NEW YORK CITY, NY—Suzanne de Passe, who right alongside Motown Records company founder Berry Gordy Jr. helped sign the Jackson 5 and launch a successful string of Motown television specials, will produce a definitive motion picture on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in collaboration with Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Studios, according to an exclusive interview with Ib’s Blog. Ms. de Passe said the project will also involve her business partner, Madison Jones.
“It’s still in the developmental stage and I look forward to working with Mr. Spielberg and his company to bring it about,” she said. “This year we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday and coincidentally, we’re nearing the opening of the National Mall memorial to Dr. King on the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C.”
The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial will honor the humanitarian contributions of Dr. King, who from the earliest days of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts to the civil rights-era struggles of the 1960s, led the peaceful movement for freedom, equality and justice for all through nonviolent resistance.
The Memorial occupies one of the most prestigious sites remaining on the Mall, adjacent to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.
The dedication and opening is scheduled for August 28, 2011, the 48th anniversary of Dr. King’s March on Washington and “I Have A Dream” speech.
“I think it’s a very special time to be involved in the values Dr. King stood for,” de Passe said.
Ms. De Passe also reflected on the recording industry and whether it is faring any better than it has in recent years with unauthorized duplication, piracy and being able to both pay artists despite the proliferation of technology, and attract new ones.
“I think the record business as we knew it does not exist anymore,” she said. “There is a music business but I am not sure there is a record business.”
Ms. de Passe began her career with Motown, discovering The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson, the Commodores, Lionel Richie and numerous other artists who would go on to achieve multi-gold and platinum-level record sales.
Her illustrious career has included an Academy Award nomination for co-writing “Lady Sings the Blues,” three Peabody Awards and a Golden Globe for the miniseries “Lonesome Dove.” She has won two Emmy Awards and her productions have garnered her over 30 Emmy nominations.
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Great job, Ib!!
Thank you, Mimi.