Oscar-nominated Filmmaker Jonathan Heap Guests on Eye on Entertainment

Heap and Lowell Cauffiel Are the Co-Founders of the Non-profit Media Company Primary Purpose Productions

Dawna Lee Heising of Eye on Entertainment interviewed producer, director and writer Jonathan Heap at his home in the Hollywood Hills in June 2011.  Heap is the producer of the television series Destination X TV:  Hawaii, Bed Ridden and 12:01 PM.  He directed The Canned Film Festival, 12:01 PM, Benefit of the Doubt, Past Perfect and Hostile Intent.  Heap was nominated for an Academy Award in 1991 for the film 12:01 PM, along with Hillary Anne Ripps.  Heap discussed his upcoming reality series and his humanitarian gesture of raising the bail for jailed ex-athlete and financier Lenny Dykstra by mortgaging his house.  He stated how rewarding his own sobriety has been, and said that he believes that “everyone deserves a second chance”.  Heap directed the award-winning short film Bed Ridden for Primary Purpose Productions, a non-profit media company he founded along with best-selling author and screenwriter Lowell Cauffiel.  Using top actors, directors, writers and studio crews, Primary Purpose evokes the power of story to help people recover from drug and alcohol problems and other self-destructive disorders.  

In 2001, Cauffiel tested ways to reach young problem drinkers for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA).  The NIAAA project, conducted with scientists from the University of Michigan, showed that young drinkers were more likely to prevent and address drinking problems after they read compelling stories told by peers about their misadventures with alcohol. These stories not only portrayed negative consequences, they were ripe with drama, irony and even humor.  Other studies at the University of Southern California reveal that episodes of popular TV shows like ER and Grey’s Anatomy inspire millions of Americans to visit doctors, get medical tests and change unhealthy behaviors.  Unfortunately, most public health campaigns ignore this principle. Most education and prevention films appear hopelessly out-of-date to a 21st Century audience conditioned by theater blockbusters, MTV, video games and YouTube.

Primary Purpose, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation, addresses this shortfall with the production of lively scripted and documentary content. Its films also are designed to captivate a general audience in theaters, television and the internet – touching the hearts and minds of people who might not seek out such information, but will be influenced by it nonetheless.  For more information, please visit:  http://www.primarypurposeproductions.org

To see the EOE interview, please go to:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-19yZDzh-Y

About Eye on Entertainment
"Eye on Entertainment", a division of Eye on Excellence™ Productions, is broadcast weekly on Time Warner Cable on the West coast and through Cox, Comcast and Verizon on the East coast.  The EOE team covers entertainment and music events, film festivals, red carpets and award shows, and features interviews with successful people in all walks of life, exploring the traits they have in common. Dawna Lee Heising, EOE executive producer and host, is a member of SAG & AFTRA, has earned an MBA and PhD and was Ms. World 2008.   The EOE team includes Linda Maxwell and Chris Leist of Time Warner Cable, producer/editor John Cox, producer Jerry Moore, director Steve Van Wormer, cinematographer/editor Jeremy Yorba, graphic designer Mark Schrimmer, music director Richard Myles, public relations director Stan Goodrich and talent manager Matt Chassin.  Please visit http://www.eyeonentertainment.tv and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3148014