In 1996 Leone moved to Los Angeles, beginning his career in Hollywood assisting in special fx, costume and art departments on the films The Truman Show, Blade, and Anaconda respectively. Before founding his film and media company Steelyard Pictures, Leone worked with revolutionary producer Michael Burns at the Hollywood Stock Exchange (HSX Films). A stint Leone points to as a major eye-opener into fusing internet with entertainment. In 2002 Leone independently wrote, produced and directed Meddle and Steal, a stylish short film that received the unique honor of both Best Action Film and Best Screenplay by the NY International Independent Film & Video Festival. Subsequently, Leone faced many commercial opportunities and spent the next few years guiding Steelyard into successful relationships with Disney, MTV, NFL, Taco Bell, Guess, highlighted by completing a national spot for the renowned fashion company. Leone established Steelyard's interactive arm in 2004 completing multiple projects including DeBartolo Sports University's web platform.

Remaining true to his storytelling passion, Leone teamed up with Q'orianka Kilcher and iQ Films in 2006 to embark on his first feature The Power of Few, a time bending mystery.  With a firm grasp of 'show’, Leone committed himself to understanding and respecting the 'business' side of industry by independently raising the financing to make the film a reality. Following years of development The Power of Few attracted a renowned ensemble cast led by Christopher Walken, Christian Slater, Anthony Anderson, Moon Bloodgood, Jesse Bradford and Kilcher. Leone & Q'orianka designed and implemented a cutting edge interactive campaign inviting the global audience to help create the film. Online voters determined key costume, location and character decisions while Online Casting & Editing competitions discovered screen talent worldwide. The film was shot in New Orleans where an outreach strategy created opportunities for young locals to join the crew.

Leone is passionate about cinema and other forms of entertainment, citing Stanley Kubrick, Pink Floyd & Storm Thorgersen, Martin Scorsese, M.C. Escher, George Carlin, Terry Gilliam, and Ed Sabol as his major influences. Under his guidance Steelyard Pictures has been recognized by the global print and online press for its innovative and creative approach to filmmaking including features in Business Week, Variety, The Associated Press, Australia’s Film Ink, Getty, The Hollywood Reporter’s ‘Leadership in Hollywood’ edition. Leone’s goal is to write, direct and produce feature films and media experiences designed to intrigue, captivate and entertain. CLOSE BIO

Her other credits include Princess Kaiulani, the award-winning FX TV show Sons of Anarchy, Shouting Secrets, the Syfy mini-series Neverland, Blaze You Out, and the upcoming The Power of Few, starring Christopher Walken and Christian Slater, which she produced with writer-director-producer Leone Marucci. Q’orianka recently wrapped shooting Crew 9 with Cuba Gooding Jr.

Having started her performing arts career at age six, Q'orianka is not only award-winning actress, an accomplished singer-songwriter and an expert dancer, but she is also a committed human rights and environmental activist, and a fearless, powerful young force who uses her voice as a tool to bring the need for universal dignity, compassion, environmental justice and basic human rights to the attention of the international community.


Q'orianka has been invited as a featured keynote speaker and workshop facilitator at many international conferences and events for organizations such as Amnesty International, the IFG (international Forum on Globalization), Amazon Watch IFIP (International Funders for Indigenous Peoples) and The United Nations - panel discussions on "Indigenous Peoples: Human Rights, Dignity and Development with Identity”, in collaboration with the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
She also lends her celebrity, voice and energy as spokesperson, collaborator and supporter to several other international and national NGOs and organizations such as AIDESEP (Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest Federations), The Community School for the Arts Foundation, Thursdays Child, Turning The Tides, and Save America’s Forests.

Q'orianka is a spokesperson for the American Literacy Campaign and she also worked with the National Endowment For The Arts "The Big Read" Campaign. Q’orianka often volunteered her time reading Howard Zinn’s The People Speak at various staged readings, and was part of the all-star cast of the first The People Speak film series, starring Matt Damon, Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, David Straithern, Marisa Tomei and Kerry Washington, among others.

In her free time, Q’orianka is an accomplished singer-songwriter and recently launched her own youth driven human rights and environmental organization “on-Q initiative”, heading off campaigns to connect young Hollywood with youth activist leaders and projects from around the world, in support of environmental sustainability, corporate accountability, human rights and universal dignity and compassion in all its forms.

Through her production company, iQ-Films, Q’orianka is also producing several cause driven documentaries and youth-programming projects. CLOSE BIO

With several diverse and challenging films under his belt as cinematographer, including Fascination (super 35mm starring Jacqueline Bisset, Adam Garcia, and Stuart Wilson), Apostate (35mm starring Dennis Hopper), Woman Thou Art Loosed (HD starring Kimberly Elise), The Power of Few (Christopher Walken, Christian Slater, Q’orianka Kilcher, Anthony Anderson) and Disney’s: The United, Ray’s many years of experience are greatly appreciated by directors in the United States and abroad.

