Actor Adam Nelson Rises to Semi-Finals on Competitive Reality Show 'The Reel Deal'

Online, March 26, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Actor Adam Nelson (www.adamnelson.me) advanced to the the semi-finals as one of only three New York City talents representing performing roles on "The Reel Deal," a competitive reality show by 21st Century Pictures Group. Teams of judges select the videos that make the biggest impact and create a great cast. Celebrity cast includes Dustin Diamond, Holly Fields, Judy Norton, Eric Roberts, Time Russ, Don "The Dragon" Wilson and Host, David Chokachi. The Reel Deal was created by award winning film/tv producer Adryenn Ashley, and produced by Ashley alongside industry favorite casting director and producer Bonnie Gillespie. Media Partners include IMDB, YouTube, Squerb, Twitter and Facebook. Watch his gutsy YouTube video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6ZNrCRDf9A

"The Reel Deal" is a multi-platform new media reality show where celebrity led teams make an Academy Award quality short film in just three days. Prospective contestants are able to audition through a number of aptitudes on teams including actor, director, composer or writer roles. Combining the celebrity attraction of 'Dancing With the Stars', the drama of 'Extreme Home Makeover', and the making dreams come true factor of 'American Idol', The Reel Deal pairs celebrities you know and love with unknown talented actors, directors, writers and composers, to create a brand new short film, from scratch, in just 3 days.

Concluding the first round, The Reel Deal has narrowed its talent down to the top 145 Semi-Finalists in the categories of Actor, Director, Writer and Composers who will compete head-to-head in timed auditions.

Step 2: Talent is invited to a virtual "call back". Timed auditions are 2 hours. For this show you have to be fast. Depending on what the talent is auditioning for, be it acting, directing, writing or composing, each group faces a different challenge. At intervals throughout the day The Reel Deal releases audition requirements and materials. It's up to the talent to post their call back audition within the set time limit. The reason this challenge is timed is so the show moves quickly, so while each may be amazingly talented, if they take too long in their process, it slows down the entire team.

Step 3: Of those who complete in the timed call back, the judges will select a variable number of Finalists. Those chosen will compete in the final online challenge before the cast is set for the season. After the final challenge, the cast will be announced and the contestants will be flown to Los Angeles to film the first season of The Reel Deal!

THE REEL DEAL + SQUERB

Hot on the heels of the success of Netflix original series', 21st Century Pictures Group is further innovating the way we consume binge-worthy entertainment, namely with the production of a new reality television show, The Reel Deal, which will distribute online, on demand, on mobile and through social media in an innovative interconnected multi-platform format. The Reel Deal has done something the reality show world has not been able to do - feature acting and other entertainment industry creative talent - by drawing from indie-filmmaking roots. Celebrity mentors will lead groups of aspiring actors, directors, screenwriters, and composers in a high-stress, high-stakes, one-week competition to produce the best short film and, subsequently, launch the careers of the featured talent.What's more is a groundbreaking partnership with Squerb, which gives users a simple way to express opinions and explore those of others in an easy to use and understand visual axis using an innovative grading system. Utilizing their revolutionary platform, The Reel Deal will collect user-generated feedback, in context, for each facet of the process - from writing, to cinematography, to acting, to score.More than just a simple thumbs up or a traditional phone-in tally, the contextual data collected by Squerb is poised to set a new industry standard in viewer engagement. In addition to the voting platform, each contestant, celeb, and location will be given greater depths of detail and levels with which to engage. Visit www.squerb.com

ADAM NELSON began his career with an actor's grant for gifted and talented children after an appearance on the Jerry Lewis annual Telethon. He relocated to Houston, Texas to attend the High School of Performing Arts on scholarship where he studied Theater. After attending the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he received his BFA (1991), he attended certificate programs through both Yale University (1989) and Oxford University at the British American Drama Academy (1990). He returned to Manhattan to become a founding member of Workhouse Theater Company whose original membership included Adrienne Shelly, Gil Bellows, Calista Flockhart, Mira Sorvino, Dean Winters, and Tom Seizmore. He gained recognition through appearances in feature films A Tiger's Tale (1988) with Ann Margaret, Lesser Prophets with John Turturro (1997), Dead Broke with Justin Theroux (1999), Home Sweet Hoboken with Ben Gazzara (2001) and Shooting Vegetarians with Elodie Bouchez (2005). Nelson was been associated with some of New York's most notable groups including Nak ed Angels, Cucaracha Theater Company, Manhattan Class Company, Circle Rep, Arden Party and the Adobe Theater Company. Called a "film star" by Toronto's Now Magazine for his role as the suicidal gambler in Sundance Channel's cult classic Dogs: The Rise & Fall of An All-Girl Bookie Joint (1996), he was granted exclusive rights in 1997 by the Lenny Bruce Estate, Bruce's mother Sally Marr, and producer Marvin Worth to produce and perform his one-person show How to Talk Dirty and Influence People: The Story of Lenny Bruce which ran at Workhouse before moving Off-Broadway to Mother located in New York's Meatpacking District (1999). The sold-out performances benefited the charity God's Love We Deliver and received critical acclaim from the Village Voice which praised his rendition as "restless, brilliant and hilarious" and TimeOut New York's chief theater critic, Sam Whitehead, branded him "an impresario, a notorious theatrical madman". After the tragedy of September 11th, he co-produced The 24 Hour Plays to aid The NY State WTC Relief Fund with a cast that included Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosie Perez, Benjamin Bratt, Billy Crudup, Mary-Louise Parker, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Kyra Sedgwick, Lili Taylor, Natasha Lyonne, Scarlett Johansson, Liev Schreiber, Jared Harris, Sam Rockwell, and Fisher Stevens. He married the stage manager of his show How to Talk Dirty, Alison Nelson in 2002. She is the founding owner of Chocolate Bar. They have two children a daughter, Lulu Scout and a son, Sailor. Visit www.adamnelson.me