Grant Proposal – “Stan Foster Media”

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Submitted to:

[Company]
[Company Address]

Submitted by:

[Author’s name with author’s professional title]
Stan Foster Media
[Company E-mail]
[Company Phone]
https://www.randblives.com

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death

Table of Contents

Letter of Intent – 3
Grant Proposal Summary  – 4
Proposal Abstract – 6
History of R & B – 7
Executive Summary – 8
Statement of Need – 9
Goals and Objectives – 10
Project Design and Methodology – 11
Program Evaluation Plan – 12
Sustainability Statement – 13
Budget Narrative – 14
Applicant Qualifications – 15

Thursday, March 2, 2017
[Company]
[Company Address]
Letter of Intent
Dear «GreetingLine»,
It is my pleasure to present a proposal for the production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death for our present day communities. With your support Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death, a Stan Foster Media production, will raise R&B music awareness so as to show the impact it had on the world since its infancy and unique origin to its near demise of today.
Rhythm and Blues is based on love and heartbreak and is as close to real life as music can get. R&B is a great storyteller and if R&B disappears in its entirety, the powerful connection that human beings can have with one another disappears with it. The community needs R&B music because people need love and passion in their lives; they need human contact and conversation. R&B stabilizes civilized communities as it is the only music genre that can.
Since Stan Foster Media was founded in 1996 (incorporated in 2016), we have believed that promoting artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind is not only invaluable, but necessary. With strong and impacting production successes under our belt, in addition to a current output, acquisition, and distribution deal at Lionsgate Studio, Stan Foster Media plans to bring awareness of R&B to the community via a 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death. We will reveal the power and mystic of R&B music by examining the various styles of the genre as well as its major influences on other music genres from its beginning, to its evolution, to its demise. We will show the impact of R&B music around the world. We will use footage of iconic artists like Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, and Ray Charles. We will also probe the opinions of current artists like Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, and Stevie Wonder. We will showcase white R&B singers like Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, and Amy Winehouse. We will cover the R&B singing groups from the great duos to the legends of Motown and from groups like the Jackson 5 and N’Sync to the bands like Earth Wind & Fire, War, George Clinton & Parliament. We will infuse genres like disco, rap, and hip-hop, which may have contributed to R&B’s demise.
With your gift of $[___________], Stan Foster Media will be able to travel with a crew to various locations around the world to obtain valuable interviews, purchase audio and video footage of archive material, purchase music rights, and pay reasonable salaries to our crew.
With your help, Stan Foster Media will continue to promote artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Stan Foster, Director & Producer
Stan Foster Media
https://www.randblives.com

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Grant Proposal Summary

–Submitting Organization: Stan Foster Media
–Mission: The mission of Stan Foster Media is to promote artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind.
–Constituents: Stan Foster Media provides entertainment for art lovers everywhere.
–Program: Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
–Objective: Stan Foster Media has one objective: to raise R&B music awareness so as to show the impact it had on the world since its infancy and unique origin to its near demise of today.
–Community Need: Rhythm and Blues is based on love and heartbreak and is as close to real life as music can get. R&B is a great storyteller and if R&B disappears in its entirety, the powerful connection that human beings can have with one another disappears with it. The community needs R&B music because people need love and passion in their lives; they need human contact and conversation. R&B stabilizes civilized communities as it is the only music genre that can.
Our community at large is preoccupied with race and diversity more than it has been in decades. From police shootings to discrimination, racism is a societal challenge that we are still learning how to prevent.
According to New World Encyclopedia, R&B is defined as “a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences…[it] is a musical term for post-war musical chart listings which mainly encompassed the rich and varied folk music of the African Americans as well as other Americans. First performed by African American artists, rhythm and blues became the biographical mirrors of work songs, ballads or lyrics from minstrel shows, church hymns and gospel music, and some of the secular music of America in the 1900s.”
By learning about and restoring the legacy of Rhythm and Blues, our society has an open invitation to ignore our differences, embrace our similarities, and finally bridge the gap between generations, ethnicities, cultures, and races. With Rhythm and Blues, we are able to learn about each other in ways that have not previously been available to us or helpful to us. By restoring the heritage and traditions of Rhythm and Blues and all that it entails, we are finally able to clear a path for cultural unity along with racial and societal harmony.
According to writer, producer, and filmmaker Kashif Saleem: “Without the proper documentation, [R&B’s] legacy is left up to interpretation and opinion instead of fact and over time the true story will be distorted. When we document our art properly, there is a lineage that is traceable. The facts become irrefutable. This insures that the proper credit is applied to the correct individuals and organizations. The result will be heightened awareness and interest. Remember there is no geographical region and no societal expression that has not been influenced by R&B music…In the last seven decades R&B music has been the soundtrack to the lives of millions. It has been the voice of reason and a moral compass…Today it is one of America’s greatest art forms and exports and has played catalyst to some of society’s most significant advancements.”

