NOW / You and Media Present: NOW Magazine ? The Movie
Directed by Brian G. Smith

Special appearances by Margaret Atwood, Mayor David Miller, Jim Cuddy, Moe Berg, Ron MacLean, Wayne Roberts, Sarah Harmer, Jian Ghomeshi, David Mirvish and more!

Don?t miss the opportunity to see Mayor David Miller mix mayor-tinis, Blue Rodeo?s Jim Cuddy sing a love song to NOW, author/poet Margaret Atwood sing a bawdy song on the street and Ron MacLean rant!

The first of nine weekly episodes available now!

October 16, 2009: A star-studded cast of Torontonians pays homage to the city?s first, fearless and free independent weekly magazine with a nine-part webisode mockumentary.

“Is this NOW’s Heaven’s Gate or just a heartwarming laff-stravaganza about two crazy kids with a dream? We’re sure our readers will let us know once they see it, because they’ve never been shy,” says NOW editor/publisher Michael Hollett. “It’s fun and foolish and a chance to show the world we don’t always take ourselves too seriously.”

In 2006, NOW Magazine celebrated 25 years of being Toronto?s first and only alternative weekly, giving people a diverse look at the city?s rich cultural events and offerings. On the occasion of NOW?s 25th anniversary party, a group of NOW employees (played by some of Toronto?s best improv actors) put on a cabaret show for invited guests. The show was such a hit that NOW CEO Alice Klein (played by NOW’s CEO Alice Klein) wrote a wine-soaked cheque to finance a full-length Fringe Festival remount.

NOW Magazine ? The Movie blurs the lines between true stories of NOW?s turbulent, impressive history and a making-of mockumentary that chronicles the rise and fall of an ambitious stage production.

?We used the NOW building, employees and celebrity friends to create a Toronto version of TV?s The Office,? says director Brian G. Smith. ?It?s similar in that it?s got the ego battles, wannabe talent and backstabbing, but because it?s from Church Street, the clothes and haircuts are hipper.?

The nine five-minute webisodes will be featured on NOW Tube, whose constantly updated innovative content is viewed weekly by thousands on nowtoronto.com. The series premiered on Thursday, October 15th with the cast nervously preparing for their big show at the party. As the series progresses, it includes archival documentary footage beginning in 1981 when the paper first appeared on the streets of Toronto.

From a humble 25,000 copies a week, NOW has become the city?s #1 alternative weekly with 371,000 readers (PMB Fall 2009) per week with over 3,700 pickup points across the GTA.

Also interesting is the community partnership program pioneered with this project. Seven different groups (mostly non-profit) were offered ?think free? sponsorship roles in the series.

Says Smith, also a producer of the project, ?We didn?t ask for sponsorship money in this case, but rather that our partners simply spread the word about the series. We?re trying to create a community of viewers who will enjoy the series, as well as potentially support these very worthwhile Canadian businesses and non-profit agencies.?

NOW Magazine, Toronto’s independent weekly, was launched Thursday, September 10, 1981, as the city’s alternative voice. After starting with just five staff members, founding owner/operators Michael Hollett and Alice Klein have seen the publication grow to become a key cultural and political voice in Toronto ? and Canada ? with more than 100 employees.

Klein (editor/CEO) and Hollett (editor/publisher) are active participants in a team that features many of Canada’s leading critics and writers as well as fresh new voices just beginning to establish their own audiences. The weekly delivers an essential print package ? echoed online ? that includes a hard-hitting, progressive news section, intelligent cultural reporting that often introduces new artists and acts to its readers, and the city’s most extensive activity listings.

NOW is published every Thursday (though available at key downtown locations and in street boxes Wednesday nights) and distributed at over 3,700 locations in the Greater Toronto Area.

Hollett and Klein are also founding partners of the North By Northeast Music Festival And Industry Conference (NXNE), of which NOW Magazine is a key sponsor.

For more history or to request an interview with Michael Hollett, please call 416-364-1300 ext. 332 or email michaelh@nowtoronto.com

For more information contact Brian Smith
You and Media 416-569-8265 brian@youandmedia.com

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