New York, N.Y.-The image of a skeleton dunking a flaming basketball in The Other Dream Team rallied the 1992 Lithuania Olympic Basketball Team to a bronze medal victory in the Barcelona Summer Olympics. The image played a key role for Lithuanian Olympic basketball Team in The Other Dream Team documentary film.
A lesser known part of The Other Dream Team film was the individual contribution of $450,000 to the team from the artist who independently created the basketball slam-dunking skeleton image.
The iconic "Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skullman" was actually created independently by N.Y. licensor and art director Greg Speirs, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3998173/ creator and owner of the image documented in the in the 2012 movie: "The Other Dream Team." http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606829/fullcredits#
This donation represented 100% of his profits which generated $450,000 for the team from the merchandising of his trademark skeleton design on sales of t-shirts. At that moment Speirs, the former 1970's Grooves Music Magazine Art Director, acquired the status as major funder of the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic Basketball Team.
Apart from the noble efforts of others who initially raised money and partially funded the team for its trip and expenses, the overall big money wasn't generated until Speirs' design was marketed and sold on t-shirts which raised around $450,000 for the team which he readily donated. The merchandise featuring the artist's trademark design generated a huge stream of continuing funds for the team and Lithuanian children's charities from that point.
"It's all about independence, and the freedom to pursue dreams without interference. The Lithuanians became independent after the Soviet breakaway and had the opportunity to flourish and pursue their dreams in freedom. In a similar parallel as an artist with freedom I created an image independently and chose to allow it be used to raise funds for the 1992 team. This image became part of history as a key component of the story and provided the team a spirit of focus to rally around. The 1992 Lithuanian Basketball Team really symbolizes a spirit of freedom to me, and winning the bronze medal was not only a victory in sports but also symbolized a triumph over communism itself. The feeling of pride and energy was channeled through the image. The lesson we and the Lithuanians understand is that we have the freedom to succeed or fail independently as individuals and benefit from the fruits of our labor and prosper in our free enterprise system without an oppressive hand being over us. You work together as a team, but at the same time have the freedom to excel as an individual within that team," said Greg Speirs.
"The way that Greg's connection and huge donation was virtually unreported for decades is worthy of a Paul Harvey style 'Rest of the Story' segment," says Mike Thompson, Skullman.com spokesman. "There were many facets to this story. This fact does not diminish the significance of the contributions and efforts of all of the others or take away from them the part that they played. Each had their part to play to make this inspiring story happen. By not leaving out this key fact about Greg only clarifies what actually happened and adds to the richness of what's being documented because the facts are then accurate and complete. You stay true to the nature of the profession of journalism. It's called a documentary because you are documenting the facts, otherwise you are editorializing and not reporting. Greg's charity wasn't a cliche like "give something back" or "raise awareness", his was a direct donation of real money to the team. When key facts that are thought to be an impediment by a reporter to their storyline are edited out it ceases to be a news report and would no longer be a documentary." added Mike.
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos are available free to editors and can be downloaded from the website for editorial use. Sample jerseys and interviews are available.
The Original 1992 Lithuanian T-shirts will most likely be seen worn by many fans at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
The Other Dream Team movie credits: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606829/fullcredits#
The Slam Dunking Skeleton and Lithuanian Tie Dye brand are 1992 copyright and registered trademarks of Greg Speirs. Skullman.com is home of the Original 1992 Lithuanian Tie Dye basketball jerseys. Original Lithuanian Tie Dye and the Lithuanian Slam Dunking Skeleton are trademark brands. Related links: http://www.gregspeirs.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/GregSpeirs The Original 1992 and new reissue 2012 Lithuanian Tie Dye T-shirts will most likely be seen worn by many fans at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.
The Other Dream Team artist imdb movie bio: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3998173