"Natural stone has played an instrumental role in the advancement of civilization over thousands of years," said Shah. "In developing this documentary, we look forward to working with the MIA to further expose both the historical significance of natural stone and the continued impact the natural stone industry has on all of our lives."

Bill Levy Productions, Inc. of Beachwood, OH, which has produced MIA video programs for almost a decade, will work with the MIA-MSI team to create the program. The documentary will premier at StonExpo in Las Vegas, which will be held in January 2013.

"We are thrilled with the opportunity to work with Manu Shah and the rest of the MSI team on this historic project," said Gary Distelhorst, Executive Director of MIA. "Our goal is to create a video documentary that is entertaining, educational and compelling. In his outline proposing the production, Mr. Shah has done a remarkable job of laying the groundwork for visualizing the story."

To develop the program, sound bites from a wide range of experts will be blended with images to create a visual montage showing how stone emerged from being a necessary part of prehistoric man's tools of life, to his major source of shelter.

Finally, the production will describe how natural stone captured the imagination of the design community in the 1990s, creating a world-wide boom for stone usage in kitchens, baths and other parts of the home -- an explosion that has created a worldwide industry employing millions of people and one of the few industries supporting rural regions of the world.

Production will begin with a series of video interviews this month at Coverings in Orlando, FL.