Born and raised in Europe, Ray began his career at a young age working for Bavarian Film Studios. Having worked on over 100 films on locations all over the world, and with some of the greatest directors, he has a unique and varied perspective on all facets of film production. A creative force with an artist’s eye who stays one step ahead of the latest technology, Ray also has the business acumen to get the job done under budget. CLOSE BIO

His work continued into the 90’s creating Grammy nominated hits for such groups as the Rolling Stones, Hanson (“Mmbop”) and Beck’s landmark album, “Odelay”. In 1997, Mike was honored by Time Magazine as one of the nations 50 “Cyber-Elite” for his pioneering work in music and technology.  And in 1999, he won a Grammy for his songwriting and production work on Santana’s “Supernatural”.   In the midst of his songwriting and record production, Mike worked from 1996 -2000 simultaneously as an executive at both Ideal Records (a joint-venture with Hollywood Records) and Dreamworks Records.  In the 21st century, Mike has contributed his songwriting and production talents to Linkin Park on their debut album “Hybrid Theory”, Tenacious D and Beck’s “Guero”.

While Mike’s songs have been featured in films ranging from “Spawn” to “The Spongebob Squarepants Movie”, his first composing project was the highly acclaimed score to David Fincher’s “Fight Club”, which was nominated for a “Brit” award in 2000.  Mike has gone on to compose and produce music for several films, including “Road Trip”, “Zoolander”, “Freaky Friday”, “Stick It” and “Shrek 4”. 

In addition to his album and film work, Mike has also been responsible for creating music for some of the biggest advertising campaigns in history, including the GAP and Microsoft.  Mike also composed the “Welcome to Windows 98” theme for Microsoft, which played on every Windows equipped computer upon start-up.

Most recently, Mike has composed all of the music for Comedy Central’s hit show, “Tosh.0”. CLOSE BIO

One of the main inspirations for this film was the chance to break down the barriers of conventional filmmaking by harnessing the desire and power of today's youth through interactive media and hands-on involvement. We did this by encouraging young artists, fans and visionaries from both the community and worldwide to not only get directly involved in the filmmaking process, but to be part of something bigger, something powerful, innovative, positive and groundbreaking.

We filmed in New Orleans, a community of true survival in constant celebration of the human spirit. And while I was delighted to see how the film industry has economically helped New Orleans, I felt it was not enough to simply bring film business into this community without a true dedication towards mentoring and investing in the young talented generation who carries the secret to a viable future of film in the region.

Our plan as filmmakers was to not to only create a strong narrative with a relevant message, encouraging audiences to look at things from different perspectives and envision how the power of few and our different choices and actions can affect the outcome of things, but to have that message transcend our production process, carrying forward the spirit of The Power Of Few by putting into action the positive effect the power a few people can have in another person’s life: “The power of YOU” .

I am very eager and proud to share our film but I am most proud to be able to pay forward all the inspiration and mentorship by producing opportunities for some amazing and talented homeless and underprivileged New Orleans youth and veterans, senior citizens, and young aspiring artists from around the world to fill paid positions, be mentored on set as actors, and collaborate both interactively and through active participation in the making of The Power Of Few.

With this message and mission as our production guide, we were not only able to complete an entertaining and inspiring film but also an innovative model by example. We held an online worldwide casting call for the role of Carmen, and the winner was Stephanie Mejlaq from Malta, who had no previous acting experience. We posted all the raw footage from Scene 64 and invited filmmakers and fans to craft their version of the scene. The winning edit by Jeremy C. Hansen is now included in our final cut.  And finally, we recruited homeless youth and senior citizens to be part of our film’s cast and crew.

Not often do we find a team of visionary people, especially a filmmaker who shares a vision of the opportunity and possibility for collaboration and innovation, where most would only see risk. So I am tremendously thankful to our writer-director-producer Leone Marucci, our whole production team, and especially our investors for believing in us and supporting our vision to create a truly unique experience.

For me The Power of Few will always be more than a film: it is a mentoring event and a major step in creating a new connection between a young passionate global audience and Hollywood. It is an important model and platform forharnessing the desire of today's youth to creatively express themselves and have their voices heard while we explore the new frontiers of today's social technology.

As artists, I think it's important that we strive to push the borders of conventional filmmaking and stereotypes and invest in our industry's future by supporting innovative new ideas and those who have the courage, passion and vision to pioneer these ideas as we collectively discover new dimensions and frontiers through their art.

