FONU2, Inc. and Mass Hysteria Entertainment Company, Inc. announced that Daniel Grodnik, Mass Hysteria’s CEO, has taken on the additional responsibility as the head of film production for Moon River Studios through Grodnik/Aloe Productions (GAP). 

Mary Aloe has been appointed as Moon River’s head of film packaging.  Aloe has emerged as one of the industry’s top and most prolific independent producers, and will be utilizing her relationships and talents to bring genre specific film projects to be produced by Moon River in Coastal Georgia.

“Moon River’s Chairman Jake Shapiro has assembled a high level team of film executives that includes Graham Bradstreet, a founder of Working Title, and Alice Neuhauser from Relativity Media,” Grodnik said. “Mary and I are excited to add our specific areas of expertise to help build Moon River into a top independent studio.”

“We will bring high level projects to Savannah,” said Aloe. “We have been looking for the right studio to bring all of our projects to. My partner Dan Grodnik and I, have between us, produced and financed over 60 movies. Moon River will not only act as production services provider, but will be an equity participant and owner for many of the productions. We will be bringing our relationships with top tier talent agencies, management firms, production companies, foreign and domestic sales companies, studios and distributors to Moon River.”

What packaging means, Shapiro said, is they put the script with the director, talent, foreign sales and bank financing, “and they bring a fully-packaged product to us ready to go. Right now, they have four films in theaters or ready to go to production.”

Aloe and Grodnik have been working together for the past year and between them have four movies that have been or will be in theatrical release in 2015-16: Already out are: “Ten Thousand Saints,” starring Ethan Hawke, Emile Hirsch and Hailee Steinfeld; “Heist,” starring Robert DeNiro and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Next year will see the theatrical release of “Wild Oats,” starring Shirley MacLaine, Jessica Lange and Demi Moore, and “Daughter of God,” starring Keanu Reeves.

Upcoming for Aloe and Grodnik: “Tiger”, starring Mickey Rourke, (currently in production) “Mothers Day,” starring Susan Sarandon and Sharon Stone, “55 Steps” with Sony, “Replicas” starring Keanu Reeves, and “American Brawler.”

“In our efforts to bring Hollywood to Coastal Georgia, we have hired two major people from Hollywood who will now join the Moon River management team,” Shapiro said. “All of their projects from here on in are coming to us for us to produce on our property, so we’re beyond excited about that.”

Grodnik is the CEO and chairman of Mass Hysteria Entertainment Company, Inc. His career spans over three decades in the film business in which he has developed, financed, and produced dozens of motion pictures and television movies.

Grodnik was nominated for a Golden Globe for best picture on his production of “Bobby.” The movie had an all-star cast including Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone, Helen Hunt, Laurence Fishburne, Elijah Wood, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Nick Cannon and Heather Graham.

Aloe of Aloe Entertainment and Grodnik /Aloe Productions, LLC produces and finances individual pictures and slates of movies. Aloe specializes in obtaining 100 percent financing for features by raising private equity, working with hedge funds, gap financing, top tier foreign sales companies and securing domestic distribution. 

Shapiro also said the company’s equipment has been moved from Jacksonville, Fla.

“We have $1.6 million in equipment up here we’re super anxious to bring over to the property,” he said.

Some of Aloe’s movies include “Battle in Seattle” starring Charlize Theron, Channing Tatum and Michelle Rodriguez, “While She Was Out” starring Kim Basinger, “Tortured” starring Laurence Fishburne, “When a Man’s Falls in The Forest” starring Sharon Stone, and “Cabin Fever2” with Lionsgate.