MARILYN STONEHOUSE

PRODUCER

TWICE IN A LIFETIME

Despite her 45 years in film and television production, Marilyn Stonehouse still manages to get enthusiastic about every new project.

“With every MOW or television series I feel I’m starting all over,” she says. That’s because every project has its own particular quirks and challenges and a new set of people to work with.

Ironically, “starting over” is the theme of Ms. Stonehouse’s latest project, the 22-episode television series Twice in a Lifetime for CTV in Canada, PAX TV in the U.S. and Columbia Tri-Star internationally.

In each episode of the series, someone dies suddenly – but not irrevocably. Waiting for him on the other side are two celestial figures; a guide and a judge, who give the person the chance to return to earth and into the past to correct a character flaw or error in judgment.

“Twice in a Lifetime is watched by all ages. It tempts viewers to vicariously consider choice they have made or will make, and their long-term effects. That’s why it’s so popular,” says Ms. Stonehouse. “There’s no gratuitous violence and no one fails. Everyone gets a second chance.”

Ms. Stonehouse is a tireless producer who can handle three shoots at the same time. She is also at the helm of the Pax TV movie Doc, starring Billy Ray Cyrus as a cowboy doctor from the mid-west tackling emergency medicine in Manhattan. Ms. Stonehouse is finishing up a third production, the feature Jason X, which is a Friday the 13^th sequel.

Working at Robert Lawrence Productions in the 1950’s and 1960’s (the Toronto subsidiary of the New York production company), Ms. Stonehouse was trained in all areas of production from script supervising to lab and postproduction.

In 1970 she set off to freelance as production manager. She worked on numerous productions among them Nobel House, the miniseries for NBC, Maximum Overdrive and Collision Course for DeLaurentiis, Naked Lunch, M Butterfly and Little Panda.

In 1995, Ms. Stonehouse teamed up with accountant Edie Hall to set up Pebblehut Productions in Toronto. Soon producer Susan Murdoch joined them. Since then, Pebblehut has produced more than 50 television movies and miniseries, mainly for U.S. network distribution.

In 1998, Pebblehut merged with Muse Entertainment Enterprises of Montreal.

“The hours are long and the days are hectic,” says Ms. Stonehouse. “But the business is very people oriented and I like that. We become a big family.”

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For more information please contact:

Betty Palik

Director Communications

Muse Entertainment Enterprises

T; 514-866-6873

F: 514-876-3987

e-mail: bpalik@muse.ca

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