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Logline

In the tradition of Waiting For Sugarman and Finding Vivian Maier, Too Good To Last is a feature-length documentary that reveals the fascinating untold story of Terry Ork, the mystery man behind the first punk record label (Ork Records) and a movement that reshaped music and culture.

Synopsis

Too Good To Last is a film about Terry Ork, the mystery man behind the first punk rock record label, and the 1970s CBGBs scene he helped inspire. Terry was an enigmatic streetwise hustler and visionary, a scene maker very much in the Andy Warhol mode. Everyone from Iggy Pop and Sam Shepard to Robert Mapplethorpe and Patti Smith was in his orbit. Terry would go on to manage the seminal punk band Television and release their very first single “Little Johnny Jewel”. His groundbreaking label Ork Records, founded in August of 1975, lasted only five years with 16 releases, but made an indelible mark on the musical and artistic landscape and became a cornerstone of the original punk movement. Once the label folded, Terry’s life became shrouded in mystery as he took on an alias, was on the run from the law, and eventually ended up in prison. Too Good To Last will show how Terry Ork, who until now has been relegated to footnote status, was perhaps the most pivotal and influential figure of this legendary time
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Michael Grodner — Producer/Director
Michael Grodner is the director of the critically acclaimed indie film The Icarus Line Must Die of which the Los Angeles Times said, “there’s never been a rock n’ roll film quite like [it]”. A graduate of the USC Film School, Michael cut his teeth directing award‐winning music videos. He recently directed There’s A Small Hotel, a short documentary featuring Warhol superstar Joe Dallesandro. In addition to his work in film, Michael has curated events at LA’s Broad Museum and the American Cinematheque.

Daniel Arcana — Producer
Daniel is an Emmy-winning producer, writer and creative strategist. He is the originator and co-producer of The Janes, an HBO Original Documentary, which premiered at Sundance, was Oscar-shortlisted and went on to win 3 Emmys – Outstanding Social Issue, Best Director & Best Documentary. He is currently in production on a documentary series about the Seattle music scene of the 80’s & 90’s (a history of Grunge), directed by Oscar winners Daniel Lindsey & TJ Martin, under the umbrella of Imagine Entertainment and World Wide Pants. Previously, Daniel was a consulting producer on TNT’s American Race documentary series featuring Charles Barkley, the Netflix documentary Series Afflicted, and a strategic consultant on the film Unfit The Dangerous Mind of Donald Trump.

Kay O’Connell — Executive Producer
Kay O’Connell is an accomplished television and film producer with a distinguished track record in documentary, comedy, and pop culture programming.
Her recent credits include serving as Executive Producer of A History of the World in Six Glasses (Play House Studios / Fox Nation), Co-Executive Producer on The History of Comedy: Women in Comedy (Herzog & Co. / CNN+), and Consulting Producer on Dondré, (Milojo / ABC Productions). O’Connell has overseen a wide range of critically regarded series, including Kathy with Kathy Griffin (Bravo), Stroumboulopoulos (CNN), The Approval Matrix (Bravo, in partnership with New York Magazine), Out of Character with Krista Smith (USA / Vanity Fair), and The Doc Club with Rosie O’Donnell (OWN). She also produced Fashionably Late with Rachel Zoe for Lifetime and Executive Produced the short documentary, There’s A Small Hotel currently in film festivals.

A graduate of Denison University, she began her career as an NBC Page and Associate Producer on The RuPaul Show (VH1), later joining the launch team of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC. She lives between New York City and Park City.

The Numero Group, Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley — Production Partners
THE NUMERO GROUP, Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley: Numero Group released Ork Records: New York, New York in October 2015. The release garnered Numero Group’s sixth Grammy Award nomination. In the growing noise of the reissue field, The Numero Group remains distinct in its quality: deeply researched, expertly resuscitated and lavishly packaged box sets, playlists and ephemera of historic music from the 1950s-1990s. Founded in Chicago in 2003 by Rob Sevier and Ken Shipley, for more than 15 years Numero has committed to unearthing precious lost sounds for new audiences, with an unparalleled ear for potential and spirited eye for detail. With hundreds of titles in our diverse catalog of LPs, CDs, cassettes, 45s, 12-inch singles and playlists, each Numero production illuminates the often herculean efforts of individuals who sang, played, recorded and peddled their art to little fanfare in its day. Through intense research and wild ideas, these songs find new life in streaming, lovingly-packaged media and placement in film and television. By self-imposed law, everything assembled by Numero is a stunning new artifact of sound, image and word.

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Contact

For inquiries, please contact fiscalsponsorship@filmindependent.org.