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Entertainment

'Inmates Got Talent' gives prisoners new lease on life

by theGrio | June 1, 2010 at 10:03 AM
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It’s called “The Redemption Project: Inmates Got Talent,” and it’s a new documentary focused on convicted felons who are attempting to turn their lives around by showcasing their musical and comedic talents.

Created by two comedians, Johnny Collins and Joel Jerome, the name is an obvious play on the hit TV show, “America’s Got Talent”.

Collins and Jerome originally had the idea to perform inside Putnamville Correctional facility in Indiana but decided to put a spin on that by inviting the inmates to put on a show.

As Collins puts it, “they’re not going anywhere anyway.”

The idea of the project is to help convicts turn over a new leaf and establish themselves as productive members of society and for ex-inmate, “Big Mike” Mitchell, the program has already proven successful.

“Big Mike”, a career criminal for more than ten years, is now a committed husband and father who views performing as his new lease on life.

Collins and Jerome are still shopping for a distributor for “Inmates Got Talent”, which runs just under two hours.

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Filed in: Entertainment, News, Top Stories, Video | Related Topics: Americas Got Talent, Comedy, Documentary Film, Inmates Got Talent, Joel Jerome, Johnny Collins, Los Angeles, Prison, Redemption
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