There is an amazing power to film. And young artists have a great opportunity and responsibility to be media warriors for positive social change. Through our work and the power of film we can help give a voice to the voiceless and shed light on many of the relevant issues facing the world today.  Not only via the message of a film but also in our ability to use the filmmaking process itself as a tool to reach out, inspire, mentor and foster inclusiveness, all while building creative alliances and partnerships through collaboration, support and encouragement. CLOSE STATEMENT

100 years ago there was no screen, only a stage.  Today we carry screens in our pockets.  The internet is evolving at a mind-blowing pace.  Fortunately, the tools to pull off this type of interactivity were being developed simultaneous to our film becoming a reality.  For such a project, a capable web team is as vital as a risk-taking producing team with the vision and talent to help make it go.  The tools for unique storytelling are in our hands as filmmakers.  Today's many media outlets allow for a new layer of experience for the viewer and themes can be explored on many more levels.  We've opened a door to a new interactive audience passionate about collaboration, and they've responded.   Initially they took part in casting rolls, determining locations, naming characters, deciding on their looks.  Then they joined our crew during production and now they are creating scenes for our final cut (and there's more to come).

Through time, this industry has been filled with trends.  Some have come and gone while others have stuck, but all have shaped cinema as we know it.  3D came and went once, but seems to be back strong today. Color and sound stuck right away (for the most part).  As new technologies emerge methods of filmmaking and storytelling will change with it.  The evolution of the internet and the YouTube culture has forced advertising and distribution models to reinvent themselves. Conversations we're having with major studios are encouraging as even they are opening up to this approach to filmmaking.  I'm often asked and I don't know that filmmakers 'need' to create a participatory experience for their audience, but in a time when the culture is clearly open to this type of thing, why not? We all know and like that sense of satisfaction after we've forwarded a great online video to a friend. A media-savvy culture is growing daily and with it a new audience, one keen on sharing and forwarding. I like to think sharing and forwarding are trends that will stick.

As a producer it's easy to say "of course, do this with every film," but as an artist I think this type of interactivity is best served when it fits the project's theme, its premise. The Power of Few examines perspective and freewill, on screen and off.  Be true to your story and vision, constantly think about ways to enhance the experience and never fear the unknown.  Remember, if it's not an experiment, it's simply plagiarism.  Go create. CLOSE STATEMENT

Guns ‘N Roses & Sixx: A.M. Guitarist Dj Ashba Debuts Original Music Tracks For Christopher Walken Indie THE POWER OF FEW’S Fan Editing Contest

Fans to Have Exclusive Access to Ashba Tracks on Film’s Website for Digital Editing of ‘Scene 64’

(Los Angeles, CA) June 2, 2011 – Multi-platinum recording artist Dj Ashba, guitarist for Guns N’ Roses and top Billboard-selling hard rock band Sixx: A.M., debuted original tracks today on the website of upcoming indie THE POWER OF FEW, a crime mystery starring Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can, Wedding Crashers), Christian Slater (True Romance, Very Bad Things), Q’orianka Kilcher (Terrence Malick's The New World) and Anthony Anderson (Transformers, The Departed).  The tracks are available at the film’s website, as a part of ‘Scene 64,’ the digital editing contest created by the film’s writer/director Leone Marucci and Kilcher in their efforts to involve fans in a collaborative filmmaking process for the upcoming indie. READ MORE

Dj Ashba, who visited the New Orleans set last fall commented, “When I heard that Leone and Q’orianka were bringing people this unique interactive experience, I offered to help in any way. User generated scenes in the final cut? Sign me up.”  Dj Ashba is releasing these original tracks following “This Is Gonna Hurt,” the hit album from Sixx: A.M., the hard rock band comprised of Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, James Michael and Ashba.

Fans will have access to Ashba’s tracks, pages from the script, film footage, as well as audio contributions from THE POWER OF FEW’s Grammy-winning composer Mike Simpson (Fight Club, co-writer/producer on the Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” album).  Using editing software found on the site, participants will edit ‘Scene 64,’ an action sequence featuring Kilcher and co-star Jesse Bradford (Bring It On, Flags of Our Fathers) and submit their cut for a popular fan vote.  The best edit will be used in the final film and the winner will receive a screen credit.

Writer/director Leone Marucci commented, “Now fans have the chance to cut to a couple ripping guitar tracks from an incredible talent. Collaborating with visionaries is what this project is all about.”

THE POWER OF FEW revolves around an enigmatic smuggling ring’s efforts to steal a priceless artifact.  The story unfolds through the unique perspective of five characters who cross paths on a day filled with danger, hope and possible transformation.  The ensemble cast includes Walken, Kilcher, Anderson, Bradford, Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass), Devon Gearhart (Changeling), Jordan Prentice (In Bruges), Navid Negahban (Fox’s “24”) and multi-platinum selling rap artist Juvenile.

