The Man Behind Disney’s Million Dollar Arm

FROM THE STUDIO THAT BROUGHT YOU “MIRACLE”

AND “REMEMBER THE TITANS”

DISNEY’S MILLION DOLLAR ARM

Based on an Inspirational True Story

 
From the studio that brought you “Miracle” and “Remember the Titans,” comes the inspirational true story “Million Dollar Arm,” sliding home on Disney Blu-ray™, Digital HD, Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD and On-Demand today, Oct. 7, 2014. Set against the backdrop of America’s favorite pastime, this must-own baseball drama stars Jon Hamm (“Mad Men,” “The Town,” “Bridesmaids”) as a sports agent who sets out in search of the next great major league baseball pitcher and ends up discovering the true value of teamwork, commitment and what it means to be a family.

Cheered by audiences and critics alike, this “genuine crowd pleaser” (Pete Hammond, Movieline) delivers major league fun on Blu-ray and Digital HD with grand-slam high definition picture and sound that bring the excitement of the stadium experience right into viewers’ homes. The in-home release of “Million Dollar Arm” also steps up to bat with bases loaded with exciting bonus features, including an alternate ending, deleted scenes, outtakes, the making-of featurettes “Training Camp,” “Their Story,” “Million Dollar Music by A. R. Rahman,” and more!

The movie is filled with top notch actors that include  Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma (“Life of Pi”), Madhur Mittal (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Bill Paxton (“Big Love,” “Apollo 13”), Lake Bell (“Boston Legal,” “No Strings Attached”) and Alan Arkin (“Argo,” “Little Miss Sunshine”). It was directed by Craig Gillespie (“Fright Night,” “Lars and the Real Girl”), written by Thomas McCarthy (“Up,” “Win Win”) and produced by Mark Ciardi & Gordon Gray (“The Rookie,” “Invincible,” “Secretariat”) and Joe Roth (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Maleficent”).

The Man Behind the Man:

Million Dollar Arm is based on an inspiring true story.   As a 25+ year veteran of the packaged goods and sports marketing industries, Mr. Bernstein is widely respected for his creative problem solving and positive results. As the CMO of Seven Figures Management, a sports marketing and athlete representation firm, Bernstein created “The Million Dollar Arm”™ contest in India which yielded the first two Indian men to ever sign professional sports contracts in the U.S. The contest became an official MLB International program in 2011.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to Mr. Bernstein.  I asked him what it was like to see his story told on the big screen and he said it was very surreal.  He joked that he wasn’t famous enough to have his story be told and the whole experience has been amazing.  I was curious if he was involved in choosing the actor who played him (I told him Jon Hamm did it for me – yes, I actually said that) and he told me that no, once the script was delegated and sold to Disney, he let them run with it.  But when he heard that Jon Hamm was going to play him, he was thrilled.  Jon Hamm is one of our biggest stars and really so talented.  As Don Draper in Mad Men, he is so tormented and dreamy but when you see him in the comedy, Brides Maids, you realize what a talented actor he is – his range is quite vast! Not that I am a professional actor, but I have heard from those in the industry, comedy is one of the hardest to play well.

Mr. Bernstein says he didn’t really play sports when he was younger but he has always been a big sports fan. I asked him where the idea to came from to head to India for the next big pitcher.  He said his partners and himself thought that India would be a great place to look for a pitcher, because like China, a great athlete could come with over a billion fans.  He used the example of Yao Ming, the fabulous basketball player from China, that absolutely helped bring basketball to the folks in China.  While speaking with Mr. Bernstein, I was impressed with his knowledge of sports and as a successful business person.  He does a lot of speaking at business conferences and I am sure his expertise is sought after.  I could have spent hours picking his brain about the essence of being successful at business!

When asked if he could be any athlete in the world he said that he would like to be Barry Sanders, a Running Back for The Detroit Lions – a longtime client and friend of his.  He said it has more to do with his parenting and he learned from Barry what it meant to be a good parent and good person – on and off the field.  He recently had a daughter with Brenda Bernstein and he said that is the best thing that has come out of this life-changing experience.  To met a person and have a child with, both of whom have changed him profoundly.  It is so true.  Having a child changes you in ways you didn’t know were possible.  He said that he has so much respect for moms everywhere after seeing his wife Brenda give birth and be the mom she is.  I thought he sounded like a man in love with his family and awed by this wonderful experience that brought so much joy into his life.  In his words “she (his wife) is the true hero in all of this.”  I always love hearing when moms are appreciated and given the respect they deserve!  Thanks so much Mr. Bernstein for your time and for appreciating moms!

About J.B. Bernstein:

As the co-founder and president of the Access Group of Miami in 1993, his agency has represented some of the greatest athletes of all time including Barry Bonds, Barry Sanders and Emmitt Smith. Bernstein was responsible for creating groundbreaking programs like “Smith’s Run With History” ™ which is now the standard deal in NFL milestone marketing. He also orchestrated Barry Bonds’ departure from MLBPA group licensing, making him the first baseball player to successfully operate outside of their auspices. Bernstein’s services were retained by MLS from 1995-97 to act as their head of licensing and to create the league’s and the players’ entire merchandise program. He secured over 50 partners and reached levels of licensed goods sales in 1997 of nearly $50MM.

Bernstein got his start in sports during the formation of The Upper Deck Company. As the director of development for the memorabilia division, he developed over 250 products and is widely known as one of the godfathers of milestone marketing for his work on Wayne Gretzky’s 802^nd goal program and Dan Marino’s all time TD record. Bernstein started his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble and as an account executive at Grey Advertising.

Mr. Bernstein received his bachelor’s degree in political economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and then went on to achieve his MBA from The London School of Economics. Out of his personal interest, Mr. Bernstein has separately achieved a Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Southern California and is currently pursuing his 2nd Ph.D. in a related field.

Bernstein lives in Las Vegas with his wife and daughter.

Good News!  Enter to WIN a copy of this great movie below!
 

On Disney Blu-ray™, Digital HD,Disney Movies Anywhere, DVD & On-Demand Oct. 7, 2014!

 

Bonus Features Include:

 Alternate Ending, Deleted Scenes, Outtakes, Making-Of Featurettes, and More!
Bonus Materials Overview for These Products:

Blu-ray

Digital HD & SD, and Disney Movies Anywhere

        Includes:

• Making-of Featurettes:

o   Training Camp – Actors Suraj Sharma and Madhur Mittal faced the same daunting challenge that their characters Rinku and Dinesh did—learning how to pitch a baseball.

o   Their Story – The real JB Bernstein, Rinku and Dinesh explore the legacy of the Million Dollar Arm contest and its impact on the lives and aspirations of children in India…and their own lives as well.

o   Million Dollar Music by A.R. Rahman – The Oscar-winning composer (Best Original Score, “Slumdog Millionaire,” 2008) talks about creating music that encompasses two worlds—India and the U.S.

• Alternate Ending
• Deleted Scenes:

o   “JB’s Problem”

o   “Sold”

o   “I’d Take Ten Dollars”

• Outtakes
• And more!

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