DISTILLERY PICTURES INKS DEAL WITH FOX SPORTS NET FOR HALF-HOUR SHOW ‘RUN-UP: DUKE VS. UNC’

RALEIGH, N.C. (November 27, 2007) – Distillery Pictures recently produced a half-hour show called Run Up: Duke vs. UNC for Fox Sports Net (FSN). The show leads viewers on a behind-the-scenes tour of the hours running up to college basketball’s fiercest rivalry from four different perspectives.

Focusing on the March 2005 Duke vs. UNC basketball game, the show follows Woody Durham, the radio voice of the Tar Heels; Steve Kirschner, UNC’s associate athletic director for Communications; the manager and employees of the Carolina Brewery, Chapel Hill’s hopping game-day bar; and several devoted UNC students who wake up outside the Dean Dome after sleeping out all night in tents. The “live” documentary-style footage provides a fresh and unique look at the hope, energy and anticipation building up to the tip-off of one of the nation’s greatest rivalries.

“This show is about all the hype and excitement around this game,” said Jeff Lanter, the show’s co-creator and executive producer at Distillery Pictures, the Raleigh-based company that produced Run Up: Duke vs. UNC. “It lets the viewer experience what goes on behind the scenes in the frantic hours leading up to tip-off.”

Run Up: Duke vs. UNC premieres on Nov. 29 at 7 p.m. EST on FSN South.  FSN South will re-air the show to test the market with the possibility of extending to a full 12-episode season. Other airdates include Dec. 5 at 10 p.m. EST following the Wake vs. Vanderbilt game, Dec. 8 at 10 p.m. EST, and Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. EST leading into the ACC’s “Sunday Night Hoops” 

Future Run Up episodes would feature all types of high-profile games, including college football’s Bowl Championship Series on Fox Sports. Each show would follow game participants you might expect – like coaches and referees – as well as some that might surprise you – like mascots, sports writers and ticket scalpers.

“The possibilities for this series are endless," notes Matt Hightower, Run Up series producer at Distillery Pictures.  “The all-access format of the series can relate to all fans, regardless of the teams highlighted. True sports fans understand the buzz and raw emotion that precede any sporting event. It’s what makes sports so exciting.”

To see a clip of the show, check out www.distillerypictures.com/runup.html.  FSN South airs on channel 630 (DirectTV) and channel 420 (Dish Network). Check local listings for FSN South.

Distillery Pictures develops and produces original programming for television, film, and new media. Its work includes shows for Fine Living, TLC, Discovery, Discovery Health, National Geographic, and Fox Sports Network (FSN).  Distillery Pictures is a division of Trailblazer Studios, which also includes Serious Robots (editorial, motion design, visual FX), Blazing Music + Sound (original music, audio post), and Red Truck Films (commercials). For more information, call 919-645-6630 or visit www.distillerypictures.com.