PRESS RELEASE
for immediate release

CONTACT: castillosj@aol.com   808-383-7393   www.thomaschapinfilm.com

JAZZ FILM SUCCESS AT KICKSTARTER.COM
NETS $51,552 IN 45-DAY CAMPAIGN
The Thomas Chapin Film Project will begin shooting this summer;
filmmaker will complete her research and scripting, and lining up her film crew.

THOMAS CHAPIN FILM PROJECT -- EMMY-winning Filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo is celebrating a successful finish at Kickstarter.com, an online fundraising site, that will now allow her to begin planning her shoot this summer for NIGHT BIRD SONG, her documentary film about the late jazz master Thomas Chapin.

224 backers, pledging an average of $232, put Stephanie beyond her $50,000 goal. When the 45-day campaign ended, her total funding came to $51,552. "We ran out of time, unfortunately, because others were still trying to get in and back the film. The clock stopped at 11:45 a.m. New York time, and that was it," Castillo said.

Castillo described the finish as a "white-knuckle, nail-biting morning." With just two hours before our deadline, we were still $8,300 short of our goal," said the filmmaker, who is making her 10th documentary with NIGHT BIRD SONG. "My sister Terri, working from her home in Jackson Hts., NYC while I worked from Hawaii, was helping me pull out all the stops -- emailing, phoning . . . . She was relentless, knowing that success meant we had a shot at getting this film off the ground." Terri Castillo Chapin is Thomas widow and the keeper of his legacy. "I owe her so much for this final push and believing with me we could do it!"

In the last hour, some big pledges came in and a slew of smaller ones, which put Castillo at her goal. With a half hour to go on the Kickstarter clock, another $1,552 came when time ended for the filmmaker. "It was a wild ending to a 45-day wild ride, but so worth it," said Castillo, who admitted there were dark days for her when so few were coming to pledge.

Castillo says she owes her greatest gratitude to NYC restauranteur and founder of the old Knitting Factory, who pledged $10,000 when the campaign was in its last two days and in the duldroms with only $26,000 pledged. "I knew we were flagging badly and people watching us weren't sure we were going to make it. I knew their 'why bother' attitude would be a killer. So I emailed Michael Dorf and asked if he had any ideas to help us."  Dorf, a NYC restauranteur and music impressario, was a good friend of Thomas Chapin's who had put the jazz artist on stage at his downtown NYC club, the Knitting Factory, in the 80's and 90's. He also had put Chapin on his record label and on tour throughout Europe. After throwing some ideas around, Michael came through with a $10,000 pledge and a challenge: 'Email everyone,' he told me. 'Tell them to do the rest, and let's get this film made!' I know this is what added the heat at Kickstarter that we need to get the pledges rolling in with urgency."

Many, if not most, of the 224 backers knew Thomas Chapin or had some connection to him, said Castillo. "Every name I did not recognize, I emailed and got these amazing stories back. Thomas' friends and fellow musicians were showing up, along with his family and my friends and Terri's friends. I saw the great reservoir of will, the great desire to get this film made, and it has inspired me to get it done."

Among her backers was the Dillard High School Jazz Ensemble of Ft. Lauderdale, FL. who wrote to Castillo after the successful campaign ended: " We all aspire to be as passionate and inspiring as Thomas was. It would have been great to meet him, but seeing him on film and being able to hear his story through your film is something we look forward to. We're proud to be a part of your work, wish you great success and look forward to seeing your film."

Castillo's plans to finish up her research interviews, to begin conceptualizing the 90-minute documentary, and writing a treatment for a shooting script. "This will tell me where I will be shooting, who and what. It's going to get very exciting, and if all goes well we will have some great footage to show to bigger backers who will provide the big funds needed to complete the film." She will also be selecting her film crew and editor.

Locations for her shoots will include New York City, the home-base where Chapin lived and played the uptown and downtown scenes for all of his jazz career; the Hartford, Conn. area where Chapin was from and where he continuously visited, joining local musician friends at major jazz clubs; Massachusetts at Phillips Academy Andover, where Chapin attended high school and was introduced to jazz, setting him on his career path in music; and New Jersey's Rutgers University where Chapin completed his jazz studies with mentor and saxophone master Paul Jeffrey. She also is planning to film on location in Europe this summer where Chapin and his trio and other bands he played with performed.

