MTV Documents the Struggle of Substance Abuse in 'Gone Too Far'

MTV Documents the Struggle of Substance Abuse in 'Gone Too Far'

RECOVERING ADDICT DJ AM OFFERS YOUNG ADDICTS A CHANCE AT TREATMENT One-Hour Series Hosted and Developed by Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein Premieres Monday, October 5 at 10pm ET/PT for Eight Episode Season

PASADENA, Calif., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- In the grip of addiction, where do you draw the line between a person who can be rehabilitated and one who is beyond help? "Gone Too Far" - an MTV one-hour series developed and hosted by Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein, produced by Ish Entertainment and Gigantic! Productions - explores this question. Premiering Monday, October 5 at 10pm ET/PT, the eight-episode series will document young adults between the ages of 18-25 as they struggle with substance abuse and the devastating addictions that threaten to destroy them and the people who love them most.

One of the most sought-after DJs in the world, DJ AM is uniquely qualified to help young addicts as he too has suffered from multiple addictions, weight problems and depression. DJ AM is mostly known for spinning at Hollywood events and clubs around the world, as well as for his miraculous survival after a deadly plane crash in 2008. However, he is also a long-time recovering drug addict who privately battled an addiction to crack cocaine for six years. DJ AM now seeks to help other young addicts get off their deadly paths and onto the road to recovery.

The intense and eye-opening series features real addicts in crisis whose families are desperate to get them the help they need. Each episode will feature DJ AM meeting with the addicts, friends and families to explore their willingness to change. Through interviews and self-shot video from the addicts and families, the severity of the addiction and its crushing impact is exposed. In unexpected twists, DJ AM often uncovers and reveals new information that even those closest to the addicts are unaware.

Finally, in an intervention led by a certified addiction specialist, DJ AM brings everyone together to offer the addict the once-in-a-lifetime chance for a drug-free life. If they decide to accept his help, they are immediately escorted to some of the best rehab facilities in the country. Along the road to recovery, DJ AM makes time to see how their rehabilitation is progressing, providing a raw and honest look at their new sobriety. No addict's story is the same and every path to becoming sober is different. Only time will tell if they ever come back from having gone too far.

"Substance abuse is an issue that our audience consistently struggles with and through his own battle with addiction, DJ AM knows first-hand the innate chaos drug dependency can inflict on addicts and their loved ones," said Tony DiSanto, President of Programming for MTV. "He's an inspiration and amazing proof that it's never too late to reverse the devastation. That type of positivity is something inherent to our viewers today and we're not just documenting the journey to recovery, but also trying to change the lives of those we follow."

"I struggled for years as a drug addict and was fortunate to get help when I asked for it. I have managed to live a clean and sober life, something that takes work and something that I pride myself on. 'Gone Too Far' is my platform to help people, like I was helped - by giving back in a way," said Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein. "The MTV audience was the perfect place for me to do this, as they are in the homes of so many who struggle and who may not know how to find the help they need. As much as I pray that each of the people that I've helped in each episode stay sober and get clean, I wanted the MTV audience to know that addiction is not something to take lightly. We wanted to show how real it gets and what can happen if you don't get help."

Viewers seeking additional information and resources on substance abuse and addiction issues can log on to SubstanceAbuse.MTV.com.

Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein is one of the world's biggest DJs. His name is synonymous with what's happening in both music and pop culture in Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas & Miami as today's most in demand DJ as well as a fixture in the night life scene. In April 2009, DJ AM took up residency at RAIN in Las Vegas on Friday nights. His schedule has him traveling the world over to play special engagements in clubs, private parties and corporate events. Most recently, DJ AM has partnered with Travis Barker (Blink 182) to perform a live DJing/drumming set, something that has never been done before. For years, he has been in demand by everyone in the music business and his work has appeared on albums for Madonna and Will Smith, just to name a few. Additionally, the film industry seeks him out as well and DJ AM's will star as himself in "Iron Man 2." Please visit www.djam.com for more info.

