RuffNation Records
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| Ruffnation Films | |
|---|---|
| Type | Film Company |
| Founded | Ruffnation Films founded in 1999 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia, PA, USA |
| Key people | Chris Schwartz & Rich Murray |
| Industry | Urban, music genre films and DVD content. |
| Products | Films, DVD's |
| Parent | RuffHouse Records |
| Website | ruffnationfilms.com |
RuffNation Records is a joint venture record label between Chris Schwartz and Warner Bros. Records. It was started after Ruffhouse Records was dissolved.
Contents |
[edit] Ruffnation Films
Ruffnation Films was founded in 1999 as a satellite to the legendary hip-hop label RuffHouse Records. After successfully selling over 100,000,000 music units worldwide, CEO Chris Schwartz set his sights on bringing the same innovation and record of success to the urban film genre.
Schwartz was joined in this endeavor by life-long friend and RuffNation Films co-founder Rich Murray a feature filmmaker and award winning director of over 100 music videos. Murray brings a wealth of experience to his position as President of Ruffnation Films including Snipes; the debut feature by RuffNation Films which Murray produced, directed and co-wrote. Snipes, which stars Nelly has sold over 300,000 units worldwide on DVD.
In 2006 Schwartz and Murray formed Ruffnation Films Releasing as the distribution division of RuffNation Films. In June of '06 RNFR signed a three year distribution deal with Vivendi Visual Entertainment that guarantees a minimum of 5 DVD releases a year by RNFR in the urban, youth and music genres.
Looking to the future, RuffNation Films will continue to develop and produce theatrical feature films in addition to feature DVD content, music videos, and commercials while RuffNation Films Releasing will acquire and distribute content on both DVD and in theaters.
[edit] Company Profile
[edit] Rich Murray - President
After 15 years as a director, writer and producer in both film and video, Rich Murray co-founded RuffNation Films in 1999. Murray envisioned RuffNation Films as a full service company that would not only develop and produce film and video content but also distribute that content independently to theatres, DVD and via the Internet. Seven years later Murray has attained that lofty goal.
Murray was raised in Philadelphia in the gritty, working-class neighborhood depicted in the film Rocky. His intense interest in movie making began at an early age and after graduating from Temple University with a B.A. in Communications in 1984, Murray began his professional career by directing some of the earliest rap videos for hip hop legends Schoolly D and Roxanne Shante. A short time later he began his apprenticeship as a line-producer and assistant director on a long list of independent film projects. In that role his list of credits include Cadillac Man (1990), Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989) and She-Devil (1989) among many others.
In the 90s Murray returned to his music video roots, where he focused exclusively on directing clips for some of pop music's biggest artists - including videos for the Spin Doctors, Kris Kross, the Fugees, Monica, Arrested Development and Eminem. In all Murray has directed over 100 music videos and he has been nominated for numerous awards for his work. During this period Murray also entered the commercial advertising arena where he directed spots for such clients as Epiphone Guitars, TNN Cable Network and Sony.
In 2000 Murray made his feature film-directing debut with Snipes, (starring Nelly) which premiered at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival and was awarded Best Indie film at the 2002 Philadelphia Film Festival. Snipes is a shadowy thriller set in the world of the hip-hop recording industry. Snipes was released independently to theaters in 2003 through RuffNation Films and on DVD and video in association with Columbia/Tri-Star in 2004. That same year Murray served as the executive producer on the urban drama "Train Ride" (starring Wood Harris) which he released to DVD through RuffNation Films via Sony in 2005.
In 2006 Murray co-founded RuffNation Films Releasing as a division of RNFs to be dedicated exclusively to feature film and DVD distribution. Subsequently RNFR signed a multi year deal with Vivendi Visual Entertainment that guarantees a minimum of five RuffNation releases per year. Via this deal as well as several developing Internet partnerships, Murray has finally realized his dream of creating an independent film company that is capable of taking an idea from the page to the screen.
[edit] Chris Schwartz - CEO
Chris Schwartz is a CEO who brings street sensibility to the mainstream with complete conviction. He is recognized in the recording industry as the visionary founder of RuffHouse Records, considered by many to be the one of the most globally influential music companies in hip-hop. While at RuffHouse Schwartz built a fortress of hip-hops most renowned talent for nearly a decade, selling his artists without selling them short of credibility. With multi-platinum acts such as Cypress Hill, Kris Kross, The Fugees, Wyclef Jean and Lauryn Hill, Schwartz sold over 100 million units, earning over 1 billion dollars in sales worldwide.
In the past several years as the Chairman and CEO of TriMedia Entertainment Group, Inc., Schwartz has created a major new independent entertainment group with operations in music, film, television and music publishing.
A pioneer in the marketing of hip-hop and urban genre music to mainstream audiences, Schwartz has carried that vision to a new medium; film where he continues to expand and diversify the commercial potential of that genre through the pop film medium.
