David Kirpatrick's Plymouth Rock Studios Going Up in Smoke?
Huge story at Boston.com on the free fall of the massive film studio project David Kirkpatrick has been pitching over the last few years. As the site reports: "...a look behind the breathtaking vision of Plymouth Rock Studios reveals a project marred by over-the-top claims, broken promises, legal infighting, and the chronic lack of one crucial ingredient: money. A (Boston) Globe Spotlight Team investigation has found that.. Kirkpatrick and his oft-changing cast of partners never obtained nearly the resources to build one of the world's biggest studios. Members of Kirkpatrick's group have been sued at least 11 times in the past three years by writers, investors, consultants, and others who say they weren't fully paid. Kirkpatrick and his various collaborators were so desperate for funds that they turned to dubious sources for help, including a convicted embezzler and an obscure Florida financier whose former business partners were recently sentenced to prison."
It's a sad story, and particularly frustrating because of Kirpatrick's pitch to Christians in the industry. After creating "Good News Holdings" to produce spiritually themed movies - something he branded "Spiritainment" (see the huge Variety ad) - it seems to have been going downhill ever since. Check out the articles - plus the sidebar email from author Anne Rice and others. George Barna - founder of "The Barna Group" was involved in the project early on, but realizing the true direction, (smart guy that he is) left the project a long time ago.
Very sad but welcome the truth being told on all of this. I was one of those early consultants for Good News Holdings that got out. Sad for others who lost a LOT.
I am pretty sure there are other partners in the project. The validity is on the project and the entire team. PRS isn't driven by just one individual, it's a collective effort. As for GNH, it is sad what happened, but let's hope David has learned from GNH and won't let the same thing happen again.
I don't understand why people always have to be on a witch hunt! People make mistakes and people change. It sounds like Mr. Kirkpatrick is trying to do good with his life and create a new industry for Massachusetts. He's a fighter and will make it through these tough times!
"Witch hunt"?? Frank and Sue, did you read the 10-page article in the Boston Globe? Did you read the polite, yet scathing e-mail from Anne Rice? Or did you just let your own bias get in the way of the truth of which Phil illuminated a corner?
Frank, I'm half-inclined to think you're one of Kirkpatrick's investors or a Councilman in Plymouth.
I was going to mention that I remembered seeing material on Dudleytown some time back. It sounded interesting. Too bad it may never get made now.
And what a refreshing way to introduce relatively recent convert Anne Rice to the Christian entertainment world - with the worst possible situation. Not that other studios don't run out of money or misrepresent themselves as larger than they are (you know who you are, CTP), but this seems even more over the top than usual.
It's sad that this is the representation to so many people of what Christians and Christians in entertainment are... I grieve for all of those trying to honestly make a difference.
Earlier today i was forwarded an email which I must say distressed me. There was, in this email, the assumption that everything in the Boston Globe article is correct. It is not. There was also much shouting of "shame shame" on David Kirkpatrick and by extension, those associated with him.