"Gone Too Far" is executive produced by Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper for Ish Entertainment ("T.I.'s Road To Redemption"), Cheryl Horner Sirulnick for Gigantic! Productions ("True Life: I'm Addicted to Crystal Meth" and "True Life: I'm Going to Rehab") and Paul Rosenberg. Lawrence Vavra serves as Co-Executive Producer. Tony DiSanto, Liz Gateley, Brent Haynes and Amy Emmerich are the executives overseeing the series for MTV.

About Ish Entertainment

Ish Entertainment was launched in April 2008 by former VH1 execs Michael Hirschorn and Stella Stolper. Ish, which has a first-look deal with MTV, VH1, CMT and Logo, operates as a joint venture with Lionsgate, which handles Ish's international distribution. The projects to come out of that deal so far are "Paris Hilton's My New BFF," which is now in its second season and has spawned two international spinoffs ("Paris Hilton's My British Best Friend" for ITV2 and "Paris Hilton's My New BFF Dubai"), "50 Cent: The Money And The Power," "T.I.'s Road To Redemption" all for MTV; and a Christmas special starring Larry the Cable Guy for CMT.

Also in production is a series for MTV starring DJ AM titled "Gone Too Far," premiering Monday, October 5th at 10pm and a series for VH1 titled "My Antonio" starring Antonio Sabato Jr., premiering August 16 at 10pm Ish Entertainment marries formats and talent focusing primarily but not exclusively on non-scripted programming, continuing a strategy that has helped VH1 launch an unprecedented string of hit shows with top talent. Ish Entertainment is based in Los Angeles and New York.

About MTV

MTV is the dynamic, vibrant experiment at the intersection of music, creativity and youth culture. For over 27 years, MTV has evolved, challenged the norm, and detonated boundaries -- giving each new generation a creative outlet and voice that entertains, informs and unites on every platform and screen. On-air, MTV is the number one rated full-day ad-supported cable network for P12-24. Online, MTV.com grew a healthy +9% from 1Q09, averaging 23.6M unique visitors for the second quarter of 2009. The site continues to grow video content streams, up significantly from 1Q09 by +15%, generating a whopping 262.2M streams in Q209, a +7% increase from the same time period last year. And MTV's successful sibling networks MTV2, mtvU and MTV Tr3s each deliver unprecedented customized content, super-serving music fans, college students and young American Latinos like no one else. MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE:VIA) (NYSE:VIA.B) , one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Wanna know more? Come on in. . . www.mtvpress.com.

About Gigantic! Productions

Gigantic! Productions was founded in 2001 by Cheryl Horner Sirulnick and is based out of TriBeCa, New York City. Since it's inception, Gigantic! has produced several award-winning documentaries and unscripted series documenting the full spectrum of addiction, compulsion and substance abuse. Gigantic!'s honest and uncompromising storytelling have garnered the production house numerous awards including a 2007 Prism Award for MTV's "True Life: I'm Addicted to Crystal Meth" and a 2008 Prism Award for the special "I Won't Love You to Death: The Story of Mario and His Mom" which focused on the true life story of hit R&B singer Mario and his mother's battle with heroin addiction. The company is currently nominated for a 2009 Daytime Emmy Award for their work on MTV's "True Life" series. Gigantic! established a successful development with MTV, which has produced a range of successful unscripted programming for the network including "Fat Camp," "Return to Fat Camp" and for the "True Life Series," the episodes "I'm A Compulsive Shopper," "I'm Deaf," "I'm Changing My Gender" and "I'm A Gambler" among others.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: MTV

CONTACT: MTV PRESS CONTACT: Noelle Llewellyn, MTV Communications,
+1-212-846-7166, Noelle.Llewellyn@mtvstaff.com; or DJ AM PRESS CONTACT: Jenni
Weinman, PLPR, +1-310-860-9770, jenniw@plpr.com

Web Site: http://www.mtv.com/

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Profile: International Entertainment