Editor’S Note: The following blog originally ran in July 2023. We’re re-posting it here with minor edit, special thanks to blogger Kristopher Hewkin. Stay tuned to our events page for more information about the Sloan Salon’s 2024 edition.
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“The visions of yesterday have all caught up to us and we must start looking towards the next visions,” stated moderator and veteran TV writer and producer Wendy Calhoun emphasizing a recurring theme of the June 22 Sloan Salon panel “Storytelling and Tech: Crafting Human-Centered Stories About Technology.”
The online conversation delved into timely subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT, raising ethical questions about how we represent technology in stories and highlighting some optimistic views on where it could all be headed.
This dynamic discussion was made possible due to Film Independent’s exciting 15+ year partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that encourages filmmakers to create more realistic and...
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“The visions of yesterday have all caught up to us and we must start looking towards the next visions,” stated moderator and veteran TV writer and producer Wendy Calhoun emphasizing a recurring theme of the June 22 Sloan Salon panel “Storytelling and Tech: Crafting Human-Centered Stories About Technology.”
The online conversation delved into timely subjects such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and ChatGPT, raising ethical questions about how we represent technology in stories and highlighting some optimistic views on where it could all be headed.
This dynamic discussion was made possible due to Film Independent’s exciting 15+ year partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation that encourages filmmakers to create more realistic and...
- 3/22/2024
- by Kristopher Hewkin
- Film Independent News & More
Writing a feature film is easy. All you need is one gimmicky logline, as cheap and single-serving-disposable as a coffee pod from the complimentary hotel room K-Cup spinner. Once you stumble upon one of these so-called “high concept” ideas, the script practically writes, sells and produces itself. It’s creative work for stupid babies, as all filmmakers will surely agree–totally unlike, in other words, the act of conceptualizing an entire episodic series, a demonstration of storytelling virtuosity so complex and adult it straddles the border between ancient Euclidean geometry and New Age witchcraft.
Okay, so maybe that’s a little extreme. But for aspiring series creators and showrunners, structuring a workable, potentially long-running television concept requires imagination and problem-solving on both the micro- and macro- levels–a mastery of tone, plot and characterization across variable interlocking units of temporal storytelling: scenes, dramatic acts, full episodes, multi-episode arcs and complete seasons.
Okay, so maybe that’s a little extreme. But for aspiring series creators and showrunners, structuring a workable, potentially long-running television concept requires imagination and problem-solving on both the micro- and macro- levels–a mastery of tone, plot and characterization across variable interlocking units of temporal storytelling: scenes, dramatic acts, full episodes, multi-episode arcs and complete seasons.
- 2/15/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Exclusive: Film Independent has named the eight writers selected for the seventh edition of its Episodic Lab, designed to provide individualized story and career development for writers with original pilots for television. The participants and projects are Desdemona Chiang (Zhizha! (紙紮!)), Giovanni Maldonado Chinea & Myles Hawthorne (The Machetero), Robert Cohen & Ioana Uricaru (Overcast), Catherine Durickas (Beige Is Not Dead), Azza Malik and Robert ToTeras (Jourdain).
Cohen and Uricaru have been set to receive this year’s $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant, awarded to projects with science or technology themes and characters, to support the development of their pilot Overcast through the Lab. Dear Azza,‘s Malik, meanwhile, will receive a $10,000 grant from the Mpac Hollywood Bureau, an organization working to elevate stories by and about Muslims in entertainment.
This year’s two-week, in-person Lab will help to further the careers of Fellows by introducing them to industry veterans — including experienced showrunners,...
Cohen and Uricaru have been set to receive this year’s $20,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Grant, awarded to projects with science or technology themes and characters, to support the development of their pilot Overcast through the Lab. Dear Azza,‘s Malik, meanwhile, will receive a $10,000 grant from the Mpac Hollywood Bureau, an organization working to elevate stories by and about Muslims in entertainment.
This year’s two-week, in-person Lab will help to further the careers of Fellows by introducing them to industry veterans — including experienced showrunners,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Following a turbulent year marked by dueling industry strikes and the violent contraction–if not yet full pop–of the streaming bubble, 2024 has thus far been pretty good to Hollywood. It certainly helps that we’re in the middle of awards season, which for cineastes amounts to a three-month holiday largely characterized by voluminous binge-watching. And not just binge-watching of the year’s top films. For the curious, the season also offers up a smuggler’s bounty full of talking special post-screening Q&As, roundtables, filmmaker panels, celebratory cocktail receptions and more.
