About New Americana Entertainment, LLC

Jerry Molen

Executive Producer: Jerry Molen

Gerald Robert "Jerry" Molen is an American film producer. He has worked closely with Steven Spielberg, having produced five of his films, and won an Academy Award for co-producing Schindler's List. Molen was born in Great Falls, Montana, the son of Edith Lorraine (née Meyer) and Gerald Richard Molen. He grew up in North Hollywood, California, after moving from Montana, with a number of younger brothers and sisters. His mother ran a diner, "The Blue Onion", which was located across from one of the major studios. Molen got his start in the movie business by changing tires on studio trucks.

Molen has appeared in supporting roles or cameos in several of the films he has produced, including Rain Man, Days of Thunder, and Jurassic Park. The name 'Molen' can be seen painted on the front of a large black cauldron in the movie Hook as the camera pans across the pirate docks in Neverland.

Filmography:

Don Campeau

Producer: Don Campeau

Don Campeau is the third generation of an entertainment family. He was a member of the hit trio, “The Lettermen” (9 Gold Albums) for many years. After leaving the Lettermen, Mr. Campeau went on to produce and co-host “Search for Gold”, at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas. “S4G,” as it became known, was the precursor for the smash hit T.V. show, “Star Search.” He previously served as agent and casting director for more than 25 feature films, including: “Point Break”, “My Own Private Idaho”, “The Temp”, Disney’s “The Incredible Journey” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” He then joined forces with Mr. Frank Yablans at Paramount Studios where they, along with Mr. Camacho, developed a slate of feature films for NewAmericanaEntertainment.

Joe Camacho

Producer: Joseph Camacho

Joseph Camacho was signed to Epic Records and the William Morris Agency in 1967. As the founder of "October Country" his group appeared on many national television shows including Pat Boone and Woody Woodberry. During this time, Joseph toured across the nation and performed with many of the greats of the day including Linda Ronstadt, The Buffalo Springfield, The Isley Brothers, The Drifters, Jeff Beck, Jimi Hendrix, The Standells, The Byrds, The Youngbloods, The Turtles, The Boxtops, Leon Russell, Muddy Waters and more.

After "October Country" Joseph began promoting and producing tours up and down the West Coast including Jethro Tull, Crosby Stills, Nash, and Young, Richie Haven, Spirit, The Guess Who, Eric Burton and War, Tower of Power, Quick Silver Messenger Service, The Youngbloods, Chicago and more.

While at MGM studios working on a 60's music special for Showtime Joseph became inspired to pursue film making. He joined forces with Frank Yablans at Paramount Studios and with Mr. Campeau to develop a slate of wonderful and uplifting films for NewAmericanaEntertainment. 

Jeff Yapp

Producer: Jeff Yapp

Jeffrey B. Yapp is an accomplished corporate entrepreneur who has built a very successful career on his unique vision and ability to see opportunity where it isn’t obvious. His strength lies not only in his highly innovative ideas, but also in his ability to get things done regardless of the obstacles that lie in his path.

Yapp established the movie studios for MTV, VH1 and CMT, producing over $200 million in revenue.   He received two Emmy nominations as executive producer for the film DALE, the authorized true story of Nascar legend Dale Earnhardt, which was also the highest rated movie in CMT’s history.  He also approved the production for the movie Crazy Heart, starring Jeff Bridges, Robert Duvall, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Colin Farrell.  Crazy Heart had three Oscar Nominations and won Two Oscars for Best Actor Jeff Bridges and Best Original Song for T-bone Burnett and Ryan Bingham. Crazy Heart Producer Leslie Belzberg said

“Jeff saw the potential in Crazy Heart, where many did not. Even with a first time director and many of the unknowns surrounding the early production of this movie, he was willing to step up and make the decision to take a risk and make what he knew could actually be a hit”

As Strategic Partner to Microsoft Corporation Yapp is an integral part of driving growth for Microsoft’s direct online and retail operations for the fastest growing division in Microsoft.   Yapp spearheaded efforts for the successful opening of the first Microsoft flagship store outside North America in Sydney Australia, exceeding launch forecast by over 250%. He also directed and coordinated the Microsoft retail expansion in China with 19 stores and achieved one of the highest ROIs of any retail investment to date.

Yapp established a strategic marketing and consulting firm, with various clients, including Microsoft, Next Generation Media company, Vice Inc, Xbox, Windows and Swirl.