Response to Community Need:
 We will bring interest and awareness of R&B to the community through a 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.
 We will reveal the power and mystic of R&B music by examining the various styles of the genre as well as its major influences on other music genres from its beginning, to its evolution, to its demise.
 We will show the impact of R&B music around the world. We will use footage of iconic artists like Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Luther Vandross, Marvin Gaye, Prince, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston.
 We will also probe the opinions of artists like Aretha Franklin, Beyonce, Stevie Wonder, Fantasia, and Jennifer Hudson.
 We will showcase white R&B singers like Justin Timberlake, Robin Thicke, Amy Winehouse, Teena Marie, Joss Stone, Fergie, Pink, Adele, Sam Smith, and Jon B.
 We will cover the R&B singing groups from the great duos, to the legends of Motown, to groups like the Jackson 5, Boys II Men, New Edition, and N’Sync to the bands like Earth Wind & Fire, War, George Clinton & Parliament.
 We will infuse genres like disco, rap, and hip-hop, which may have contributed to R&B’s demise.

Evaluation
Measurements for gauging the success of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death will include:
 Profit totals
 Media reviews and public opinion
 R&B promotions and/or awareness in the public consciousness

Budget
Note: 100% of funds raised by Stan Foster Media will cover the total production costs of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.
Stan Foster Media makes money in the Entertainment industry.

Stan Foster Media is an immediate, vertically integrated media company. SFM has four principal business platforms: film, television, live stage plays and the internet with complimentary adjunct business that include digital downloads, music publishing, soundtracks, book publishing, merchandise and mobile content.

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Proposal Abstract

According to New World Encyclopedia: “As rhythm and blues combined the elements of jazz, gospel music and the blues, it thus created a very personalized form of melody and rhythm which has become known as one of the outstanding styles of American music. From jazz and its combination of African black folk music blended with European folk and pop music, rhythm and blues incorporated the syncopated beats supported by colorful chordal combinations to mirror the emotions and experiences of the composer and singer/musician. Such rhythm and blues sounds also derived from the religious music of the African black churches, especially in the southern and mid-western regions of the United States. As the ministers encouraged their church members to freely ‘testify’ about their faiths, the spontaneity of such testimonies gave rise to the rhythm and blues lyrics and melodies which related the stories of very personal experiences in song. Moreover, rhythm and blues sometimes imitated the black African folk songs using a ‘call’ and ‘response’ to organize the group work unit and to lighten their tasks by singing. As this vocal method grew in the United States, it evolved to a solo presentation and answer rather than using the many voices needed for the earlier ‘call’ and ‘response’ folk songs. Through all of this musical diversity, rhythm and blues has become one of the great musical achievements in American music.”
The mission of Stan Foster Media is to promote artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind. Currently, Stan Foster Media has one objective: to raise R&B music awareness so as to show the impact it had on the world since its infancy and unique origin to its near demise of today. Rhythm and Blues is based on love and heartbreak and is as close to real life as music can get. R&B is a great storyteller and if R&B disappears in its entirety, the powerful connection that human beings can have with one another disappears with it. The community needs R&B music because people need love and passion in their lives; they need human contact and conversation. R&B stabilizes civilized communities as it is the only music genre that can. We will bring awareness of R&B to the community through a 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.
We will examine R&B’s various styles and its influences; we will show the impact R&B has made around the world using footage and conducting interviews; we will talk about famous R&B entertainers; we will infuse genres which may have contributed to R&B’s demise. Measurements for gauging the success of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death will include: profit totals, media reviews and public opinion, and R&B promotions and/or awareness in the public consciousness.
As R&B comes back into the spotlight, more and more powerful connections will manifest between people on account of the music’s power pushing us onward to be a greater species that is mankind.