Traditionally Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up series has been a little bit of all of the above, presenting behind-the-scenes insight into the year’s most important works of cinema, straight from the mouths and brains of filmmakers themselves. As the virtual portion of this year’s programming winds down (see below), we’re looking ahead now to our...
Traditionally Film Independent’s Directors Close-Up series has been a little bit of all of the above, presenting behind-the-scenes insight into the year’s most important works of cinema, straight from the mouths and brains of filmmakers themselves. As the virtual portion of this year’s programming winds down (see below), we’re looking ahead now to our...
- 2/7/2024
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Exclusive: Film Independent has set 26 filmmakers from 15 nations to participate in the 2023 edition of their Global Media Makers LA Residency, which is being held in person this month.
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that connects American filmmakers and industry pros with filmmakers spread across the globe, Gmm sees Fellows participate in filmmaking tracks focused on screenwriting, directing, creative development and documentary filmmaking, where they develop their current projects alongside a team of U.S. mentors.
The program, presented by Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, further bolsters up-and-comers by providing access to master classes, industry sessions and field trips, as well as cultural engagement and networking opportunities.
This edition of Gmm is the eighth put on since 2016, and as always, the selection process was highly competitive, attracting a diverse pool of media makers, with the countries of Angola, Libya,...
A mentoring initiative and cultural exchange program that connects American filmmakers and industry pros with filmmakers spread across the globe, Gmm sees Fellows participate in filmmaking tracks focused on screenwriting, directing, creative development and documentary filmmaking, where they develop their current projects alongside a team of U.S. mentors.
The program, presented by Film Independent and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, further bolsters up-and-comers by providing access to master classes, industry sessions and field trips, as well as cultural engagement and networking opportunities.
This edition of Gmm is the eighth put on since 2016, and as always, the selection process was highly competitive, attracting a diverse pool of media makers, with the countries of Angola, Libya,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
More than 400 prominent female writers and showrunners sent a letter today to the heads of the major studios expressing their “grave concerns” about the companies’ “lack of specific production protocols” to protect their workers in anti-abortion states.
The letters, which state that “it is unacceptable to ask any person to choose between their human rights and their employment,” also demanded that the companies “pledge to discontinue all political donations to anti-abortion candidates and political action committees immediately.”
Deadline has obtained a copy of the letter to Netflix, which organizers say was sent to top executives at Amazon Studios, AMC Networks, Apple, Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, , and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The letters, whose signers include Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Amy Schumer, Marta Kauffman, Callie Khouri, WGA West vice president Michele Mulroney and WGA West secretary-treasurer Betsy Thomas, said that “this situation raises basic matters of equality, health, and safety in the workplace.
The letters, which state that “it is unacceptable to ask any person to choose between their human rights and their employment,” also demanded that the companies “pledge to discontinue all political donations to anti-abortion candidates and political action committees immediately.”
Deadline has obtained a copy of the letter to Netflix, which organizers say was sent to top executives at Amazon Studios, AMC Networks, Apple, Disney, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal, Netflix, Paramount Global, , and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The letters, whose signers include Ava DuVernay, Shonda Rhimes, Amy Schumer, Marta Kauffman, Callie Khouri, WGA West vice president Michele Mulroney and WGA West secretary-treasurer Betsy Thomas, said that “this situation raises basic matters of equality, health, and safety in the workplace.
- 7/28/2022
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Realm, the largest independent fiction podcast network, today announced its board of advisors as well as plans to adapt several of their audio projects for television.
The board, appointed as Realm celebrated its one-year anniversary in Spring 2022, includes change makers from the entertainment, technology, and media sectors whose counsel will guide the company into the future. They are Lauren Zalaznick, who has advised Gimlet and Ira Glass’ Serial Productions; Michael Smith, NPR’s Chief Marketing Officer; Russell Binder, President of IP accelerator Striker Entertainment; and Marci Wiseman, award-winning producer and former Co-President of Blumhouse TV.
The company also announced the expansion of Realm IP into the Film/TV marketplace, formalizing deals with creatives like Wendy Calhoun (Empire), who is developing a TV adaptation of the Webby winner, If I Go Missing the Witches Did It with writer Pia Wilson; as well as executive producers Teri Weinberg and Danielle Claman Gelber (OneChicago), developing First Street, Realm’s timely Supreme Court drama; and Janet Zucker who is developing a TV adaptation of Bullet Catcher with writer Stephen Susco (The Grudge).
Realm has added several third-party content partners acquiring titles from Leviathan Audio Productions, Fool & Scholar, Observer Pictures, Storytellers Ink, and Violet Hour Media, whose show Hollow hit #2 this month on the Apple Fiction Charts.
