Gravitas Ventures Acquires ‘Diving Deep’; Danielle C. Ryan, Matthew Lawrence Cast In ‘Double Threat’; A3 Signs A Pair Of Peloton Instructors – Briefs

Amanda N'Duka
·3 min read
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Gravitas Ventures has picked up the rights to Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, the documentary about late underwater cinematographer Mike deGruy. Mimi deGruy, Mike’s widow and filmmaking partner, wrote and directed the doc, which will begin its rollout starting with Apple TV/iTunes and Amazon rentals on January 19.

A man for whom the ocean was his home and her inhabitants were his family, Mike died doing what he loved while working with his friend, director James Cameron. The film, which opened the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in 2019, includes decades of Mike’s work paired with never-before-seen footage and on-camera commentary by Mike. In addition, Mimi interviewed many of Mike’s friends including Cameron, National Geographic Explorer Sylvia Earle, British broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, and the deGruy children, who often served as Mike’s filmmaking helpers.

“When I found out Mike had died, I felt like he left in mid-conversation and I knew that he had so much more he wanted to say about the ocean,” said Mimi deGruy who also produced the doc. “I felt compelled to make the film, as difficult as that was for me personally. I am excited about the partnership with the team at Gravitas, who immediately saw the joy the movie brings audiences, as well as the effectiveness of its message about our oceans.”

The deal was negotiated by Tony Piantedosi of Gravitas and Stefanie Fischer at Off the Fence.

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Danielle C. Ryan (Criminal Minds), Matthew Lawrence (Mrs. Doubtfire), Dawn Olivieri (Bright), and Kevin Joy (Grimm) will star in Double Threat, an action-comedy that is being directed by Shane Stanley (The Untold Story). Written by CJ Walley, the pic follows a forensic accountant (Lawrence) whose quiet pilgrimage to travel cross country to scatter his late brother’s ashes turns precarious when he crosses paths with a young woman (Ryan) who has an unpredictable psychological condition, and they both must outrun ruthless mobsters on her tail. A mob enforcer (Olivieri) and the mob boss’s son (Joy) bicker about honor and tradition while in hot pursuit. Mo Gallini and Andrea Logan round out the cast. Stanley, Ryan, Kurt Patino, and Walley are producing.

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A3 Artists Agency has signed Peloton instructors Cody Rigsby and Ben Alldis, under its digital media, licensing, and branding arm. Rigsby, a former professional dancer whose worked on projects for Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, currently serves as director of Cycling Content at Peloton. He’s known for his singing, dancing, and overall silliness on the bike. He’s also a fitness and lifestyle influencer with over 500K followers on Instagram and Facebook combined. Alldis, who worked in finance before he transitioned to the world of fitness, is based in the UK and teaches cycling and strength. Peloton’s global community counts 3.6 million members. It was recently announced that the interactive fitness platform has teamed with Beyoncé for a multi-year partnership to create a series of themed workout experiences to commemorate the Homecoming season at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

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