 
Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
History of R & B

Rhythm and Blues, or R & B, originated in the 1940’s as a popular African-American musical genre. Rhythm and Blues was a phrase that record companies coined to describe the musical stylings marketed primarily towards African-Americans in urban communities. From the 1950’s to the 1970’s, the common commercial rhythm and blues music was made up of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, saxophone, and frequently background vocalists.
The lyrical themes of rhythm and blues music often describe and capture African-American suffering and their pursuit for liberation and happiness. Lyrics hone in on the subjects of victory and misfortunes in terms of relationships, liberty, economics, and ambitions.
The name rhythm and blues has experienced various definitions. In the early 1950’s, it was used to identify blues records. After this style of music contributed to rock and roll’s development, and starting in the mid-1950’s, the phrase “R&B” referred to music styles that generated from and integrated electric blues, in addition to gospel and soul music. Starting in the 1960’s, several British rock groups were identified as R&B bands, a tangent of R&B that is now known as British rhythm and blues. In the 1970’s, the name meaning changed again and was used to identify soul and funk. Going on into the 1980’s, a newer style of R&B progressed into what became known as “Contemporary R&B” which combined the elements of rhythm and blues, soul, funk, pop, hip-hop, and dance.

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Executive Summary

The Objective….
Stan Foster Media has one objective: to raise R&B music awareness so as to show the impact it had on the world since its infancy and unique origin to its near demise of today.
The Goals….
Since Stan Foster Media was founded in 1996 (incorporated in 2016), we have believed that promoting artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind is not only invaluable, but necessary. With strong and impacting production successes under our belt, in addition to a current output, acquisition, and distribution deal at Lionsgate Studio, Stan Foster Media has the following goals for its 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.
 To show the beauty and artistry of R&B music.
 To show the historic significance of R&B.
 To bring about worldwide appreciation go R&B Music.
 To show the current underappreciation of the genre.
 To ask experts to weigh in on the reasons for the decline of R&B.
 To show how current R&B legends have adapted and dealt with the device of R&B popularity.
 To show how the rest of the world appreciates the genre more than they do in the US.
 To show how the next generation of artists handle the responsibility of torch bearers.

The Solution….
Our 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death, will:
 Bring R&B awareness to the community.
 Educate the community about the benefits and value found in R&B music.
 Educate the community about the worldwide impact R&B has had.
 Promote the R&B music genre so as to see it revived, bringing it back from total obsolescence.
 License and use archive rare vintage footage to show the audience a never before seen perspective from the artists point of view.
 Interview R&B legends around the world to get their unique perspectives, ass well as gauging their wealth and standard of living
 Interview fans and music industry experts
 Honor those legends no longer living.
 Compare how the music as changed.

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Statement of Need

Rhythm and Blues is based on love and heartbreak and is as close to real life as music can get. R&B is a great storyteller and if R&B disappears in its entirety, the powerful connection that human beings can have with one another disappears with it. The community needs R&B music because people need love and passion in their lives; they need human contact and conversation. R&B stabilizes civilized communities as it is the only music genre that can.
Our community at large is preoccupied with race and diversity more than it has been in decades. From police shootings to discrimination, racism is a societal challenge that we are still learning how to prevent.
According to New World Encyclopedia, R&B is defined as “a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences…[it] is a musical term for post-war musical chart listings which mainly encompassed the rich and varied folk music of the African Americans as well as other Americans. First performed by African American artists, rhythm and blues became the biographical mirrors of work songs, ballads or lyrics from minstrel shows, church hymns and gospel music, and some of the secular music of America in the 1900s.”
By learning about and restoring the legacy of Rhythm and Blues, our society has an open invitation to ignore our differences, embrace our similarities, and finally bridge the gap between generations, ethnicities, cultures, and races. With Rhythm and Blues, we are able to learn about each other in ways that have not previously been available to us or helpful to us. By restoring the heritage and traditions of Rhythm and Blues and all that it entails, we are finally able to clear a path for cultural unity along with racial and societal harmony.
According to writer, producer, and filmmaker Kashif Saleem: “Without the proper documentation, [R&B’s] legacy is left up to interpretation and opinion instead of fact and over time the true story will be distorted. When we document our art properly, there is a lineage that is traceable. The facts become irrefutable. This insures that the proper credit is applied to the correct individuals and organizations. The result will be heightened awareness and interest. Remember there is no geographical region and no societal expression that has not been influenced by R&B music…In the last seven decades R&B music has been the soundtrack to the lives of millions. It has been the voice of reason and a moral compass…Today it is one of America’s greatest art forms and exports and has played catalyst to some of society’s most significant advancements.”

