayans.
In addition to her growing success as a solo artist and actress, LeToya has proven herself to be a successful entrepreneur. Luckett runs her own upscale women’s boutique, Lady L Boutique, which boasts two locations in Houston, Texas.
ANGELL CONWELL A native of Orangeburg, South Carolina, Angell Conwell began her journey at a very young age as a child pageant queen. After winning countless pageants locally, she signed with Wilhelmina's Kids Division in New York at the age of 10 and pursued a career as a model. Following her dream to act, her big break came when she landed a role in August Wilson's highly acclaimed stage play, "Fences".
At age 11, Conwell booked the CBS/Disney pilot "On our Own". Although, the pilot wasn't picked up, the network noticed this vibrant young actress and cast her as Meshach Taylor's daughter on the CBS show "Dave's World". Over the years, she continued to guest star and recur on dozens of hit shows, NYPD Blue, City Guys, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Moesha and 3rd Rock from the Sun, to name a few.
John Singleton cast Angell in her first feature film role as Kim in "Baby Boy" sharing the screen with Tyrese, Taraji P. Hensen & Omar Gooding. Immediately after, she began filming the Lionsgate comedic remake "The Wash", and MGM's controversial "Soul Plane" alongside Kevin Hart, Sofia Vergara, & Mo’Nique. Conwell appeared as a
Page | 4 regular on “The Young and the Restless” and was featured in National Lampoons Sex Tax: Based on a True Story about the first government owned brothel.
JACKÉE HARRY
Vivacious, witty, and completely unforgettable, Jackée Harry was born to entertain.
A North Carolina native, Jacqueline Yvonne Harry was raised in New York and discovered her passion for theatre early, graduating from New York City’s High School of Music and Art with a distinction in opera.
Upon graduating from high school, Jackée earned a BA in education and taught high school history. However, the pull of acting was strong, and she soon left teaching to pursue theatre full time. Her professional New York stage debut in 1973, followed by her television debut in 1983 as “Lily”, on the immensely popular daytime soap opera “Another World” had her set.
In 1985, Jackée won the role that would launch her to superstardom. Portraying “Sandra Clark” on NBC sitcom “227,” was a role that made her the first African-American to win an Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (1987).
After “227,” Jackée continued in television, playing opposite Oprah Winfrey in The Women of Brewster Place. She then went on to win two consecutive NAACP Image Awards for her hilarious portrayal of “Lisa” in Sister Sister — one of the most popular and memorable sitcoms of the ‘90s. Other television credits include VH1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” “The Royal Family,” “Amen,” “Designing Women,” “Dave’s World,” “Hollywood Squares,” “7th Heaven,” “That’s So Raven,” and “Everybody Hates Chris.”
Jackée also continued on the stage, appearing in shows including The Boys From Syracuse, Damn Yankees, and most recently, The Cleanup Woman, called “one of the highest grossing gospel stage plays of all time”.
Beyond acting, Jackée is a vocal champion of healthy living and philanthropy. She is proud to be the national spokesperson for GBG, a renowned health and wellness company that shares her passion for helping others live their best and healthiest lives.
In 2010, Jackée was presented with the “Woman of Substance” Award by the National Congress of Black Women, Inc.
Larger than life and twice as funny, Jackée continues to entertain and inspire in a way that permanently cements her place in the American cultural landscape.
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DEETTA WEST
DeEtta West is an accomplished actor on stage and screen as well as an accomplished voiceover artist. Her movie and television credits include, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins, The Preacher’s Kid, Trinity Goodheart, A Cross To Bear,“ “If you Really Love Me,” For Richer or Poorer” and “Meet The Browns.” DeEtta hosted her own local television show in Los Angeles called “Tea with DeEtta.” She also has many stage credits including: Starring role in the NAACP Award Winning Musical Theatrical Production, “Busline 210,” the award winning show “The Anointing,” the gospel musical “A Taste of Life” the hit show “No More Drama, Please!” and “The Corinthian Scandal.” On the music side, West is the recipient of a Gold Album on which she sang the theme song on the soundtrack for the movie “Rocky I.” A native of San Diego, California, West resides in Peachtree City, Georgia.
ANTHONY EVANS
In 2001 Christian music gained a new voice when legendary innovator Kirk Franklin asked Anthony Evans to join his ministry. Evans harmonized with his mentor and friend for four extraordinary years, until the rhythm his own maturing music set in motion a solo career. Now, for a decade, Anthony has voiced the Gospel with such a melodic, thought-provoking style that he has immerged as one of Christian music’s premiere male vocalists …and worship leaders.
