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As the troubled film he directed now officially in release, after a lengthy development, Pierre Bagley has assumed the position of Director of the DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD), where he is responsible for all production in the District of Columbia.

The mission of the MPTD is to: initiate, implement and manage the operations and logistics of programs aimed at generating revenue and stimulating employment and business opportunities in the District through the production of film, television, video, photography and other multimedia projects.

Bagley directed the Taraji P. Henson sports drama, From The Rough, which was released in theaters last month, via a service deal with Freestyle Releasing.

Recall that this is the film which was at the center of a battle for control between director Bagley and financier/producer Michael A. Critelli, which was very well documented on this blog.

We’ve been following the film’s progress since 2010/2011, and so there’s a lengthy dramatic back-story to it, going back 4 to 5 years, which you can catch up on HERE if interested.

Bagley’s appointment to the Director of the DC Office of MPTD actually happened in January, in a ceremony hosted by D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, replacing former chief Crystal Palmer, who in October was moved to an advisory role in the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development. The office, under Palmer, was reportedly not well received by the film industry. So the obvious hope in having Bagley assuming the role vacated by Palmer is for a friendlier and more fruitful industry business relationship.

Courtesy of MPTD, more on Bagley’s background:

Pierre Bagley brings more than 35 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry to the DC Office of Motion Picture and Television Development (MPTD). In the early 1970’s he entered the television industry as a floor-crew member of a CBS affiliate in Phoenix, Arizona. By 1978, he and a partner had created one of the nation’s first independent production and post-production facilities, which serviced the Arizona/California market. The Phoenix Video Center boasted clients such as ABC, Jack-in-the-Box, WalMart, CBS and ABC Television Networks, Footlocker, Proctor & Gamble and the Chrysler Corporation, among many others.

In 1997, Bagley took his first screenplay to production. THE MESSAGE is a full-length 35mm feature film, which he also self-financed. To date, THE MESSAGE has garnered wide critical recognition and was nominated to be a Grand Jury Finalist in the 1998 New York Urban World Film Festival and the 1999 Hollywood Black Film Festival.

Most recently, Bagley produced, directed, and co-wrote the independent feature From the Rough, starring academy award nominees, Taraji P. Henson (Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), and British actor Tom Felton (Harry Potter). The movie, which is inspired by the remarkable true story of the first female head coach of an NCAA Division 1 men’s golf team, is scheduled to be released in theatres in early 2014.  He guided the project from development to production in less than six months and raised nearly $7.5 million in equity to complete the film. Other recent projects include two critically-acclaimed documentaries A Legacy of Leadership, hosted by Sidney Poitier; and LAPD: Transforming the Dream, commissioned by then-Los Angeles Police Chief (and now New York Police Commissioner) William J. Bratton.

Prior to his work with From the Rough, Bagley was a producer and director with First Tuesday Productions, which he founded in 1981 and ran for nearly three decades. First Tuesday garnered a national reputation for creating captivating works of art in the multi-dimensional mediums of film and video. Diverse and eclectic clientele ranged from TIME Inc. and Muhammad Ali to Neiman Marcus and talk show maven and billionaire entrepreneur, Oprah Winfrey. His company also was tasked by major institutions such as the National Urban League, Toyota Motor Company, National Association of Black Journalists, The Trammell Crow Companies, and Anheuser Busch to lend its unique creative perspective and consistent production execution. First Tuesday was the exclusive production company for the Dallas Market Center, creating programming for the fashion and design industries. Bagley also created the Dallas Market Center Television network, which encompassed the 10 million square foot complex and the surrounding major hotels, providing 24 hour TV industry specific programming.

Bagley also is extensively involved in community affairs. He is a founder of Visionaries 100, a former board member of the USA Film Festival, an alumnus of LEADERSHIP DALLAS, an advisor for the Save the Children Foundation and is on the Advisory Board of THE PLAYWRIGHTS’ PROJECT INC. He served a 12 year stint as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ART INSTITUTE OF DALLAS. Additionally, he is a founding board member of DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation for AIDS), and the New York chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

Bagley attended Arizona State University. He currently lives in Ward 6 of the District of Columbia.

Congratulations on your new post Mr Bagley.