Press Release
Higher Ground Entertainment
E-mail: hdannyha@yahoo.com
Contact: Danny Haro
Phone: 626-355-4739/ Fax: 323-263-6814
http:/www.heypancho.com
Higher Ground Entertainment receives a nomination for the
2007 ALMA Awards for
“Pancho Gonzalez: Warrior of the Court,”
In the category of “Outstanding Made for TV Documentary.”
Los Angeles, California, Nominations for the 2007 ALMA Awards were announced
and included in the list of prestigious nominees is Higher Ground Entertainment, a
local production company dedicated to develping television and film projects
that offer socially relevant, informational and entertaining stories that reflect
historical and present-day reality of the Latino experience. Executive Producer,
Danny Haro states, “our stories in both film and television explore the Latino
contributions in American society in an effort to supplement traditional history.”
Founded in 2003, Higher Ground Entertainment’s partners have more than 30 years
of entertainment experience between them having received numerous awards for
their projects. “Pancho Gonzalez: Warrior of the Court” is their first project as an
independent collective entity.
Narrated by Benjamin Bratt, Pancho Gonzalez: Warrior of The Court tells the
compelling story of Richard Alonzo "Pancho" Gonzalez, largely regarded as one of
the greatest tennis players of all time. Sports Illustrated(SI) named Pancho
Gonzalez one of the top 20 favorite athletes of the 20th Century. SI said of
Pancho, “He could have been the Marlon Brando of tennis…” “If earth was on the
line in a tennis match, the man you want serving to save humankind would be
Ricardo Alonzo Gonzalez.” He was haughty, overbearing and egotistical, but he
was also seductive, charming and had the talent to pull it off. What he did not
have was the proper surname and bloodlines in a game which till only recently
resembled a feudal system.
Although known throughout the tennis world, Gonzalez played in relative obscurity
during his ten-year reign as the World's Professional Champion because until 1968,
only amateurs were permitted to play the established Grand Slam tournaments. A
year later, and already a grandfather, he played one of Wimbledon's longest
matches against Charlie Pasarell; the match lasted for 112 games, more than 5
hours, consuming 2 days. Gonzalez was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in
1968 while still an active player. He never had a formal tennis lesson, yet ruled his
sport during the fifties and early sixties and continued to compete past the age of
forty defeating players half his age, including Jimmy Connors, Rod Laver, and
Arthur Ashe.
“This great champion deserves to be on the same level of recognition as any of
our nation’s sports’ icons. From Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson and Micky Mantle, to
Muhammed Ali and Arthur Ashe, Pancho’s story represents the American tale of
overcoming significant obstacles yet succeeding to become one of the greatest
ever in his sport,” said the film’s director, Danny Haro. “Our hope is that this story
will instill a sense of remembrance and appreciation for the legacy Pancho and
other Latinos have left in American Sports History.”
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Featuring interviews with Robert Redford, Serena and Venus Williams, Edward
James Olmos, and Jimmy Connors as well as exclusive footage never before seen,
the film tells the story of one of the great unrecognized super star American
athletes.
Danny Haro, Director and Executive Producer holds a B.A. from Boston University in
History/Latin American studies and a Law Degree from Antioch School of Law in
Washington D.C. He was the Executive Prodcuer of two award-winning plays, The
Last Angry Brown Hat and Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor. His Director credit
includes A Witness for the Prosecution funded by the City of Los Angeles’ District
Attoryney’s Office and is currently being used in the California court systems. His
producer credits include Lives in Hazard for NBC, and It Ain’t Love, which aired on
CINEMAX.
Ernesto Quintero is a self-taught multitalented filmmaker who wears many hats. He
functions in a creative capacity, and handles all aspects of business and
production. Quintero strongly believes in projects of human importance and is an
advocate for using video & film for social change.
Nick Athas began his motion picture career as Associate Producer and Marketing
Director for the high touted films Dominick and Eugene, The Ballad of Gregorio
Cortez, Triumph of the Spirit, and American Me. Mr. Athas has written extensively
on film and social issues. He was the producer of the documentary feature films,
Lives In Hazard, It Ain’t Love and Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, which
premiered on NBC and HBO. He also directed the educational campaigns for
these films, which reached thousands of young people with a message of
tolerance and hope.
Current company projects include: “The Pawns of Brownsville,” an uplifting story of
Latino children overcoming all odds through the game of chess; “Courting A
Warrior,” the feature film version of the Life and Times of tennis great, Pancho
Gonzalez; “In the Right Corner,” a documentary on one of the most successful
trainers in the history of boxing, Freddie Roach; “The Ultimate Warrior,” the story of
one of the fastest rising stars within the UFC, Diego “the Nightmare” Sanchez; and
“Joe Kapp, All American,” insight into the “winningest” quarterback in football
history, Chicano, Joe Kapp. Currently in pre-development, “Reaching for
Harmony” will be a four-part series for PBS on the history of race relations
between African-Americans and Latinos. This will be a collaborative effort
between Latino Public Broadcasting and The Black Filmmakers’ Consortium.
For more information on Higher Ground Entertainment, please contact Danny Haro
at 626-355-4739 or at hdannyha@yahoo.com, or visit: http:/www.heypancho.com