Press Releases
For Immediate Release 10/21/24
Hollywood’s top award winning Film Company, MammothVision, headquartered in Burbank, in association with Cinema Vitesse Productions has the feature Film Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story in pre production as she makes history and restarts her professional racing career while launching her new memoir and foundation!
Dangerous Curves ™
Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story … the unbelievable and ultimate gender identity story, the unbelievable and ultimate against all odds life – action adventure stories period!
It seems as if Hollywood and the media keep doing the same clichéd stories about gender identity. It’s usually male – mostly married, or with a girlfriend struggling with his gender identity, working through his transition all while still looking traditionally manly and remaining in the relationship with their wife or girlfriend. The storylines pull the family into the struggle, it’s pretty much the same ole same ole. But there is the occasional gender identity storyline involving drug addiction, dealing drugs, and prostitution or in jail for some other crime, Hollywood really likes those storylines and yes, these stories can be compelling and shocking, but stereotypical. Even though all these stories deserve respect and compassion and we fervently respect all of them , they have been done over and over and do nothing to inspire audiences or move the gender identity issue forward in more positive ways, certainly not in any way that the average person in rural and middle America can relate to.
Then there is Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story … the ultimate and compelling gender identity story that is so far outside the box it’s hard to believe she’s actually a real live person, a story that’s so – not – the – same-old-same-old, a life that is in all reality, the most important and dramatic gender identity story in history, a life that transcends all gender stories going 200 miles per hour upside down and on fire and then some, and that’s just a fact. Her past international media exposure all done without a PR firm or a television network promoting her, proves that going away.
A life that transcends all demographics, there are no boxes here!
Terri O’Connell, a 5’6”, 120 pound Stevie Nicks look alike and former model, “shocked the world” with her compelling once in world history life story, revealing she had lived and raced as a male, had been born with a rare biological anomaly (Disorders of Sexual Development and had the physical anomaly corrected in 1994,( she is XX), and was born with both male but dominate female biology), winning National Championships and racing in NASCAR among other top racing series for the first 28 years of her life. Then, with untold courage, walked away from a seven figure sponsorship and had restarted her new life as herself in total anonymity back in the NASCAR community, (at first, humbling herself by selling handbags at Dillard’s department store, only a few months after corrective surgery and racing high powered race cars and signing autographs for fans) where she dated high powered executives had become business partners with a “US Congressman (who was indicted in the late 2000’s for bribery and then pardoned by Donald Trump) who stole the company and then had the Republican Party public relations team try to destroy her image” hit the press in 1998 and ran like wildfire around the world for over 10 years and only cooled when she took herself out of the media limelight amongst many death threats, losing income and opportunities, and getting grouped in to similar but not the same stories … to regain her anonymity she had until her story broke in the press in 98. She needed to focus on getting her professional racing career back on track as well as her life, to just have as normal a life as she could, to heal!
Since then, she has personally written her dynamic and inspirational memoir, “Dangerous Curves”, started a film and television Production Company with award winning producer George Johnsen and his cutting edge film company MammothVision based in Burbank alongside Let’s Talk Racing producer Roger Brehm. She also revived and rebranded her art and apparel company Amore Veloce ( Love Fast with all original designs by her) … and quietly restarted her racing career under the radar, refusing to do media interviews, just wanting to get back to world class form out of the glare of the press. She just recently launched her new 501(c) (3) nonprofit foundation, The Purple Helmet Initiative, to bring awareness to, and drive out bullying, assault and domestic violence. She and her team are currently in pre-production for a hard hitting documentary about Bullying in the Bible Belt due out next spring. In the early 2000’s, while in Los Angeles, she shared an apartment with fashion icon Bianca Jagger for a few months and palled around with the political satirist Mort Shal.
Now, today with virtual and total anonymity she is ready (except when people thinks she’s Stevie Nicks or Kelly Rielly from Yellowstone, which just happened this past week in Des Moines and last spring in New Orleans) so well chronicled in her memoir, to get back out in the media sphere and tell her amazing life story, to promote her art and apparel company and announce her professional racing comeback in ARCA and NASCAR … and reveal stories that will leave you shocked, mad and amazed that she actually survived the drama going on behind the scenes since her story first broke in the press.
Pivotal Events
Barely survived birth, born two months premature and deathly sick into her twenties …
She was horribly injured in a racing crash in the Houston AstroDome, but came back six months later to win the Nationals …
Became the ultimate scandal in her home town when her gender issues seeped out and had a high speed car chase with her father trying to run her off the road … during this period, she was in danger …
She was married to a local girl but only lasted one month when her wife was freaked out by how feminine Terri’s body was …
She won many races and National Championships in spite of the trauma and rumors and several sucide attempts …
She had a VIP in California find and read her diary and then shared the private information to everyone he could in racing causing Terri untold pain, embarrassment and hardships in the sport …
Every single step of her professional racing career was fought fighting off the rumors about her gender issues …
Her life story broke in the press in Charlotte, North Carolina, (not in Los Angeles or NYC with a team of PR agents and managers protecting her) ground zero for the bible belt and NASCAR. She went from a beloved, respected and appreciated VIP in NASCAR and Charlotte to persona non grotto in a blink. Shock Jocks used her up, friends abandoned her, she lost her business and death threats came … she weathered that abyss alone, no one from the diversity community, or civil rights groups came to her rescue. She fought like hell and eventually clawed her way back, without the help or respect from the diversity organizations.