“I’m delighted to announce this talented board of advisors with deep experience in audio, entertainment, and innovative brand building. Lauren, Michael, Russ, and Marci are exceptional leaders in their own right; their business acumen, vision and long-standing relationships will be essential to Realm’s growth as we continue to engage listeners with our award-winning, chart-topping series,” said Realm co-founder and CEO Molly Barton. “We are also truly excited about the opportunity to align with Wendy, Teri, Danielle and Janet to adapt our compelling storytelling for TV and bring some of our most popular and immersive franchises to life in a whole new way.”
Recently, Realm released the podcast Power Trip, an original dark comedy starring and executive produced by She-Hulk and Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany with appearances by Grammy winner Lisa Loeb and Locke & Key’s Brendan Hines. Other releases include The Co-Founder, a Silicon Valley workplace comedy starring Sunita Mani and Alexandra Shipp (with vocal performances from skating legend Tony Hawk) and Marigold Breach, the cyberpunk action-romance podcast starring The Good Place co-stars Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto which rose to No. 2 in the fiction charts upon its debut.
Realm launched in April 2021. Nearly 90 percent of its shows have reached the top 100 of the most popular fiction podcasts in the U.S.
The board, appointed as Realm celebrated its one-year anniversary in Spring 2022, includes change makers from the entertainment, technology, and media sectors whose counsel will guide the company into the future. They are Lauren Zalaznick, who has advised Gimlet and Ira Glass’ Serial Productions; Michael Smith, NPR’s Chief Marketing Officer; Russell Binder, President of IP accelerator Striker Entertainment; and Marci Wiseman, award-winning producer and former Co-President of Blumhouse TV.
The company also announced the expansion of Realm IP into the Film/TV marketplace, formalizing deals with creatives like Wendy Calhoun (Empire), who is developing a TV adaptation of the Webby winner, If I Go Missing the Witches Did It with writer Pia Wilson; as well as executive producers Teri Weinberg and Danielle Claman Gelber (OneChicago), developing First Street, Realm’s timely Supreme Court drama; and Janet Zucker who is developing a TV adaptation of Bullet Catcher with writer Stephen Susco (The Grudge).
Realm has added several third-party content partners acquiring titles from Leviathan Audio Productions, Fool & Scholar, Observer Pictures, Storytellers Ink, and Violet Hour Media, whose show Hollow hit #2 this month on the Apple Fiction Charts.
“I’m delighted to announce this talented board of advisors with deep experience in audio, entertainment, and innovative brand building. Lauren, Michael, Russ, and Marci are exceptional leaders in their own right; their business acumen, vision and long-standing relationships will be essential to Realm’s growth as we continue to engage listeners with our award-winning, chart-topping series,” said Realm co-founder and CEO Molly Barton. “We are also truly excited about the opportunity to align with Wendy, Teri, Danielle and Janet to adapt our compelling storytelling for TV and bring some of our most popular and immersive franchises to life in a whole new way.”
Recently, Realm released the podcast Power Trip, an original dark comedy starring and executive produced by She-Hulk and Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany with appearances by Grammy winner Lisa Loeb and Locke & Key’s Brendan Hines. Other releases include The Co-Founder, a Silicon Valley workplace comedy starring Sunita Mani and Alexandra Shipp (with vocal performances from skating legend Tony Hawk) and Marigold Breach, the cyberpunk action-romance podcast starring The Good Place co-stars Jameela Jamil and Manny Jacinto which rose to No. 2 in the fiction charts upon its debut.
Realm launched in April 2021. Nearly 90 percent of its shows have reached the top 100 of the most popular fiction podcasts in the U.S.
- 7/28/2022
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Justified creator Graham Yost led the series’ creatives reunion panel at Atx Festival on Saturday afternoon where fans were treated to secrets from the writer’s room. Joining Yost for the special celebration were executive producer and director Michael Dinner and writer/producers Taylor Elmore, Dave Andron, Chris Provenzano, Benjamin Cavell, Ingrid Escajeda, VJ Boyd, and Wendy Calhoun.
The series, following lawman Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), ran for 6 seasons on FX from 2010 until 2015. Earlier this year, a limited series sequel Justified: City Primeval was announced by the network which is currently three weeks into production.
“One of our biggest secrets was our partner FX. We pitched the show to 8 places and we were really fortunate 6 were really interested so it came down to FX and HBO,” recalled Yost. “HBO is one of my favorite pitching stories because I was pitching my heart out and they were giving me nothing back.
