PITTSBURGH – Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and City of Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto today were joined by Dawn Keezer of the Pittsburgh Film Office as May 18, 2016 was proclaimed “OUTSIDERS Day” in Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh. Stars David Morse and Christina Jackson were on hand for the formal declaration, as were Executive Producer and Creator Peter Mattei.
“We are thrilled to have the OUTSIDERS series, its stars, producers and crews here for a second season, and hope to welcome them for many, many more,” said Fitzgerald. “Our economy here continues to do well because of its diversity, and the continued growth of the film industry and the incentive of the PA Film Tax Credit program, is an important component of that success.”
WGN America’s original drama series, “OUTSIDERS,” is a tale of a struggle for power and control set in the rugged hills of Appalachia. The drama explores an epic battle as the Farrell Clan, a tight-knit family of renegades who have lived atop Shay Mountain for over 200 years, fight to defend their land and way of life from the town below and anyone who would dare challenge them. The series, produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, is heading into its second season drawing an average of 2.8 million weekly viewers. Its 13-episode first season, which premiered on January 26, 2016, comes out on DVD on May 24.
“Pittsburgh has established itself as hub of the innovation economy, partially on the foundation our robust local television and film industry has provided. I want to thank OUTSIDERS for its continued commitment to this economy, its jobs, and the ongoing bragging rights of the Pittsburgh region,” said Mayor William Peduto.
The series is created and written by Peter Mattei, who executive produces alongside Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer of Fedora Entertainment and Paul Giamatti and Dan Carey of Touchy Feely Films. Its ensemble cast includes David Morse, Thomas M. Wright, Ryan Hurst, Joe Anderson, Gillian Alexy, Kyle Gallner and Christina Jackson.
The first season was shot on location in western Pennsylvania including Allegheny County municipalities Braddock, Clairton, Harmar, Millvale, Monroeville, North Braddock, North Versailles, Pitcairn, Pittsburgh, Reserve, Ross, Shaler, and Turtle Creek; and additional locations in Connellsville, Dunbar and West Newton. Its first season began filming on May 5, 2015. Sony Pictures Television hired 530 local crew and primary cast, and 1,980 local extras and stand-ins. The primary soundstage was 31st Street Studios in the Strip District, and the prime location used was Henry Kaufman Recreation Park in Monroeville.
“We are so excited to welcome the OUTSIDERS back for its second season. Our long-term goal has always been episodic television and OUTSIDERS is our first show to go to a second season, and it will definitely not be our last,” said Keezer. “Our region is home to the most talented crew on the planet and, for that reason, coupled with the successful PA Film Tax Credit program, we have no doubt we will continue to see growth in our industry.”
The second season of the series began filming today in Allegheny County. Following the presentation of the proclamation, series stars participate in a question and answer session with the media.
The full text of the proclamation follows:
WHEREAS, WGN America’s original drama series, “OUTSIDERS,” is a tale of struggle for power and control set in the rugged hills of Appalachia; the drama explores an epic battle as the Farrell Clan, a tight-knit family of renegades who have lived atop Shay Mountain for over 200 years, fight to defend their land and way of life from the town below and anyone who would dare challenge them; and
WHEREAS, the series, produced by Sony Pictures Television and Tribune Studios, is heading into its second season drawing an average of 2.8 million weekly viewers; its 13-episode first season, which premiered on January 26, 2016, comes out on DVD on May 24th; and
WHEREAS, the series is created and written by Peter Mattei, who executive produces alongside Peter Tolan and Michael Wimer of Fedora Entertainment and Paul Giamatti and Dan Carey of Touchy Feely Films; its ensemble cast includes David Morse, Thomas M. Wright, Ryan Hurst, Joe Anderson, Gillian Alexy, Kyle Gallner and Christina Jackson; and
WHEREAS, “OUTSIDERS” is shot on location in western Pennsylvania including Allegheny County municipalities Braddock, Clairton, Harmar, Millvale, Monroeville, North Braddock, North Versailles, Pitcairn, Pittsburgh, Reserve, Ross, Shaler, and Turtle Creek; and additional locations in Connellsville, Dunbar and West Newton; and
WHEREAS, its first season began filming on May 5, 2015; during its first season, Sony Pictures Television hired 530 local crew and primary cast, and 1,980 local extras and stand-ins; the primary soundstage was 31st Street Studios in the Strip District, and the prime location used was Henry Kaufman Recreation Park in Monroeville; and
WHEREAS, Sony Pictures Television, Tribune Studios and WGN America’s “OUTSIDERS” brought an economic spend of millions to Allegheny County and its municipalities, including the City of Pittsburgh; the “OUTSIDERS” community of fans also has a strong presence in our region.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and City of Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto, by virtue of the authority vested in us, do hereby proclaim May 18, 2016 as “OUTSIDERS Day” in Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have hereunto set our hand and caused the Seal of the County of Allegheny and the City of Pittsburgh to be affixed this 18th day of May, 2016.
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About Outsiders:
Set in modern-day rural Kentucky, the series features the Farrells, a family clan that has been living off-the-grid in the Appalachian Mountains for over 200 years. Lead by patriarch Big Foster, portrayed by actor David Morse, the Farrells have developed their own spoken language, code of laws and governing system, much to the chagrin of the coal company trying to evict them. The gritty backwoods drama was written and created by playwright Peter Mattei, who also serves as executive producer for the series, along with Academy Award-winning actor Paul Giamatti. OUTSIDERS premiered on WGN America on January 26, 2016 and was seen live by almost two million viewers. OUTSIDERS has become the most-watched premiere of an original series in the network’s history.
About WGN America and Tribune Studios:
WGN America, the flagship entertainment network of Tribune Media Company (NYSE: TRCO) is nationally distributed in nearly 80 million homes via cable, satellite and telco, with high-quality entertainment programming including the breakout hit series “Outsiders,” “Underground” and “Salem.” The network also brings its audience a strong slate of popular first-run syndicated series and blockbuster movies. Through Tribune Studios, the creative development arm of Tribune Media, original content is produced for WGN America and Tribune local stations nationwide. Follow the network on Twitter @wgnamerica. For additional information, please visit www.wgnamerica.com.
About Sony Pictures Television:
Sony Pictures Television (SPT) is one of the television industry’s leading content providers, producing and distributing programming worldwide in every genre and for every platform. In addition to managing one of the industry’s largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, SPT is home to a thriving US production business and operates 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 11 countries around the world. SPT’s worldwide networks portfolio includes 150 channel feels, which are available in 178 countries reaching more than 1.3 billion cumulative households worldwide. Sony Pictures Television is a Sony Pictures Entertainment Company.
About the Pittsburgh Film Office:
The Pittsburgh Film Office (PFO) is a non-profit economic development agency dedicated to the mission of marketing the southwestern Pennsylvania region to the film industry. Dawn Keezer has been the director of the PFO for the past 22 years. Since 1990, the PFO has assisted 135 feature film, television and commercial productions and generated an economic impact of more than $1 billion into the region. For every $1 invested in the PFO, the organization is able to generate approximately $194 in new spending. The southwestern Pennsylvania region has been extremely busy sine the establishment of a full-time presence in Los Angeles and the Pennsylvania Film Tax Credit program. Recent productions include FENCES with Denzel Washington and Viola Davis for Paramount Pictures, MINDHUNTER with David Fincher for Netflix and OUTSIDERS, Season 2, for WGN.