"I knew if I could succeed at Kickstarter, I would make all this possible, and be on track for a late 2014 finish," said Castillo.

For those who missed the Kickstarter campaign and want to contribute, Castillo says tax-deductible donations for the film are being received by Akasha Inc., a nonprofit organization furthering music education and the musical legacy of Thomas Chapin.  Go to www.thomaschapin.com/donate to donate with a credit card.

Checks or U.S. money orders should be made out to "Akasha Inc."

Send to: Akasha Inc. P. O. Box 721032 Jackson Heights, NY 11372 USA

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BREAKING NEWS
March 30, 20113


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PRESS RELEASE
for immediate release
March 28, 2013

Michael Dorf of Old Knitting Factory fame and NYC's City Winery being interviewed for the Thomas Chapin film.


Jazz and music promoter/NYC restauranteur Michael Dorf adds heat to the Thomas Chapin film's Kickstarter campaign with a $10,000 pledge.

THOMAS CHAPIN FILM PROJECT - MARCH 29, 2013 -- Michael Dorf, founder of New York City's old Knitting Factory and City Winery, pledged $10,000 today in the final hours of the Thomas Chapin film's 45-day Kickstarter.com campaign, which will end at 11:45 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday Eastern Standard Time. Dorf was the lateThomas Chapin's friend and promoter in the 80's and 90's and put him on his "Knitting Factory" record label, as well as on the big jazz stages in Europe.

"Email everyone, tell them I am pledging $10,000 today and am challenging them to put up the rest. Let's get this film done!" Dorf told filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo today. She launched this online fundraising campaign to raise the $50,000 needed to shoot her film this summer. "With just hours to go at Kickstarter, I believe we will see all the backers we need step up to meet Michael's awesome challenge," says Castillo. "There's a very strong will out there to see this NYC legend's story and music shared with the world!"

So I'm putting out the call to join Michael, to COME NOW and BACK the film at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/290658030/night-bird-song-the-thomas-chapin-story."

Stephanie J. Castillo, filmmaker     1.808.383.7393     castillosj@aol.com

www.michaeldorf.com   www.citywinery.com


March 29, 2013
1 More Day to Go at Kickstarter for
the Thomas Chapin Jazz Film Project

Jazz documentary film's online fundraising campaign ends on Saturday. Urgent help is needed to make its goal. The response has been incredible and global, says filmmaker.

THOMAS CHAPIN FILM PROJECT - MARCH 29, 2013  -- The 45-day, online fundraising effort at Kickstarter.com for the Thomas Chapin jazz film project ends tomorrow (Saturday at 11:45 a.m. EST). EMMY-winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo's push to find backers to pledge support so she can shoot her feature-length documentary this summer is urgently in need of help.

With more than 150 backers and more than $22,000 in pledges, Castillo is still very far from her goal of raising $50,000. Undaunted, she says, "it's a very steep hill to climb. But I still believe! Alot can happen at Kickstarter in two days."

Inspired by the global backers who have come from all over the U.S., as well as places as far away as Japan, Australia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Brazil, Morocco, and Canada - many of whom played with Thomas, or knew him, or saw him play, Castillo says there's this amazing will to see this film made.

As one young musician said: 'In my mind, a well-produced documentary could help spread Thomas' music around the world, and while it is so terribly unfortunate he himself cannot do so, I believe spreading his music in his memory is of the utmost importance."

Here's how to help, she says.

Go to my Kickstarter page http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/290658030/night-bird-song-the-thomas-chapin-story

* Pledge now. Big or small, all pledges are welcomed.

* If you have already pledged at Kickstarter, increase your pledge amount.

* If you know someone who could be an Angel or a "significant giver," tell them about the film and ask them to pledge at Kickstarter. We need Angels and large givers now.

* Join The 100 x $100 Group. We're looking for 100 people to pledge $100 to boost the giving. 100 x $100 = $10,000

* And let others know, forward this information and invite them to help.


Castillo says for those who prefer to send a check, send it to Akasha -- Thomas Chapin's nonprofit charity for music education and his legacy. It will issue a tax- deductible receipt.

