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In 2006, Newby a Pennsylvania Pew Fellowship of the Arts finalist created the quirky, repertory theater, short film television series ‘Heavy Sedation.’ The series started on WYBE public television and within weeks the show became a Nielsen rated top ten hit on the station. Only 5 months later, the local success of the show brought about national distribution as ‘Heavy Sedation’ was acquired by the National Education Television Association. ‘Heavy Sedation’ became a national and internationally syndicated public television series that has aired on 48 stations across the United States, as well as in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Newby is also theater arts graduate from the Philadelphia high school for the Creative and Performing Arts, a published editorialist, and an award winning orator who has received many recognitions and honors throughout his career. In 1987 he won the citywide middle school division for the Black History Oratorical contest and was honored by Walter Cronkite on CBS prime time national television at the Constitution 200 year celebration with Supreme Court Justice Warren Burger.
Newby received the distinction of Spotlight filmmaker of the month by the Philadelphia Film office twice and was profiled in the national publication Videomaker magazine. Newby, who is also a previous board member for Philadelphia Public Access Television, (Phillycam) also, received honors as Entrepreneur of the month by Innovation Philadelphia.
Since 2011 Newby has taught filmmaking, audio visual communications, and multimedia arts.
In 2014 Out the House Motion Pictures became Out the House Media LLC.
Reviews
Cellar (2005)
Great Story Told Well
I saw this film at the Philadelphia film festival in 2004. The film had quite a buzz so I was expecting something at least half way decent. It was more than half way decent. It was great. The story of two guys trapped in a locked cellar with no idea how they got there and no way out, could have very easily become a 'Saw' knockoff. But, what makes this film unique is the intimate touches of the script, and the continuing development of the characters. The writer/director Ben Hickernell first wrote this story as a play several years ago, before turning it into his first feature film. Sitting on this material for so long has undoubtedly helped the film's refined texture. Month's after seeing the film I continued to recall it's strong imagery. For me Cellar is reminder that big budgets and great classic storytelling are definitely not one in the same.