Warner Hosts 'Blade Runner' Fundraiser for DVD Producer's Recovery

The industry is pulling together for one of its own.

June 14 Warner Bros. will host a screening of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, followed by a Q&A with Ridley Scott and other cast and crew, to help raise money for Paul Prischman, an associate DVD producer recovering from surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Prischman, whose resume includes the Alien Quadrilogy, American Gangster, Blade Runner: Ultimate Collector’s Edition and Spider-Man 2, underwent surgery March 18 to remove a golf ball-sized tumor in his brain stem. His insurance isn’t covering all the bills, inspiring his friends to step up.

The effort, dubbed Paul’s Brain Trust, was started by Bill Hunt at TheDigitalBits.com, DVD producer Charlie de Lauzirika (Blade Runner: The Final Cut), and other friends of Prischman, and has gained steam, with studios, news organizations and public relations firms chipping in.

“We’ve been really gratified at the response,” Hunt said. “It’s a measure of the kind of guy Paul is.”

In addition to the back-lot Blade Runner screening, the group will offer up 10 premium passes for auction on eBay. The winners will get a tour of the back lot (where Blade Runner was filmed) hosted by someone from the film, and will receive a Blade Runner gift bag. The top bidder receives a special Blade Runner prize. Hunt said organizers will also begin auctioning other movie memorabilia on eBay.

Prischman, who worked at Dave’s Video: The Laser Place in Studio City, Calif. before getting into the DVD business, also did storyboard work with Guillermo del Toro for Hellboy in 2003. He is married with two daughters