Send checks or money order U.S. made out to "Akasha Inc.". Send to:

Akasha Inc.
P. O. Box 721032
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
USA

Castillo plans to continue fundraising after Kickstarter so she can finish the film in 2014. "No matter what happens this Saturday at Kickstarter, we will keep moving to share Thomas's inspiring and remarkable story with the world."

More information about the jazz master can be found at www.thomaschapin.com. A short video is up at Kickstarter.

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FEB. 13, 2013
New Jazz Film Goes to Kickstarter.com
for Global Fundraising Campaign

New jazz film is using kickstarter.com to raise money to shoot a music biography/ documentary in the NYC area, Connecticut, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Europe
Thomas Chapin Film Project - February, 2013  --Hawaii-based, EMMY-winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo is running a 45-day global fundraising campaign at kickstarter.com to raise $50,000 to begin shooting her feature-length documentary film, NIGHT BIRD SONG: THE THOMAS CHAPIN STORY this summer. The shoot locations will include the New York City area, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Europe. The Kickstarter campaign was launched on February 13 and will end on March 30. The link is live at
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/290658030/night-bird-song-the-thomas-chapin-story

Castillo's 90-minute documentary film, budgeted at around $300,000 for its production alone, and slated for a 2014 finish, will unfold the life of the late Thomas Chapin, a jazz master who emerged in the 1980's in New York City's wild and free downtown music scene with a highly original style. After 20 years of a soaring career and 12 CDs, most under the Knitting Factory label, Chapin passed away in 1998 at age 40, following a yearlong bout with leukemia.

Chapin was considered a virtuoso by jazz writers who followed him. He was described as having "monstrous chops" and "full of incredible energy, pushing the needle, never letting up." Critics said he was "moving the music forward." A vanguard in the world of "free" jazz, Chapin embraced all expressions of music. Most notably, he moved easily between the avant-garde and straight-ahead jazz communities; jazz festival promoter John Phillips called him an enormous bridge.  Jazz writer Larry Blumenfeld noted: "Chapin is commonly pointed to as one who helped the downtown scene connect with a larger audience and is credited by some as lending a more experimental edge to jazz’s mainstream."

ABOUT THE FILMMAKER
Castillo, who lives on Kauai, Hawaii and in New York City, is making her 10th documentary and her fourth biography. She has been making documentaries since 1988. Her first documentary, SIMPLE COURAGE: AN HISTORICAL PORTRAIT FOR THE AGE OF AIDS, which aired on PBS, won an EMMY in 1993.  Her other film biographies include AN UNCOMMON KINDNESS, the story of St. Damien who worked among Hawaii's leprosy victims in the late 1900's and STRANGE LAND, the story of her mother's coming to America as a World War II war bride from the Philippines.

Chapin was Castillo's friend and her sister Terri Castillo Chapin's husband. "I knew I wanted to make this film when I saw Thomas's obituary in the New York Times and heard music tributes were being played on Boston NPR and on other jazz stations.

"Thomas's story and his remarkable but short career has never been fully told, although he is included in the major encyclopedias of jazz," she says. "I don't know that much about jazz or Thomas as a player, for that matter, so when I began researching him, I asked people who knew him, played with him and wrote about him, 'Should a film about Thomas Chapin be made?' They all emphatically said, 'Yes. Absolutely.' And then I said, 'Tell me why.' What they told me compelled me to want to create this film."

 MORE ABOUT CHAPIN
Straight out of college, and thanks to the recommendation of his mentor and educator at Rutgers University, jazz master Paul Jeffrey, Chapin went on to tour with Lionel Hampton as his lead alto sax and musical director. This was followed by a two-year stint as saxophonist with the legendary drummer Chico Hamilton, before forming his own Thomas Chapin Trio, which had a long, eight-year stint (1989 to 1997), playing all over the world. His following in Europe grew as the Knitting Factory jazz tours and George Wein's Festival Productions put the Thomas Chapin Trio and staged concerts for thousands.

