MEDIA. NEWS, EVENTS, & EVERYTHING ELSE GOING ON AT BENZTOWN.

16 January 2013

SUNDAY NITE SLOW JAMS HOST AND PRODUCER R DUB!’S “AM MAYHEM” CHOSEN AS OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THREE U.S. FILM FESTIVALS

Documentary Captures Untold Radio History Of The Birth Of Hip Hop

JANUARY 16, 2013, BURBANK, CA — Benztown Radio Networks announced today that R Dub!, host and producer of the nationally syndicated radio show, “Sunday Nite Slow Jams,” has produced and directed a feature length documentary on the birth of Hip Hop radio in Tucson that has been chosen as an official film selection at three upcoming U.S. film festivals: The 2013 San Diego Black Film Festival in San Diego, CA; The Bloody Hero International Film Festival in Phoenix, AZ; and The Other Venice International Film Festival in Venice, CA.

AM Mayhem: The Story of Tucson’s Power 1490, captures the passion of a group of friends whose love and vision

for radio gave birth to Tucson’s first Hip Hop station. The film features many of the people who paved the way for rap music in its early days, including Bruce St. James, KTAR; Ted Stryker, KROQ; Tim Richards, KZZP; Boogie D, WHHL; Mojo, WKQI; and Slow Jams’ R Dub!.

The first of the three festivals featuring AM Mayhem is the San Diego Black Film Festival, where the film will be screened on Friday, February 1, 2013, at 5:30 p.m. at Reading Cinemas Gaslamp 15 in Downtown San Diego. The San Diego Black Film Festival was established in 2002 by the Black Historical Society of San Diego, and is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of African American and African Diaspora cinema as well as the education of media arts. It is one of the largest black film festivals in the U.S.

The film will also be screened at The Bloody Hero International Film Festival in Phoenix on Saturday, February 9, 2013, at 6:00 p.m. at the Phoenix Center for the Arts. The Bloody Hero International Film Festival runs from February 8-10, 2013, and features independent work of both filmmakers and screenwriters. The festival is dedicated to supporting and promoting independent artists from around the world.

The Other Venice International Film Festival in Venice, CA, will feature AM Mayhem during its run at Beyond Baroque from October 11-13, 2013. The Other Venice International Film Festival celebrates the original “Hollywood” and local filmmaking greats like Roger Corman and James Cameron that base their shows in Venice. The festival is dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. It seeks to discover, support and inspire independent film and theatre artists from Venice and around the world and to introduce audiences to their new work.

Chris Martin, Festival Director of the Bloody Hero International Film Festival said: “Independent film is more than a challenge. We are firm believers in the power of individuals with vision, talent, determination and a keen ability to collaborate in pursuit of telling their story. Far too often amazing stories go unappreciated and underexposed. The Bloody Hero International film festival is a place to feature the work of independent visionaries. This year we have many documentary films that fit into the category we like to call “struggling artists”. AM Mayhem to us was an obvious choice. And we are confident that it brings a strong offering to supporters of the arts in our community. It captures the independent spirit, while supporting local champions of their chosen art form. It speaks to the struggles of standing behind the art in the face of all the adversity of the times. We couldn’t be happier to include this film in our programming. And we can’t wait to screen it for Arizona fans.”

R Dub!, “Slow Jams” Host and President of Fusion Radio Networks, said: “This film tells the untold story of Power 1490 in Tucson, where I started working in the early ‘90’s at the age of 16. It was a magic time for radio, and the rebels and visionaries who made Power 1490 an early force for Hip Hop tell all in this documentary, which was a true labor of love for me. I’m incredibly proud that it has been chosen as an official selection of these three cutting edge film festivals—and I hope that everyone in radio has a chance to see the film.”

For more information about R Dub!’s documentary and these film festival screenings, including ticket information, visit www.power1490.com.