The series, following lawman Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant), ran for 6 seasons on FX from 2010 until 2015. Earlier this year, a limited series sequel Justified: City Primeval was announced by the network which is currently three weeks into production.
“One of our biggest secrets was our partner FX. We pitched the show to 8 places and we were really fortunate 6 were really interested so it came down to FX and HBO,” recalled Yost. “HBO is one of my favorite pitching stories because I was pitching my heart out and they were giving me nothing back.
- 6/4/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has canceled freshman shows “Pivoting” and “Our Kind of People.”
“Pivoting” starred Eliza Coupe as Amy, Ginnifer Goodwin as Jodie and Maggie Q as Sarah. The single-camera comedy, written by “2 Broke Girls” and “The Conners” alum Liz Astrof, followed three women after the death of their childhood best friend. Faced with the reality that life is short and in a desperate attempt to find happiness, they make a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions, strengthening their bond and proving it’s never too late to screw up your life.
The comedy debuted in January and had a 10-episode run.
Created by Wendy Calhoun, “Our Kind of People” starred Yaya DaCosta as Angela Vaughn. It followed strong-willed, single mom Angela (DaCosta) as she set out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line for Black women. But she quickly discovered a...
“Pivoting” starred Eliza Coupe as Amy, Ginnifer Goodwin as Jodie and Maggie Q as Sarah. The single-camera comedy, written by “2 Broke Girls” and “The Conners” alum Liz Astrof, followed three women after the death of their childhood best friend. Faced with the reality that life is short and in a desperate attempt to find happiness, they make a series of impulsive, ill-advised and self-indulgent decisions, strengthening their bond and proving it’s never too late to screw up your life.
The comedy debuted in January and had a 10-episode run.
Created by Wendy Calhoun, “Our Kind of People” starred Yaya DaCosta as Angela Vaughn. It followed strong-willed, single mom Angela (DaCosta) as she set out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary haircare line for Black women. But she quickly discovered a...
- 5/14/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
The fate of Leah Franklin Dupont may remain unsolved after Fox canceled freshman drama Our Kind of People.
The series, which was created by Karin Gist and Wendy Calhoun with Lee Daniels as exec producer, was given a 12-episode run when it was greenlit in March 2021 under Fox’s straight-to-series model. It evoked comparisons to the Lee-co-created Empire, which had a very successful run on the network but linear ratings were soft.
TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Shows Ending In 2022 & Beyond
It follows journey of Angela Vaughn (Yaya DaCosta), a single mom with a plan to reclaim her family’s name. But when she discovers a huge secret, her life becomes intertwined with a powerful Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts family who are not keen to welcome Angela and her daughter to the neighborhood.
At the of end of season one, which ended in January, Nadine Ellis’ Dupont was shot. Gist told Deadline...
The series, which was created by Karin Gist and Wendy Calhoun with Lee Daniels as exec producer, was given a 12-episode run when it was greenlit in March 2021 under Fox’s straight-to-series model. It evoked comparisons to the Lee-co-created Empire, which had a very successful run on the network but linear ratings were soft.
TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Shows Ending In 2022 & Beyond
It follows journey of Angela Vaughn (Yaya DaCosta), a single mom with a plan to reclaim her family’s name. But when she discovers a huge secret, her life becomes intertwined with a powerful Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts family who are not keen to welcome Angela and her daughter to the neighborhood.
At the of end of season one, which ended in January, Nadine Ellis’ Dupont was shot. Gist told Deadline...
- 5/14/2022
- by Rosy Cordero and Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Film Independent today announced the names of the 30 filmmakers, from 11 nations, selected to participate in its 2022 Global Media Makers LA Residency, taking place in person this month.
The filmmakers and projects chosen are Sumon Delwar (My Cousin), Ali El Arabi and Ahmed El Zoghby (The Legend of Zeinab and Noah), Prantik Basu (Dengue), Archana Borhade and Mangesh Joshi (Purjey (Parts)), Sriram Raja and Deyali Mukherjee (New Sweetness), Kushal Batunge (They Call Her Mafia), Gaby Zarazir and Michael Zarazir, Lamia Chraibi and Hicham Lasri (Meskoun), Anup Poudel and Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Rajan Kathet and Sunir Pandey (No Winter Holidays), Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi (There Was a Boy), Suzannah Mirghani (Cotton Queen), Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Kordofani (Goodbye Julia), Lotfi Achour and Anissa Daoud (Red Path), Rashid Abdelhamid and Ismahane Lahmar (A Respectable Family), Sezen Kayhan and Beste Yamalıoğlu (Women with...
