The Press

White Plains Native Sells First Movie
by Sabrina Trangle | Jan 15, 2012

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. -- White Plains native Matt Markey kicked off his New Year celebrating the sale of his first movie, RICKY, on his mom's birthday.

"On Dec. 29, which happens to be my mother’s birthday, it all became official, which was great. It was a great way to end the year and a great way to start the year," said Markey, who returned from Los Angeles to host a screening of his movie in White Plains this summer. "I went out and toasted it with a couple of friends, but mainly called my folks because they've been through the struggle the whole time. It was a relief to finally cross the finish line."

RICKY, which chronicles a young man's uphill battle with love "Rocky"-style, began to catch attention after winning the best romantic comedy at the Beverly Hills Film Festival and the New York International Film Festival. ITN Distribution caught the winning film in New York and began asking Markey's agent about buying it and selling it on dvd and Blue-ray.

"The first thing that the distribution company is doing is they’re changing the art work on the poster and dvd jacket. Technically they own the movie now because I signed over the rights to them for the next five years," said Markey. "I’m optimistic because it’s going to be a lot of promos going by and not me scraping for the money to do them."

RICKY will be released this June on Netflix, Video on Demand, Redbox, cable, dvd, and Blockbusters, Wal-Marts, Kmarts, and Targets in American and Canada. International releases will follow.

"Hopefully RICKY will be all up in your face and you’ll have no choice but to buy it," said Markey. "You always got to remain optimistic."

Signing the contract put Markey in a good enough mood to sit down and write a comedy.

"When the ball started rolling, I just kind of got the itch to write again," said Markey. "I was going to do a story, a drama about two kids wrongly accused of a crime, but now I’m in such a good mood, I want to do a comedy again."

"A great homage to Rocky."
- John G. Avildsen (Director of Rocky)

"RICKY is a charming, offbeat romantic comedy about a likable underdog in the mold of Stallone's Rocky. Matt Markey scores as both actor and writer."
- Stephen Farber: Film Critic, Reel Talk
 

The award-winning film RICKY released by ITN Distribution is available now.
Winner | Best Romantic Comedy, 2012 Beverly Hills Film and Television Festival (BHFTF) 
Winner | Best Romantic Comedy, 2012 New York International Film Festival (NYIFF) 
Winner | Audience Choice Award Best Feature, 2012 Los Angeles Film, TV & Webisode Festival
Winner | Best Comedy Feature, 2012 Los Angeles Film, TV & Webisode Festival 

Rom-Com RICKY Awarded Best Feature at 2nd Annual Beverly Hills Film, TV and New Media Festival
Hollywood, CA | October 28

HOLLYWOOD, CA -- Last night, Matt Markey’s indie rom-com movie, based on a true story, of loser RICKY was a clear knock out picking up Best Feature Film – Romantic Comedy at the 2nd Annual Beverly Hills Film, TV and New Media Festival and negotiates a worldwide release ahead of this year’s American Film Market (AFM) in Santa Monica, CA.

Under Dog Romantic Comedy RICKY Wins Best Feature And Negotiates A Worldwide Release At Its Knock Out Screening in Hollywood

Shot on various locations in Los Angeles and Malibu, RICKY, (Matt Markey) featuring Johnny ‘Roast Beef’ Williams (Goodfellas, The Mask), is about a likeable struggling actor, Ricky Mcdown who has a light wallet, big heart and an even bigger ‘Rocky’ fixation. 

When Ricky’s gorgeous well to do new girlfriend Tracy dumps him, Ricky is crushed until his friends convince him that to win back the heart of his self-centered soul mate he simply has to follow in the footsteps of his boyhood idol and transform himself into the man of her dreams. With a little help from Janie, a cute girl from his boxing gym, Ricky gets ‘the eye of the tiger’ and whips himself into shape, body and mind for his big move on Tracy and a big confrontation with Brad, the smooth-talking, arrogant playboy who’s already taken his place. 

“The response for RICKY at the screening by the media and audience was overwhelming” says Markey “I’m so thrilled that we won our first award and are now in negotiations for a world wide release!”

Directed by Kevin Wagoner audiences will fall in love with this unlikely hero as they are taken down the road of true love which can be a rocky path, in more ways than one, in this charming and disarming romantic comedy. 

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