By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com
Gravitas Ventures to Exclusively Distribute a Variety of Cirque du Soleil Programs on Digital Platforms in North America
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Los Angeles, CA (August 1, 2013) – Gravitas Ventures, a leading distributor of independent films and documentaries to the theatrical and Video-on-Demand (VOD) marketplace, announced today that they have finalized an agreement to exclusively distribute a variety of Cirque du Soleil programs via transactional, subscription, and ad sponsored VOD. Over 100 million people have seen Cirque du Soleil performances live and now over 100 million North American VOD households will have direct access to Cirque du Soleil content on demand.
The programs will include performance specials featuring the live shows as well as behind-the-scenes documentaries that highlight the creative process of a Cirque du Soleil show. Titles are available for the first time to a North American audience on VOD.
Melanie Miller, Vice President of Acquisitions & Marketing, said: “Having been enamored since my first Cirque du Soleil performance nearly 20 years ago, I am thrilled that Gravitas will bring such awe-inspiring art into the VOD marketplace. This partnership with Cirque du Soleil is integral to the relationship with our VOD consumers as we strive to consistently offer them premium content not available elsewhere.”
Tracey Errico, Director of Programming & Distribution at Cirque du Soleil, adds, “We are excited about our new relationship with Gravitas as it will enable us to extend the live show experience and bring additional content to viewers who will now have the opportunity to watch Cirque du Soleil programs for the first time on demand, at their convenience, and on the platform and device of their choice. In addition, Gravitas will be showcasing certain programs based on shows that are no longer performing live and hopefully this will be exciting for our fans and new viewers alike.”
The first programs will be available on August 6 with “KOOZA” and “A Thrilling Ride Through KOOZA,” and both are available for pre-order now on iTunes at
- KOOZA – http://bit.ly/11adrPo
- A THRILLING RIDE THROUGH KOOZA – http://bit.ly/13U31Ae
Additional programs will continue into September as part of a Season of Cirque du Soleil, which will include four other specials:
- · DELIRIUM
- · HATCHING (a documentary on the creation of OVO)
- · FLOW: A Tribute to the Artists of O
- · The Mystery of Mystère
About Gravitas Ventures
Gravitas Ventures connects independent filmmakers, producers and distribution companies to leading cable, satellite, telco and online distribution partners. Working with more than 500 content partners, Gravitas Ventures aggregates and distributes thousands of hours of feature films, documentaries, horror films, animation, alternative sports, comedy, and music concert programming. In recent years Gravitas has expanded its operation to include theatrical releasing and Gravitas International, a new division that will focus on worldwide audiences. For more information, please go to http://www.gravitasventures.
About Cirque du Soleil
From a group of 20 street performers at its beginnings in 1984, Cirque du Soleil is now a major Quebec-based organization providing high-quality artistic entertainment. The company has 5,000 employees, including more than 1,000 performing artists from close to 50 different countries.
Cirque du Soleil has brought wonder and delight to more than 100 million spectators in more than 300 cities in over forty countries on six continents.
For more information about Cirque du Soleil, visit www.cirquedusoleil.com.
To find out more about the ONE DROP Foundation, visit www.onedrop.org.
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