There was also, I inferred, a rush to judgment based on information contained there which, I would assume, one had not taken time to check out. I would hope that in the Christian world, we would be kinder to each other.I cannot speak to all the information in the article (because I don't have all the details). But as a former partner in Good News Holdings, I can tell you that the information about the "screenwriter not paid" is incorrect. Said screenwriter refused to do requested (and contractually required) rewrites, went on vacation with his wife at a crucial time in development, and demanded to be paid anyway.When the Boston Magazine article was about to run, the magazine did a "fact check," and discovered that all was not as reported, and killed the article. Evidently the same practices are not standard operating procedure at the Boston Globe.The information about Anne Rice is incomplete - and to say more would be to violate confidentiality agreements. The fact of the matter is, the differences were resolved. And since when is it a crime for creative parties to have a difference of opinion, disagree passionately, and come to a resolution? Most of this information was probably leaked to the Globe by a person who is a party in the investor lawsuit, and who is trying to deflect blame from himself. Most of the leaked documents are those which only he had access to after the company left its headquarters. His attorney once told me that if his client couldn't walk away with his pockets lined, then he'd take down everyone with him. This from a "Christian man," and his "Christian attorney."The much-trumpeted lawsuit in the article is still in process so it would be imprudent to comment too much here. But suffice to say, said Christian investor withheld a sizable portion of his promised investment, thus starving the company financially at a crucial time. Good News Holdings was never able to recover from that. When a company has signed agreements with investors to deliver finances, one should reasonably be able to make business plans on that cash flow. Unfortunately that was not the case here.All the founders of the company deferred salaries for 7 months to fund the company while other investment was sought. Unfortunately this was at the start of the markets freezing up and were unable to proceed - like, I might add, many other companies. There is no criminal intent here. If there were, we would have bailed at the start of financial difficulties and gone on to do other things. I have heard the negative chatter for over a year now about the demise of Good News Holdings. I have a dear friend who has a saying that "Christians eat their wounded." Were mistakes made? I am sure there were. Have you ever made mistakes? My guess is, probably. But it seems to me from where I sit that David has been made a lightening rod, taking the blame for both things he did and things he didn't do. Had he succeeded, everyone would have been his new best friend, right? Wouldn't it be great if there were mercy and grace, instead of a rush to judgment and finger pointing? There is much I cannot speak to here for a variety of reasons. But I can say is that the Globe article is littered with half-truths, and a bias that the paper has showed from the beginning of the production tax credits coming to Massachusetts. Just a thought or two.
Actually, Martha, you've been a shill for DK from the beginning.
I worked as an assistant at GNH, during the time when Rice's project was in the pipeline, and when that screenwriter was working with a director on a few movie ideas. DK promised a lot, but didn't deliver on anything. He'd say one thing and do another, and I personally saw him play parties against one another, using the confusion to avoid making payments. One of DK's fav stories was saying how "all is forgiven as long as the movie gets made."
In other words, slash and burn. This is how DK has operated for a long time--there is no conspiracy against the man, no grand plan to smear him. He leaves a mess wherever he goes, and the proof in his failure. As for the Christian stuff...please. He dropped it a long time ago, and I doubt he was ever sincere anyway. The second he realized the Christian angle would be holding him back with PRS, he abandoned his call to faith in favor of profit. Tell me, Martha: whatever happened to his insistence on making movies with a biblical world view?
As I recall, you've been caught in a few lies yourself. Remember when you told that story at the beginning of the PRS plan, that it was called Project Julia because "Julia Roberts thought it was a great idea?" You knew that wasn't true. You were just shilling the company line. Again. I hope you were truly conned by DK, and still don't realize it, rather than willfully defending a fraud.
The sad truth is that David Kirkpatrick, over the past many years, has hurt many people, financially and emotionally. Mr. Kirkpatrick has threatened many people when he hasn't gotten his way, including legal threats and even false reports to the police department.
His cruelty really has no limits when he is crossed. He utterly believes in himself, and this self confidence, plus a natural charm (and intelligence) have created a dangerous machine. But sadly, a sociopathic one.
There are many other law suits, on other projects, not mentioned in the Globe article. There are many who have valid legal claims against Mr. Kirkpatrick but, for obvious reasons, have written off their losses and pain, and forgone legal action.
The team at the Boston Globe has done a community service of sorts - in MANY communities on both coasts. Everything I read in the article is true, and I know many of the participants. I read the Anne Rice email several years ago (and am shocked it is now public.) Nothing was repaired or resolved there, despite comments above, and never will be. Her email says it all.
Hopefully the Globe article, along with all the supporting evidence, will end David's destructive spree. Hopefullly he will learn from it. But that is not likely, for the kind of behaviour he is capable of is deeply embedded in his personality, probaby born of childhood traums, and adverse to change.
The best one can do is pray for him.
News reports of Dec. 31, 2009, indicated that PRS had laid off 9 of the 21-member group and would vacate their headquarters at Cordage Park in Plymouth, much to the surprise of at least one major supporter. PRS spokesman J. DiLorenzo would not provide their new address. If their whereabouts become known, Phil Cooke, please publish it here.
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