Adventures in Sunderland
Magnetic Personality
STATEMENT FROM MAGNETIC ENTERTAINMENT
In the Fall of 2009, Magnetic Entertainment ("Magnetic") first met with the family of Abby Sunderland to discuss the possible production of a reality show. The parties then entered an agreement to develop such a show based on the Sunderland family and the upcoming voyage around the world by their daughter Abby. Thereafter, in November of 2010, Magnetic signed an agreement with Reveille, a production company, to shop the show to a television network. From day one, Magnetic and Reveille hoped for a compelling story, but above all else, for Abby to return home safely.
When Abby's journey ran into trouble in Cabo San Lucas in March 2010, however, Ted Caloroso--DP and EP of the potential show--witnessed what he believed to be a lack of preparation, lack of training, and an overall disregard for the safety of Abby by the Sunderland family. Accordingly, both Magnetic and its corporate partner in the endeavor, Reveille, determined it was necessary to terminate the project at that time in an effort to discourage the Sunderland family from continuing to put Abby at risk. Nevertheless, Abby's journey continued.
Since news of Magnetic's development deal with the Sunderland family has come to light in recent days, there have been a number of inaccurate statements made by Laurence Sunderland, Abby's father, with respect to the series of events leading up to Magnetic's decision to terminate the project. First, Mr. Sunderland's claim that the he backed out of the project is untrue; representatives at both Magnetic and Reveille will confirm that it was their decision to terminate the project in March 2010.
Second, Mr. Sunderland claimed on "Larry King Live" on June 14, 2010 that Mr. Caloroso had a "vendetta" against the Sunderland family and that Mr. Caloroso actually hoped that Abby would "perish" on her journey. While such an outlandish claim would normally not dignify a response, the fact that Mr. Sunderland's claims were made on national television force Magnetic and Mr. Caloroso--the father of a young daughter himself--to deny that Mr. Caloroso ever made such a statement or that he ever wished that any harm would come to Abby. As with the rest of the Magnetic team, Mr. Caloroso could not be more pleased that Abby was found alive and well, and wishes her nothing but health and happiness in what is sure to be a dynamic future. While Magnetic decided to abandon the original project in March 2010, Magnetic retains all rights to its footage for future development based on the experience, and will donate a portion of any proceeds from this project to a fund for Abby Sunderland.
For further information about this upcoming project, please contact Christopher Bates at Magnetic Entertainment or Ted Caloroso at 23 South Productions.
