THIRD SEASON of Byutv's ORIGINAL SCRIPTED SERIES
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BACKGROUNDER It’s April 1964; two years have passed since viewers were introduced to the seemingly idyllic fictional town of Granite Flats, Colorado. Mysterious behavior still abounds, THIRD SEASON OF BYUtv’S ORIGINAL SCRIPTED loyalties continue to be tested, and nothing is what it seems to be. Battle lines have been SERIES GRANITE FLATS CONTINUES TO INTRIGUE drawn between the FBI, local law enforcement, AUDIENCES WITH SURPRISING PLOT TWISTS, NEW the CIA, and the KGB. Following a highly successful premiere ENIGMATIC CHARACTERS, AND A FINAL REVEAL in April 2013, Granite Flats, BYUtv’s first original scripted series, returned for a second season in April 2014 with more Cold War suspense to entertain the entire family. Now entering its third season, this ensemble show, which was inspired by actual military events (a CIA initiative called Project MKUltra), continues to entertain audiences with mid- 20th century intrigue and a plot packed with secrets while offering a primetime television option for families. Notable cast members include award-winning Produced, written, and created by a team of top Hollywood and New York actors Christopher Lloyd, Parker Posey, George talent who have made some of the industry’s most successful and long-running family Newbern, Finola Hughes, and Ivan Sergei entertainment offerings, the series was filmed entirely in Utah at a variety of authentic 1960s-era locations. Under the direction of BYUtv’s creative director, prolific IMAX film producer Scott Swofford, the Granite Flats Media Contact: Michelle Prince Thatcher+Co. • email: [email protected] • Telephone: 914.523.8937 team has captured the look and feel of the period, conveying the distinctive national mood of shifting social mores and general anxiety. Based on Project MKUltra, the story reveals the then-ubiquitous fear of nuclear attack and offers a view into the era through a complex range of nuanced and intriguing characters. Granite Flats has added a new genre to BYUtv’s already diverse roster of original “see the good in the world” programming (including original feature and documentary films, music performances and artist profiles, scripted comedy, unscripted reality, live sports, and an American history show) and represents the bold expansion that the ground- breaking cable network continues to stake out in the family market. The High Definition cable television network’s programs (13 of which won Emmy® awards in 2014) are carried in more than 55 million homes on Dish Network, DirecTV, and over 800 cable systems. THE STORY In the small, quintessentially American town of Granite Flats, Colorado, the Cold War rumbles underneath the lives of the locals. Three unlikely young heroes form their own private detective agency, but the implications of what they’re investigating are actually bigger and more serious than anyone realizes. In season one, an unidentified object In season three, friendships and (later known to be a Soviet spy satellite) fell loyalties continue to be challenged, everyone from the sky in a fiery blaze, turning the has a secret, and nothing is what it seems town into a place of secrets and fear. The to be. The trio of kid sleuths has disbanded chief of police and a special agent from the their detective agency as they mature and their FBI ferreted out a KGB spy hiding in their relationships begin to evolve. The chief of midst. A nurse at the VA Hospital learned that police and the FBI are still working together her boss oversaw mysterious testing done as to expose covert government operations and part of the CIA’s top secret Project MKUltra spies. Long-lost family members re-surface in to develop mind-control as a weapon against Granite Flats, further disrupting the lives the Soviets. In the middle of it all, the kid of the residents of the town and forcing many detectives gained insight into the complicated to face up to past indiscretions. Similar political world that became the backdrop to to season two, themes from two pieces of their own coming-of-age experiences. classic literature, Walt Whitman’s Leaves of The second season followed the three Grass and Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking kid sleuths as they uncovered dangerous Glass, surprisingly mirror the lives of the evidence, while the chief of police and the FBI characters. continued to investigate the fallen satellite. As the Cold War escalates and the An eccentric new English teacher, Professor country confronts enormous national and global Stanfield Hargraves, captivated the kids’ challenges – including the assassination attention as he taught William Shakespeare’s of President Kennedy – the tale of Granite Hamlet from an Oxfordian perspective, Flats unfolds through the perspectives of an emphasizing the themes of a secret murder, ensemble of diverse and multi-generational false identities, and a divided heart — all of characters. which resonated not only with the students, but Like the first two seasons, season three with their parents as well. The arrival