MORE ABOUT THE FILM
The film, says Castillo, also will show the competitive environment that Chapin thrived in with his Trio as he came to play on the big jazz stages of the world, including a milestone performance at the 1995 Newport Jazz Festival, which was later broadcast on PBS. The ever-elusive reach for wider recognition was profoundly explained, says Castillo, by Chapin's friend, colleague and bassist, Mario Pavone: “As Thomas told me, the plane was just gaining altitude." Castillo added, "Thomas had some other big challenges. The film will also explore how Thomas had a childhood heart condition that was active and ever-present throughout his performing life, how he overcame his personal struggle with alcohol and the hard- won battle to gain his parents' approval for a career that went against their conservative New England traditions and expectations.

"Music will fill the screen in this film," says the filmmaker, "because Thomas was music, and music was Thomas. When the illness took its toll, his greater pain was living without the strength to play as he had done every day of his life. But 12 days before he passed, as my film will show, there would come one last triumphant moment -- the culmination of a life lived to its fullest, through music. He said it was his first love."

Castillo notes, "It's been 15 years since his passing. I want to tell his story before it is too late, before memories of him fade, and before an important piece of history is lost. I love telling stories about people who stand out, who contribute something enduring to our society, who took the way of 'the road less traveled' and took it, and left their unforgettable mark. Clearly, Thomas was totally unique, an iconoclast who followed his own musical path. I feel it's time to tell his story."

 KICKSTARTER.COM STRATEGIES
Castillo's idea to use Kickstarter, an online fundraising site commonly used by artists for films and other creative projects, makes sense, she said. "It’s a new tool in this age of of social media and instant communication and a lot of artists, including filmmakers are skipping the long, tiresome road of writing grants as our only way to fund our films. Kickstarter's a great way to fund ambitious dreams, if you can harness it," says Castillo. "It's called 'crowd funding,’ where you gather 'your people', your 'crowd,' and even reach out far beyond them to, in my case, a global community of jazz lovers, to get them all to back you. This didn't exist several ago when I made my last film."

Castillo has had attractive banner ads designed to promote her Kickstarter campaign online on prominent jazz websites -- including downbeat.com, allaboutjazz.com, jazzcorner.com, and on jazzwax.com, the award-winning blog written by jazz writer Marc Meyers -- as part of her social networking strategy to reach out to the jazz community around the world.  She says other jazz bloggers will be sending out announcements to thousands in support of her film. For the past year, she also has been harnessing social media tools -- Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube -- after creating the film's website, which has attracted more than 5,000 visitors.

"Thomas Chapin had fans all over the world, because he played on the big stages of jazz first with Lionel Hampton and then with his own Thomas Chapin Trio," says Castillo. "There is great potential to gain a surge of international backers for the film at Kickstarter. I have no idea how far my reach will be. We shall see. Through social networking, I am already connected to folks in Japan, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Norway, Germany, France, and who knows where else!" This former newspaper journalist is utilizing her Executive MBA know-how that taught her to be an entrepreneur and to  "think outside the box."

With success at Kickstarter, when her 45-day campaign ends on March 31st, Castillo will begin crafting a shooting script with a New York film editor and will begin planning a five to six week shooting period. The primary locations for the shoots will include New York City, the home-base where Chapin lived and played the uptown and downtown scenes for all of his jazz career; the Hartford, Conn. area where Chapin was from and where he continuously visited, joining local musician friends at major jazz clubs; Massachusetts at Phillips Academy Andover, where Chapin attended high school and was introduced to jazz, setting him on his career path in music; and New Jersey's Rutgers University where Chapin completed his jazz studies with mentor and saxophone master Paul Jeffrey.

Because Kickstarter is an all or nothing deal -- projects must be fully funded at their stated goal or no money will change hands-- Castillo is anticipating no let-up in her social networking efforts to reach as many backers as possible. "It's like shooting in the dark, but I feel confident the film project has created some amazing synergy, magic and lots of good will out there," she says.

"Most of all, the greatest impetus to do this film comes from Thomas himself who touched so many with his music and playing and good will," says Castillo. "He was described by international saxophonist, John Zorn, as 'the real deal.' His big warm-hearted, down-to-earth personality embraced everyone. I'm hoping his film will be embraced by all."

Stephanie J. Castillo, filmmaker     1.808.383.7393     castillosj@aol.com

'Olena Productions
a Hawai'i-based, all-media company with partners in Honolulu, Kauai, NYC, Dallas,
Washington DC