Terri made history in professional motorsports (sports) in 2012 in one of the most difficult feats in its history, her commitment and sacrifices to get back behind the wheel is something virtually no one else would have endured.
90 Days – 1990 – Car 90 … Having gone to California, to try and fix her life, but estranged from her family, especially her dad, to finally get on with her life as a female, she ran into road bumps, she wasn’t making enough money to support herself at a local print shop, but to make more money, she had begun to race again, but as a male and with success. However, life found her when her SUV broke down twice and she was missing her family. After winning on Saturday night, she arose to realize it was Fathers day, so she went to have a late lunch at a local restaurant, however the family atmosphere got to her, and to avoid a panic attack she rushed outside to call her dad, but when he answered the phone, he hung up on her three times. Too much to bare, she fell to the ground and began to weep, uncontrollably. Beginning to cause a scene, she finally got up and rushed back to the race shop and her room. There she fought off suicide until the next morning, where she decided to somehow make it back home, to heal with her dad and get back to her NASCAR dream … a week later, she was home putting her life back together, and with an act of courage and resiliency, ninety days later in car ninety, in nineteen ninety she raced in the NASCAR Goodwrench 500.
Assault and Rape … Terri was assaulted and raped by a high-level Motorsports executive who worked in the NASCAR community as a banking finance expert, and was instrumental in taking one of the track conglomerate public. Terri was working with him to finance her apparel company. He not only assaulted and raped her, he (unbeknownst to her) was bragging to his NASCAR and Speedway Motorsports cronies that she was his mistress and he was having sex with her in his office at Charlotte Speedway. Terri only found out what he was doing behind her back several years later when a journalist found out and told her!
Blacklisting by NASCAR … Their main guy called and threatened reporters and journalist (On the record) careers if they supported her when her story first hit the press. Ironically, Terri had socialized with him over the past several years among most of the NASCAR VIP elite; he, or they had no clue about her past life.
Sexism, Ageism, Gender Idenityism …since finally fixing her life and finally being who she was supposed to be, and then revealing to the world her past life, she had to deal with all the isms … Sexism, Ageism, Gender Idenityism, and it continues today. She’s also endured death threats and salacious scandals in her hometown, including a 100 miles per hour car chase through the streets running for her life. She has lost jobs once her employer found out about her past life, even though she was their star employee and the best looking woman in the house.
Survivor … She’s Broken half the bones in her body over the years pursuing her racing career that includes her neck twice, her ankle, both feet, both hands, her right arm and hip and left shoulder … and, showing how determined and tough she was, she raced with many of those broken bones, and came back after a big crash in Texas, months in the hospital, months recuperating at home, then built a new race car while on crutches, that she won the Nationals in only a few weeks after completing while still on crutches and in extreme pain!
A year later, she had become the hometown scandal when her gender identity issue and salacious rumors ran rampart throughout the small community and she was on the verge of suicide and with the guidance of her guardian angels, her dad rushed in to save her from unaliving herself by a single second. Three days later, with untold courage and determination, she set fast time and won the Nationals again. It’s impossible to measure the courage this took, it’s historic.
Quotes … “Her memoir and life story is the best thing to come across my desk” George Johnsen, CEO MammothVision … “Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story is a Great American Story and the new benchmark for Southern Memoirs over Dolly Parton and Paula Deen”, Patricia Nell Warren – NYT’S Bestselling Author … “If you can stand the truth and like racing or not, read this book, it’s a riveting and historic page turner”, Lucian K. Truscott IV – NYT’S Best Selling Author, Journalist and Great-Great- Great Grandson of Thomas Jefferson … “I thought Jeff Gordon was the best race driver I had ever seen until I saw Terri O‘Connell drive, now she is the best race driver I’ve ever seen, and, a world class engineer and car builder, and you can quote me on that”, John Kelly, Mississippi native
Why she went public … she had two gay guys she was renting from and confided in about her past, outed her to people in NASCAR she was doing business with, and because the city council in Charlotte were hell bent on going after the LGBTIQ+ community and it pissed her off. She had actually been at VIP events with several of the council members including the Mayor, and they all thought she was beautiful and smart, and none knew of her past life.
Why returning to the media now … even though the danger is more relevant than ever because of the hateful rhetoric spewed by Donald Trump and the MAGA evangelicals, she believes it’s her responsibility to dispel the rumors and rhetoric surrounding the gender issues, it’s not a one size fits all box. In fact, hard core Trump republicans work on her race team, her team owner is a Trumper and all love and respect her, and work their butts off to help her on and away from the race tracks. As one team owner said when he first met her, after being hesitant, “I don’t know what I was so afraid of, she is a small beautiful natural woman, she could have been my daughter”.