The film was written, directed and produced by Leone Marucci under his Steelyard Pictures banner; produced by Q’orianka Kilcher’s iQ Films; Exec Produced by Todd Trosclair, Roy Kurtluyan, Whitney Kroenke; Produced by Jimmy Holcomb, Jay Thames, Roy Scott Macfarland, Fred D'Amico.  Arclight Films is handling international sales.  

ABOUT STEELYARD PICTURES
Headed by Leone Marucci, Steelyard Pictures develops and produces feature films and other original experiences across all media platforms.

ABOUT iQ FILMS
Q'orianka Kilcher's iQ-Films produces feature films and cause driven documentaries and youth-programming projects which inspire, empower and challenge.

ABOUT Dj ASHBA
Dj Ashba is an award-winning guitarist, producer, songwriter, multi-platinum recording artist, graphic designer, entrepreneur and a member of bands Guns 'n Roses and Sixx: A.M. CLOSE ARTICLE

Digital Audience Invited to Edit Final Cut of New Indie Pic THE POWER OF FEW with Ground-Breaking Online Contest

Upcoming Crime Mystery Stars Christopher Walken, Christian Slater, and Q´orianka Kilcher

(Los Angeles, CA) May 18, 2011 – Director/writer Leone Marucci and star Q’orianka Kilcher (Terrence Malick's The New World) are inviting online audiences to determine the final cut of their new film, THE POWER OF FEW, with a ground-breaking digital editing contest, ‘Scene 64.’  Using raw film footage and editing tools on the film’s official website www.thepoweroffew.com, participants will have the opportunity to cut a scene from the film.  One of the favorites, as voted by fans, will be used in the finished film and the winner will receive a screen credit. READ MORE

‘Scene 64’ features Kilcher and co-star Jesse Bradford (Bring It On, Flags of Our Fathers), in an action sequence shot on location in New Orleans. The pair co-star with an ensemble cast including Christopher Walken (Catch Me If You Can, Wedding Crashers) and Christian Slater (True Romance, Very Bad Things) in the crime mystery.  THE POWER OF FEW revolves around an enigmatic smuggling ring’s efforts to steal a priceless artifact.  The story unfolds through the unique perspective of five characters who cross paths on a day filled with danger, hope and possible transformation.

Marucci and Kilcher are continuing the exploration of perspectives by welcoming users to the film’s official site www.thepoweroffew.com where they can download pages of Maurcci’s script; access a video library containing all footage shot on location; and edit the scene as they envision it.   Entrants will also have access to audio tracks from the film’s score by Grammy-winning Mike Simpson, whose composing credits include the film soundtracks of Fight Club and Zoolander and acclaimed work as co-writer/producer on the Beastie Boys’ “Paul’s Boutique” album.

First-time producer and star Q’orianka Kilcher commented, “We’re doing something that’s never been done before:  we’re creating a direct connection between a passionate global audience and Hollywood, with an Internet connection being the only requirement.  I love the idea of empowering people from around the world with this direct involvement.”

CONTEST TIMELINE:

May 18 – ‘Scene 64’ editing tools live on www.thepoweroffew.com

June 21 – First day to publish final cut in the Scene Gallery.  Voting begins for the top fan favorite

July 21 – Voting closes.  One of top 30 edits with the most votes will be included in the final cut of THE POWER OF FEW

July 28 – Winner announced

Director Leone Marucci said, "From performance to design to direction, filmmaking in its purest form is a collaborative process. In the spirit of a story being told from multiple perspectives, it's been our goal to create an interactive experience where we open up the creation of the film to the worldwide audience." 

THE POWER OF FEW producers continue their embrace of the collaborative filmmaking process with ‘Scene 64.’  During the casting process, first-time actress Stephanie Meilaq won the part of “Carmen,” by a vote hosted on the film’s website.  The audience had direct control over the make-up department after the filmmakers asked for body location of tattoos to be sported by “Junkshow,” the key character played by Anthony Anderson (Transformers, The Departed), who's character's name was also picked by fans. 

The ensemble cast includes Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass), Devon Gearhart (Changeling), Jordan Prentice (In Bruges), Navid Negahban (Fox’s “24”) and multi-platinum selling rap artist Juvenile.

The film was written, directed and produced by Leone Marucci under his Steelyard Pictures banner; produced by Q’orianka Kilcher’s iQ Films; Exec Produced by Todd Trosclair, Roy Kurtluyan, Whitney Kroenke; Produced by Jimmy Holcomb, Jay Thames, Roy Scott Macfarland, Fred D'Amico. Arclight Films is handling international sales.  

ABOUT STEELYARD PICTURES
Headed by Leone Marucci, Steelyard Pictures develops and produces feature films and other original experiences across all media platforms.

ABOUT iQ FILMS
Q'orianka Kilcher's  iQ-Films produces feature films and cause driven documentaries and youth-programming projects which inspire, empower and challenge. CLOSE ARTICLE