magic city
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According to reports, a documentary series chronicling the history and impact of an iconic strip club in Atlanta, Georgia, has been acquired by the Starz network. Magic City: An American Fantasy, will be aired on Starz this summer, after making its debut at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas, last spring to rave reviews. The series consists of five episodes detailing what’s been referred to as the “Black Studio 54” and the impact it’s had on Hip-Hop culture, stemming from the story of its enigmatic owner, Michael “Mr. Magic” Barney. It’s been referenced in numerous songs, with a clientele that boasts names such as Shaquille O’Neal and Too Short among them.
“From politicians, to artists, to drug kingpins, Magic City has been a home for a broad cross-section of Black Atlanta for decades,” creator Cole Brown said in the press release. “Everyone should know the unbelievable story of this institution and the man who founded it, and Starz is the perfect partner to bring it to the world. We’re thrilled.” The team of executive producers behind Magic City: An American Fantasy includes legendary producer and Atlanta native Jermaine Dupri, DreamCrew Entertainment, which was created by Drake, and the majority owner of the Atlanta Hawks Jami Gertz. Charles Todd serves as director.
Other executive producers include Devin Amar and Alex Kaplan along with showrunner Bayan Joonam. In addition. the Scheme Engine, a BIPOC-founded studio with a focus on the representation of women and marginalized people in media, is also producing along with Ashley Brooke and Marlowe Blue. There is no date yet set for the series premiere. Its addition to Starz ties in with two of the network’s most popular series – B.M.F., which chronicles the story of the Black Mafia Family which has ties to Atlanta (with real-life members frequenting the club), and Katori Hall’s P-Valley, which revolves around the lives of African American female exotic dancers at a club called The Pynk.
“Magic City: An American Fantasy is a riveting behind-the-curtain look at one of the most unique places in Black culture,” said Kathryn Busby, President of Original Programming at Starz in the press release. “The docuseries’ unprecedented insider access and history unveiled from those who built its empire is a perfect complement to Starz’s slate of adult, culture-driving shows.”
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Source: Prince Williams / Getty
A new documentary series taking viewers inside the notable Magic City gentlemen’s club produced by Drake and Jermaine Dupri debuted at SXSW to rave reviews.
If you mention Magic City to anyone in and out of Atlanta, Georgia, you’re bound to get an approving response. The well-known strip club is the focus of a new documentary series, Magic City: An American Fantasy, which has Hip-Hop icon Jermaine Dupri and superstar Drake as producers. However, it is not currently attached to any distributor or platform. The series made its debut at the South By Southwest Festival Monday (March 11), with director Charles Todd and producer Cole Brown on hand to field questions from the audience along with fellow producer Jami Gertz after the first episode was screened at the Zach Theatre in Austin, Texas.
On the red carpet, Todd spoke of the influence that the strip club has. “Magic City is a purveyor of culture, and its an A&R – all the biggest hits that you hear on the radio, if it doesn’t break at Magic City, it doesn’t break, period.” Brown also spoke about the fine line everyone walked in bringing the series to the screen. “We wanted to walk a fine line with nudity, in particular — where you can’t make a documentary about a strip club and not have any nudity, it just isn’t true to form — and you’re trying to tell the true story,” he said. “At the same time, we didn’t want it to be salacious, gratuitous. We wanted to use it in such a way that you’re getting an image of what this place is. But if you go to Magic City, you see all the anatomy.”
That was underscored by Gigi McGuire, a former dancer at Magic City who appeared at the premiere and appears nude in the series. “I understood the vision of the artistic value of what they were trying to achieve, and I had no problem with agreeing to show these titties,” she told the audience, adding: “Strip is art, and the art is being celebrated, clearly.” In addition to Drake, the series also features appearances by Big Boi, Shaquille O’Neal, T.I., Killer Mike and Nelly.
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