Over the course of his extensive career, Yapp has been committed to bringing innovation to the corporate environment. He served as Viacom’s Executive Vice President of Program Enterprises, where he was responsible for leading MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo brands into new business and platforms. In just four years, he grew the division from $15 million to over $1.4 billion. He oversaw several development groups responsible for an extensive array of ventures and new content opportunities including movie studios, gaming, sports, home entertainment, consumer products, radio networks, publishing and business development.

One of Yapp’s greatest successes resulted when he identified music and rhythm gaming as a significant strategic opportunity for Viacom. He completed a marketing partnership with Red Octane Gaming to introduce Guitar Hero 1, and established music and rhythm gaming as one of the fastest growing segments in the history of gaming.  Yapp also led the team that successfully acquired Harmonix and was responsible for launching Rock Band 1 and 2, which achieved 50% of the entire music gaming category the year it was launched. His team subsequently completed the deal to develop and distribute the Beatles Rock Band game.  Alex Rigopolus Founder and CEO of Harmonix said

“At MTV, Jeff was one of the few people who understood the potential of Guitar Hero and Rock Band from the very beginning.  More important though he had the conviction to back that vision with action”  

Yapp initiated and completed a deal with Jerry Bruckheimer to establish a new game development studio to produce a new gaming IP. He also conceived and closed a deal with NBC Sports to establish a joint venture in action sports for MTV and the Dew Tour.

Yapp developed and completed a joint venture with Vice Magazine to develop the highly successful Vice Media, which is now one of the hottest media networks in the world.  Shane Smith Founder and CEO of Vice media has said

“Jeff Yapp is a true visionary, and I mean that literally.  That word gets bandied about a lot these days but I have firsthand proof it’s called Vice”

 Jeff’s team also received an Emmy for its achievements in the 3-D avatar-based virtual worlds, with the launch of Virtual Laguna Beach and Virtual Hills.

Yapp served as president of the Retail group for Cablevision Systems Corporation, a $4.3 billion dollar communications company. Yapp was responsible for a complete reengineering of the retail concept for the company’s consumer electronics chain.

Yapp was President and Chief Operating Officer of the Hollywood Entertainment Corporation, where he expanded the number of stores from 750 to more than 1,800 with over 25,000 employees, and doubled sales revenues from $570 million to over $1.3 billion. While there, he negotiated pioneering revenue-sharing partnerships with all major movie studios that revolutionized the video business.

At 20th Century Fox, Jeff joined as President of the International Home Entertainment business. In less than three years, he grew that division from just over $250 million to over $600 million in revenue, and was then promoted to Worldwide President of Distribution. While at Fox, Yapp also worked with Lucas Film on the reintroduction of the Star Wars franchise, which became one of the most successful campaigns in the history of home entertainment. He also established The X-Files as one of the most popular TV programs on video in its time, with over 5 million units sold.

As Vice President, International Division for Ernes & Julio Gallo Winery, he established the international division, and grew it from a small export operation to encompass 45% of all U.S. wine exports. He introduced Gallo wines in over 50 countries, leading the brand to become the number one imported wine in the UK and Canada in less than two years. During his tenure, he received a Cannes Film Festival Honorable Mention and Gold Mobius for creative excellence.

Yapp’s professional career began at General Foods Corporation directly out of graduate school. He quickly moved up the ranks to the role of Product Group Manager of the Beverage Division, where he devised a marketing strategy that was unprecedented at the time, involving Countrytime Lemonade, then a languishing brand, and NASCAR. It resulted in Countrytime being the fastest growing brand in the division.

Jeffrey Yapp graduated with distinction from the University of Michigan with a bachelors’ degree in Business Administration, and with honors from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University with a Master of Management degree.

Jeff’s greatest source of pride is his wife Tamara and their 7 children: Marlo, Kristine, Molly, Ryan, Kelli, CJ, and Nolen.  His children attended Oregon State, Michigan, University of Arizona and Ball State University.  

Jim Brown

Director/Producer: Jim Brown

This four-time Emmy Award-winning producer/director/writer/cinematographer is responsible for some of the most popular and critically acclaimed musical documentary programs of the last four decades.

Jim Brown produced and directed the Emmy award-winning feature documentary Pete Seeger: The Power of Song (Concert Productions International, The Weinstein Company and PBS American Masters) which garnered several 4-star reviews and was included on Roger Ebert’s list of best documentaries, won a Christopher Award, and a Gold Plaque for History/Biography Documentary from the Hugo Television Awards, and was nominated for Best Documentary Film of the Year by the Producers Guild of America. Brown also produced and served as cinematographer on Harry Belafonte’s Sing Your Song, of the legendary singer/actor and activist that aired on HBO.

