Los Angeles, California, March 17, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NEWMEDIAWIRE -- HQ Global Education, Inc. (OTC: HQGE) announced today that Leah Daniels Butler has been named President of the Company. Mrs. Butler will also retain her current position as President of HQGE’s newly acquired subsidiary and operating company, 1oneninety5, LLC, which she co-founded along with her husband, Henry Butler.
Mrs. Butler is a seasoned Hollywood executive with nearly 30 years’ experience in the entertainment industry and is a well-known casting director and producer with a long record of success. She is best known for launching the careers of notable talented actors including Gabourey Sidibe, star of the Academy Award winning film "Precious", and for teaming with her brother, Lee Daniels, on such hits as the critically acclaimed film “The Butler”, and television's #1 show, "Empire" to list only a couple. A more complete bio on Mrs. Butler is included further on in this release.
HQGE CEO Daniel Gallardo Wagner stated, “We are excited to announce that Ms. Daniels-Butler has chosen to join our company as President of both HQGE and our subsidiary 1oneninety5 Productions. As the co-founder and President of 1oneninety5, Ms. Daniels-Butler brings the experience, the vision and the talent we need to help take this company to the next level.”
Mrs. Butler added, “I am pleased to accept this position with HQGE. I look forward to working closely with the management and staffs of both HQGE and 1oneninety5 on the many exciting projects we will be announcing in the coming weeks and months. We believe that the combination of resources this merger provides will allow us to make a much broader and more significant impact on the marketplace than either company could have created on its own.”
Leah Daniels Butler – TV & Film Bio
Leah began her career as a casting assistant in 1991 working for legendary casting director and mentor Jaki Brown and Kimberly Hardin. Under their leadership, she assisted in casting actor/recording star Tyrese Gibson in the Coca-Cola ad that launched his career, which now includes two blockbuster movie franchises, “Transformers" & "Fast & Furious.”
Climbing the casting ladder, Leah also assisted on films like "CB4" starring Chris Rock, "The Inkwell" with Larenz Tate and the cult classic "Friday" starring Ice Cube and Chris Tucker. Leah’s work ethic and reputation for "getting the job done" quickly spread among black filmmakers and the mainstream television space alike.
In 1994, Leah landed a coveted casting position as the assistant to Leslie Litt, Senior VP of Casting at Warner Brothers. Within two years Leah earned a promotion to casting executive and began working on award-winning projects like "Friends" starring Jennifer Anniston and "Suddenly Susan" starring Brooke Shields. Both shows earned Primetime Emmy Awards for acting roles. During her tenure at Warner Brothers, Leah also cast "The Wayans Brothers" and "For Your Love,” which received six NAACP Image Awards nominations.
In 2001, Leah left WBTV to start LDB Casting, the company she owns and operates today. As an independent casting director, Leah works across genres securing talent for films like "2 Fast 2 Furious,” "Shadow Boxer,” “ATL,” and "The Paperboy,” which showcased an all-star cast that included: Matthew McConaughey, Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron, John Cusack, Macy Grey and David Oyelowo. In 2013, Leah cast the award-winning film “The Butler” with another all-star line-up that included: Oprah Winfrey, Forrest Whitaker, Liev Shreiber, Robin Williams, James Marsden, John Cusack, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard and rising star YaYa DaCosta.
Among her many accolades, Leah is the recipient of the Hamilton Award for Outstanding Casting for her work on “The Butler,” and the Casting Society of America’s “Outstanding Achievement in Casting for a Television Drama” award for her work on “Empire.” The Casting Society of America recently appointed her to its board of directors, where she serves as the only African-American member of the board.
When she’s not busy helping to shape the many fictional characters international audiences have come to know and love, through her nonprofit the Help Give Care Foundation, Leah dedicates her time to impacting the futures of real women in her community who are in need of second chances. Leah also sits on the board of the A New Way to Life ReEntry Project, an organization that provides housing and support to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los Angeles.
The younger sister of Academy-Award-nominated director Lee Daniels, Leah is hard at work expanding the family’s real-life empire. Alongside her beloved husband and adult children, Leah’s hard at work on several new ventures including the formation of a television and film production company, “1oneninety5 Productions,” a nod to the year she was married.
Leah, a proud mother of five wonderful children, is married to former music executive and producer Henry Butler Jr. (25 years) and currently resides in the Southern California area.
ABOUT HQ GLOBAL EDUCATION and 1oneninety5, LLC
1oneninety5 Productions, a fully-owned subsidiary of HQ Global Education, Inc., is a full-service film and TV production company with more than twenty years’ experience working with films of all budgets and sizes. 1oneninety5’s talented team of producers brings a unique perspective to the film and television markets covering a wide arrange of projects, including those with a special focus on human relationships, diversity and overcoming the obstacles to effective communication and understanding. 1oneninety5 offers a wide array of resources, including a recently acquired large-scale production studio in Southern California, that allows the company to provide complete services and assistance at every phase of script development, from concept, writing and editing through casting, filming and the delivery of finished concept.
For additional information visit http://hqgeinc.com and/or http://1oneninety5.com.
Safe Harbor Statement: This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements and information, as defined within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and is subject to the Safe Harbor created by those sections. This material contains statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and as such are by definition; subject to risks and uncertainties.
Daniel Gallardo Wagner, CEO
9495875155
dani@hqgeinc.com