Making a movie about her life … Action adventure, compelling – shocking – inspiring family dynamics, social and political intrigue, dangerous and exciting racing action, historic one of a kind life story that goes far beyond Rocky, Rudy and Days of Thunder … and real life living experiences that will leave audiences in shock, inspired and wanting for Terri to survive and succeed. George Johnsen, CEO at award winning MammothVision (who has filmed and recorded extensively in Las Vegas) whose clients list boast the who’s who in Hollywood boldly states, “Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell story is the best thing to come across my desk in years if ever, it has everything for a riveting film including a broad and diverse fan base. She has turned down several lucrative offers for the film rights and we’re lucky and privileged she believed in us enough to partner with us and move forward. We’ve been working on getting this to the big screen for over five years and been in an accelerated effort since early 2021 and finally, we’re in pre-production with the script 90% finished that Terri has been actively involved with, a solid distribution stream, a broad range of actors committed with a couple coming from Oscar winning films, and we’re finalizing our investment partners. By the way, O’Connell will be doing most of the racing scenes for the actress that portrays her in the film, including the stunts. We can’t wait to get this dynamic film to the big screen both domestically and internationally, it’s important to our society and to get the story right, to be authentic and not watered down, it’s a shocking barn burner”.
It’s virtually inconceivable to understand she’s actually the real live person in this incredible story …“When you meet Terri O’Connell, and you’ve read her book, and you’re aware of the information here in this press release, you shake your head in total disbelief that the person standing in front of you could possibly be the person in this story, it’s inconceivable. However it’s all true, that this sexy, beautiful and personable woman is just that, an extraordinarily courageous, determined and over achieving history making survivor unlike anyone to come down the pike in history. She’s one of the most diversely talented people, she can virtually do anything she puts her mind to, and I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. She has an infectious and inclusive personality that puts everyone at ease. She also has a deadpan poker face that makes you wonder what she’s thinking at times, she can keep you guessing. She’s the embodiment of the True American Spirit of working hard, going for and sacrificing for her dreams with integrity and true grit, and never giving up. As NYT’S Best Selling Author, Patricia Nell Warren clearly and expertly states, “O’Connell is a Great American Story”. – George Johnsen
Once in a generation or two or three … Dangerous Curves, and Terri ‘Connell is a once in a generation, maybe in several generations real – life – beating – the – odds- story, she is the most unlikely to have lived the life she has, to be in the sport she’s in, to have survived the trials and tribulations and accomplish her amazing feats. But she is real, the Dangerous Curves story, her story, is real and she truly is a real life Rocky, Rudy and Days of Thunder all in one person. That’s why the commitment in making the very best film possible surrounding her dynamic and inspiring life is at the forefront for the MammothVision and Cinema Vitesse team.
For more details, to set up interviews, receive a full press kit including press copies of her memoir Dangerous Curves Edition II, and attain statements from MammothVisions George Johnsen and Terri O’Connell, contact us via email and by phone @ 818.295.2888 with headquarters in Burbank, California.
Quotes
“If you can stand the truth, and one hell of a life story that leaves you on the edge of your seat, read Terri O’Connel’s memoir Dangerous Curves, and get ready for one hell of a movie based on her life, It’s a cinematic natural”
— Lucian Truscott IV, NYT’S best Selling Author, Screenwriter, Award Winning Journalist (Heir to Founding Father and President Thomas Jefferson)
This is the best thing to come across my desk in my thirty year film career, it’s a must make project and going to be huge domestic and international money maker with her riveting once in world history life story, she truly is the real life female “Rocky”, “Rudy” and “Days of Thunder” all in one person”
— George Johnsem, CEO MammothVision Studios, Producer, Director, Inventor, Writer, Oscar – Emmy – Grammy Winner
“Everyone that has read your book at NEWSWEEK is transfixed, we all will be shocked if you don’t get a billion dollar movie deal”
— Loraine Ali, Award Winning Writer and Journalist
“Dangerous Curves, The Terri O’Connell Story is the new benchmark for southern memoirs over Dolly Parton and Paula Deen, it’s a historic Great American Story, a natural for the silver screen”
— Patricia Nell Warren, NYT’s Best Selling Author and Award Winning Journalist
“Terri’s life story is a cinematic natural, it has it all to grab the attention and emotions of the audience. Is it an action adventure, is it about extreme family and social dynamics, it is about courage and resilience in the midst of insurmountable odds … is it about facing one’s fears head, is it a first in world history life story unlike any in world history, is it Rocky on steroids … a resounding YES!
— Gil Toff, Award Winning Documentarian, Life Coach, Mental Health Lecturer
George Johnsen – MammothVision 818.295.2888
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