of the consists of eight new one-hour episodes. The head of the CIA’s counterintelligence program cast features top Hollywood and New York in Granite Flats rattled some residents, tested actors who have made some of television and old friendships, and created new alliances. film’s most successful programs. — 2 — GUEST APPEARANCES Season three has attracted a steady flow of top Hollywood guest directors and acting talent, including Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Award nominee Parker Posey (Waiting for Guffman, The House of Yes, Superman Returns) and Scandal star George Newbern (Father of the Bride I & II, Adventures in Babysitting). Posey, who is often referred to as the “Queen of the Indies,” plays Alice White, the aunt of 14-year-old main character Arthur Milligan. In a world of secrets and spies, Alice will unmask some truths that will not gain her favor in small town Colorado. Newbern plays Scottie Andrews, a left-wing civil liberties attorney from New York City who is the uncle of 14-year-old main character Madeline Andrews. Scottie’s fondness for his niece, as well as his boisterous and outgoing personality, helps him find his place in Granite Flats. Last season’s guest stars included three-time Emmy® Award-winning actor Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future I-III, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Taxi), Ivan Sergei (The Break-Up, Jack & Jill), and Daytime Emmy®-winner Finola Hughes (General Hospital). Lloyd, Hughes, and Sergei are returning for season three. — 3 — IMAGE FPO THE SET: TOWNS THAT TIME FORGOT The Granite Flats production team brings a vast collective knowledge of historical recreation and a familiarity with the look and feel of 1960s Mountain West America, having worked on hundreds of Hollywood period films and television programs. The show’s creative direction, set design, dialogue, and wardrobe pay great attention to both minute physical details – such as lipstick colors, the model of the police chief’s gun, street and store signage, the look of distant landscapes, cultural references, and colloquial speech – as well as the overall demeanor of the characters. This focus results in a production quality that transports viewers in time. The series is filmed entirely on location in Utah, spread over 40 square miles, in towns and buildings that retain the ambiance of the show’s era and have seemingly remained impervious to the passage of time. The fictional Main Street of Granite Flats is actually the old copper town of Magna, located on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. Additional locations include the Olmsted hydroelectric power plant and a sequestered complex of turn- of-the-century buildings (located just minutes away from Robert Redford’s Sundance Ski Resort) that serve as the show’s military base. — 4 — NAME OF INVESTIGATED NOTES Executive Producer and Director Scott Swofford is a television Scott Swofford production veteran best known for his work on over 30 IMAX films in 50 countries, including Mysteries of Egypt which grossed $80,000,000 worldwide and Amazon, which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1996. After graduating from the film program at Brigham Young University, Swofford worked for advertising firm Bonneville POSITION Productions and collaborated with directors of popular television series such as Hill Street Blues and M*A*S*H. Executive Producer He became the director of production after four years at Bonneville. Then, deciding to branch out, Swofford discovered the world of IMAX films. In 1998, Swofford co-produced Olympic Glory, the official film of the Nagano Olympics, with renowned producer and director Frank Marshall (The Bourne Series, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Sixth Sense). The two teamed up again in 2006 to create Roving Mars, an IMAX documentary about the Mars Exploration Rovers, for Disney. He also produced films for National Geographic and WGBH in Boston and served as the Director of Media for the “I’m a Mormon” campaign. Swofford came to BYUtv, the country’s only nationwide university-affiliated TV network, in November 2010 to create intelligent, inspiring programming available to an audience of more than 55 million households nationwide. In an effort to provide BYUtv viewers with what they say is missing from today’s television programming – an original, scripted, family friendly series – Swofford reached out to his colleagues in the IMAX world and assembled a world-class team of production experts, writers, producers, art directors, cinematographers, and editors who are also well-versed in period films and historic recreations. This venerable team includes: NAME OF INVESTIGATED NOTES Miller has 23 film and television credits, including the Jeff Miller National Geographic documentary Lewis and Clark: Great Journey West, and Redemption Road, as well as BYUtv’s Emmy® Award- winning history series American Ride. POSITION Producer NAME OF INVESTIGATED NOTES Brian McNamara is a character actor, director, and producer who Brian McNamara has made more than 100 TV and film appearances.