A much-sought-after leader of worship, Anthony has garnered invitations across the spectrum from Franklin Graham events, to such venues as The National Worship Leader’s Conference. As a live performer, Evans has shared the stage with such talents as Yolanda Adams, David Phelps, FFH and Natalie Grant. And as a composer/ artist, Anthony’s crossover music has vibrated both the doors of the church and ventured beyond.
Over the course of his 21ST Century career Anthony Evans has released six major studio projects; Even More, Letting Go, The Bridge, What Christmas Means, Undisguised, and the highly anticipated release, Home. Not only have two Evan’s music videos stayed in the #1 spot on GMC TV for five consecutive weeks, but in 2008 Evan’s “The Bridge” topped the charts as the #1 downloaded Christian album in the country.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ROGER MELVIN
Roger Melvin is a versatile filmmaker with extensive television and feature film credits to his name. He has played key behind-the-scenes roles as well as directed and produced features and television films. His directing credits include the GMC TV original gospel plays, including the NAACP Image Award nominated “Sugar Mommas,” “She’s Still Not Our Sister,” “The Love You Save,” “If You Really Love Me”, the documentary feature
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“Agree to Disagree,” and “He’s Mine Not Yours,” a feature which Melvin also produced. Also be on the lookout for Roger's upcoming film "Not For Sale," staring Isaiah Washington & Terri J. Vaughn which is based on the life of Sidney Poitier.
ERIC TOMOSUNAS (PRODUCER)
Over the course 15 years, ERIC TOMOSUNAS (Producer) has created a name for himself as a film producer and businessman within the urban entertainment industry. Under his production company Swirl Films, he spearheads the supervision and execution of production elements, and managing all distribution agreements with Image Entertainment, First Look Entertainment, Warner Brothers, Melee Entertainment, E1 formerly KOCH and Code Black.
Recent original productions include: the NAACP Image Award nominated original movie Somebody’s Child and stage play, “Sugar Mommas,” both produced for GMC TV, Love For Sale, a romantic comedy starring Jackie Long, Jason Waver, Mya and Melyssa Ford; Something Like A Business, a theatrical spoof, directed by his business partner Russ Parr, starring Kevin Hart, Tasha Smith, Kym Whitley, and Jay Antony Brown; and Just Another Day, a music-driven street classic, starring Wood Harris, Jamie Hector, Lil Scrappy, Esther Baxter and Clifton Powell.
While working on Big Boi’s Boom Boom Room, Tomosunas also worked in ADR for Screen Gems Studio on projects such as the WB TV Series “Dawson’s Creek” and films Swordfish, A Walk to Remember, and Little Vampires. He has produced several home video and theatrical titles: Dead Heist; The Last Stand; The Furnace; 35 and Ticking and the forthcoming award winning film The Under Shepherd, a 2012 ABFF Official Selection and winner of ABFF Grand Jury Awards for Best Narrative Feature, Best Director (Russ Parr) and Best Actor (Malinda Williams).
CAS SIGERS BEEDLES (SCREENWRITER)
A native of North Carolina, Cas Sigers Beedles is an author, screenwriter, director and producer working in partnership with actress Terri J. Vaughn through their Nina Holiday Entertainment production banner. Working as a producer on national shows, Sigers Beedles credits include “Welcome to Dreamland”, “Platinum House”, and “Tiny & Toya”. Recently, Sigers Beedles served as associate director for the TV-One series “Verses & Flow” and the supervising producer for BET/Centric’s music documentary series “As Written”. Previously, she worked as the script supervisor for “The Mo’Nique Show”.
As a screenwriter, Sigers Beedles is currently writing and producing a series of projects for GMC network including several plays in their popular stage play series as well as feature films for television. She penned “A
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Cross to Bear”, for GMC, an original world premiere television movie starting Kim Fields, Malinda Williams and Jackie Long which aired on the network in February 2012.
Published by Kensington Press, Sigers Beedles novels include Pieces of a Man, Love is Simple, Forever is Tricky, The Virgin Widow, At Last I Bloom, Three Chords & the Truth and Chocolate Dove.
# # # Contacts: Chelsye J. Burrows Jackie Bazan-Ross Evelyn Santana 770.692.4559 212-643-4664 X704 212-643-4664 X702 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
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