He produced and directed 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary (one of the most popular music documentary on PBS in 2015) as well as Peter, Paul and Mary, Carry it On: A Musical Legacy, a record-breaking fundraising special for PBS and a DVD release by Warner Brothers; The Three Pickers for PBS’s Great Performances series and a CD /DVD release by Rounder Records nominated for two Grammy Awards; American Roots Music, a four-part series that aired on PBS in 2001 (nominated for two Emmy Awards; First Place Music Documentary, U.S. International Film and Video Festival; Best Historical Recording, Association for Independent Music; Gold-selling home video/DVD); and An Evening with Harry Belafonte. He is also responsible for producing the installation films for the Grammy Museum at LA Live. Other music specials produced/directed by Brown include: In the Spotlight with Mary Chapin Carpenter; Child of Mine: Songs To Our Children, Cable Ace Award Winner for Best Music Special; the Emmy Award-winning We Shall Overcome; Songs of the Civil War, co-produced with Ken Burns; A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly starring Bruce Springsteen, U2, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, and others (televised in over 20 countries and by Showtime, Disney, and PBS), cited by TV Guide as the best music special of the year; The Weavers: Wasn’t That a Time! (Emmy Award and numerous international awards) released theatrically by United Artists, televised on PBS and in 16 countries, and Musical Passage, Blue Ribbon, American film festival and was broadcast on PBS and ABC. Brown also produced/directed In the Hank Williams Tradition in collaboration with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and as director of photography worked with Alan Lomax on the American Patchwork series.

Recently Brown has produced and directed, Free to Rock, Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Concert with Arlo Guthrie (PBS), 50 Years with Peter, Paul and Mary, (PBS) Billy Joel: A Matter of Trust-The Bridge To Russia - A Documentary Film (Showtime) and restored Billy Joel’s 1987 concert, Billy Joel: A Matter Of Trust-The Bridge To Russia-The Concert (PBS) both for SONY Music Entertainment; Woody Guthrie at 100! Live at the Kennedy Center (PBS) for Woody Guthrie Publications and The GRAMMY Museum, and Sony Music Entertainment, Don McLean: American Troubadour (PBS and Sky Television) and Time Life Records, "The Folk Years,” an infomercial for Time Life, Legends of Folk: The Village Scene (PBS and Time Life), Concert for Newtown (WNET and other PBS stations) and Operation Respect; A Fiddler’s Holiday (PBS) and Rounder Records. Most recently, Brown produced and directed, FREE TO ROCK, (NEH and NEA) a film that examines and explores the power of cultural diplomacy and the role rock and roll played in bringing an end to the Cold War which premiered Nov 18, 2015 at Congress to help mark the 50th Anniversary of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Brown has also worked with notable luminaries such as Presidents Clinton; Bush, Sr.; Ford and Carter; Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu, President Hugo Chavez, and General Colin Powell. He’s worked with actors including Kiefer Sutherland, Danny Glover, Bill Cosby, Rosie O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, John Travolta, Oprah Winfrey, and Richard Dreyfus.

Greg Newton

General Counsel: Gregory C. Newton

Gregory C. Newton received bachelor degrees in mathematics and accounting from Brigham Young University. He graduated cum laude from BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1982 and was a member of the BYU Law Review. Mr. Newton is a member of the Oregon and California bars.

Mr. Newton has a general corporate practice, which emphasizes complex general corporate work, federal and state securities work, corporate finance, municipal finance and entertainment law.

Mr. Newton has structured, organized and advised numerous corporations, limited partnerships, limited liability companies and other legal entitles, both for-profit and non-profit, with respect to transactions including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, distribution agreements, exchange offers, recapitalizations and reorganizations, as well as buy-sell agreements and other shareholder agreements.

Mr. Newton's securities work has included a variety of both public and private securities matters, including public offerings of corporate securities and public company SEC reporting work.

Mr. Newton has significant experience with respect to private real estate syndications and venture capital financing. He has also represented developers and underwriters in a number of public and private tax-exempt municipal bond transactions which financed real estate developments, port facilities and public infrastructures.

Mr. Newton is a past President of the Portland Chapter of the BYU Management Society. He previously served several years on the City of Tigard Planning Commission and the City of Tigard Economic Development Commission. Mr. Newton speaks fluent German.