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Goals and Objectives

Since Stan Foster Media was founded in 1996 (incorporated in 2016), we have believed that promoting artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind is not only invaluable, but necessary. With strong and impacting production successes under our belt, in addition to a current output, acquisition, and distribution deal at Lionsgate Studio, Stan Foster Media has the following goals for its 90-minute documentary film entitled Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.

Goal 1: To show the beauty and artistry of R&B music.
Goal 2: To show the historic significance of R&B.
Goal 3: To bring about worldwide appreciation go R&B Music.
Goal 4: To show the current underappreciation of the genre.
Goal 5: To ask experts to weigh in on the reasons for the decline of R&B.
Goal 6: To show how current R&B legends have adapted and dealt with the device of R&B popularity.
Goal 7: To show how the rest of the world appreciates the genre more than they do in the US.
Goal 8: To show how the next generation of artists handle the responsibility of torch bearers.

Our objectives to achieve these goals are:
Objective 1: Conduct interviews.
Objective 2: Study and do thorough and accurate research.
Objective 3: Utilize archive footage and other applicable material.
Objective 4: Utilize concert footage and other applicable material.

100% of the film’s net profits will be donated.
 50% of net profits will be donated to medical expenses of ailing R&B greats who lack adequate health insurance.
 50% of the films net profits will be used to purchase and donate musical instruments to low income urban schools.
Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Project Design and Methodology

To achieve our goals and objectives, Stan Foster Media will plan to write a script in addition to establishing and determining the content that will be in the production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death.

Stan Foster Media plans to hire the following crew members:

 UPM (Unit Production Manager)
 Director
 Co-producer
 Camera operator
 Camera Assistant
 Editor
 Production Assistant

The film crew built with the people that will be hired for the positions above, in addition to existing staff, will travel from city to city so as to conduct interviews with subjects and collect archive footage.

Our existing staff includes:

 Stan Foster – Writer/Director
 Nichole Longo – Co Producer
 Dave Perkel – DP/Camera Operator
 Richard Nord – Editor
 Mark Beinstock – UPM (Unit Production Manager)
 Mike Reese – Camera Assistant
 Laura Mitchell – Production Assistant
The entire production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death will take approximately nine months to complete.

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Program Evaluation Plan

Measurements for gauging the success of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death will include:
 Profit totals
 Media reviews and public opinion
 R&B promotions and/or awareness in the public consciousness
 Film sales revenue
 Donations from said revenue
 Awards
 Distribution streams

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Sustainability Statement

Methods in which Stan Foster Media will sustain the ongoing success of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death, in addition to continuing their mission to promote artistry for the overall health and positive growth of mankind include:
 Marketing
 Promotions
 Continued distribution
 Merchandising
 Sequels

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Budget Narrative

A. Salary – (excluding editing) Total = $175,000
UPM (Unit Production Manager)
Director
Co-producer
Camera operator
Camera Assistant
Editor
Production Assistant
B. Materials Total = $75,000
Equipment
Offices
Supplies
C. Logistics (United Kingdom, Los Angeles, & New York) Total = $55,000
Hotel
Travel Costs
Transportation
Food
D. Media Necessities Total = $429,000
Archive Footage
Music Rights
Interviews
E. Editing Total = $150,000
Assistant
Equipment Rental
Editing Bay

Total = $884,000

Stan Foster Media
A Proposal for the Production of Rhythm & Blues: A Life & Death
Applicant Qualifications

Stan Foster began his versatile career as an actor in numerous films. He was a star on the CBS television drama Tour of Duty for three award-winning seasons.
Foster easily segued behind the camera after striking a deal with Columbia Pictures Television to write, produce, and brand new content. This led to selling and developing sitcom, drama, and reality programming to multiple networks including CBS, FOX, MTV, Comedy Central, USA Networks, UPN, Disney and Discovery Channel.
Stan Foster Media assembled the stage and film adaptations of Woman Thou Art Loosed and significantly contributed to the wide popularity of that brand.
As a feature writer-producer, Foster penned and produced films for:
 Universal (Hoodrat)
 20th Century Fox (Hangman’s Curse)
 Magnolia (Woman Thou Art Loosed)
 Lions Gate (Manhood)
 Warner Bros (Preacher’s Kid)
 Universal (Car Wash 2)
Stan Foster Media currently has an output, acquisition, and distribution deal with Lionsgate Studio. Stan Foster Media was founded in 1996 and incorporated in 2016.