Seattle Hip-Hop Documentary "The Otherside"

Broadcast Premiere is October 12 on KCTS 9

Seattle – WEBWIRE – Monday, October 12, 2015

(Image courtesy of MAD Northwest Productions.)

The Pacific Northwest is known as the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and grunge rock, but the region has always had a vibrant music scene—one that keeps reinventing itself as exciting new artists bring new musical perspectives to the city. KCTS 9 is excited to announce the broadcast premiere of the local hip-hop documentary The Otherside on Monday, October 12, at 9:00 pm. The documentary—produced by Olympic short track speed skater J.R. Celski and filmmakers Daniel Torok, Terrence Santos and Vinny Dom—features concert footage and personal interviews with some of the biggest names in the hip-hop community, including early game changers like Sir Mix-A-Lot and DJ Nasty Nes, as well as those currently taking the world by storm like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

In 2010, after recovering from a serious injury and winning two bronze medals at the Vancouver Winter Games, J.R. Celski took a much-needed break from training and began following many of the acts in Seattle’s emerging hip-hop scene, finding inspiration in the messages of Macklemore and other Seattle rappers. Celski and his friends began to document the rappers on video, eventually founding film production company MAD Northwest.

“During the Olympics in 2010, I had connected with a couple artists through social media including the Blue Scholars, Macklemore and Grynch and was thinking about putting on a benefit concert for the Seattle Children’s Hospital after the Olympics were finished,” said Celski. “Due to timing issues, it didn’t work out, but I felt like I wanted to do my part in getting these artists noticed outside of the local scene.”

The Otherside, MAD Northwest’s first production, is a one-hour documentary spotlighting interviews, concerts, and backstage footage taken from all over the country over a three-year span. It features pre-stardom Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Sir Mix-a-lot, Blue Scholars, and a diverse mix of up and coming northwest talent. The Otherside premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival in May 2013 and was an audience favorite—selling out two consecutive screenings and chosen for Best of SIFF by festival programmers.

“I hope that when people see this film, it inspires them to search out the artists involved and also seek out new artists that may have popped up since then.The amount of talented musicians we have in Seattle should not be overlooked,” said Celski.

The Otherside premieres October 12 at 9:00 pm with an encore on October 17 at 10:00 pm on KCTS 9 and KCTS 9 Yakima.

To learn more about The Otherside, including an interview with filmmakers J.R. Celski and Vinny Dom, visit KCTS9.org.

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