The filmmakers and projects chosen are Sumon Delwar (My Cousin), Ali El Arabi and Ahmed El Zoghby (The Legend of Zeinab and Noah), Prantik Basu (Dengue), Archana Borhade and Mangesh Joshi (Purjey (Parts)), Sriram Raja and Deyali Mukherjee (New Sweetness), Kushal Batunge (They Call Her Mafia), Gaby Zarazir and Michael Zarazir, Lamia Chraibi and Hicham Lasri (Meskoun), Anup Poudel and Abinash Bikram Shah (Elephants in the Fog), Rajan Kathet and Sunir Pandey (No Winter Holidays), Fizza Ali Meerza and Nabeel Qureshi (There Was a Boy), Suzannah Mirghani (Cotton Queen), Amjad Abu Alala and Mohamed Kordofani (Goodbye Julia), Lotfi Achour and Anissa Daoud (Red Path), Rashid Abdelhamid and Ismahane Lahmar (A Respectable Family), Sezen Kayhan and Beste Yamalıoğlu (Women with...
- 4/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Film Independent today announced that the seventh triennial Sloan Film Summit will take place from April 8-10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles.
Returning after a pandemic-imposed break, the 2022 Summit will celebrate the nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 writers, directors and producers, as well as working scientists and representatives from leading film schools and organizations, who work to bridge the gap between science, technology and popular culture.
The Summit will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on the 8th with an opening reception, followed by a screening of Kogonada’s A24 film After Yang, which was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is the recipient of a $50,000 distribution grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The screening will be followed by conversation moderated by producer Jennifer 8. Lee with the film’s creative team, including Kogonada, and...
Returning after a pandemic-imposed break, the 2022 Summit will celebrate the nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 writers, directors and producers, as well as working scientists and representatives from leading film schools and organizations, who work to bridge the gap between science, technology and popular culture.
The Summit will kick off at 5:30 p.m. on the 8th with an opening reception, followed by a screening of Kogonada’s A24 film After Yang, which was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and is the recipient of a $50,000 distribution grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. The screening will be followed by conversation moderated by producer Jennifer 8. Lee with the film’s creative team, including Kogonada, and...
- 3/31/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Non-profit arts organization Film Independent, in partnership with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, has announced that the Sloan Film Summit is officially returning this year after a pandemic-imposed delay. IndieWire exclusively shares the news here.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports films and filmmakers with a science focus. Kogonada’s “After Yang” was awarded the Sloan prize 50,000 distribution grant at Sundance 2022. Past supported filmmakers include Damien Chazelle and Aneesh Chaganty.
This year’s Summit will take place April 8–10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, and will feature screenings, workshops, and panels for artists, featuring filmmakers and scientists as they discuss the way art and science interact and can benefit each other. A special keynote address will be delivered by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andrea Ghez.
The seventh triennial Summit will celebrate the thriving nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 screenwriters, directors, and producers, as well as working...
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation supports films and filmmakers with a science focus. Kogonada’s “After Yang” was awarded the Sloan prize 50,000 distribution grant at Sundance 2022. Past supported filmmakers include Damien Chazelle and Aneesh Chaganty.
This year’s Summit will take place April 8–10 at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, and will feature screenings, workshops, and panels for artists, featuring filmmakers and scientists as they discuss the way art and science interact and can benefit each other. A special keynote address will be delivered by Nobel Prize-winning physicist Andrea Ghez.
The seventh triennial Summit will celebrate the thriving nationwide Sloan Film Program, bringing together over 150 screenwriters, directors, and producers, as well as working...
- 3/31/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Fox announced that lawyer, journalist and former “The View” co-host Star Jones has been appointed judge of the first-run syndicated series “Divorce Court,” starting in September.
As television’s longest running court show, “Divorce Court” dates back to the late 1950’s, when actors used to reenact actual divorce proceedings. Today, the program features real people and real cases — ranging from divorce court proceedings to other domestic disputes.
Judge Faith Jenkins will continue through the end of Season 23 and Jones will join for Season 24. Jones, a former assistant district attorney in New York and former legal correspondent on NBC’s “Today Show,” “Nightly News” and more, said that she will “offer the parties before ‘Divorce Court,’ as well as viewers, a no-nonsense approach to the law and a decision driven by my proven legal expertise, compassion and empathy, personal experiences and hard-earned common sense.”
“Divorce Court” is produced by Lincolnwood Productions...
As television’s longest running court show, “Divorce Court” dates back to the late 1950’s, when actors used to reenact actual divorce proceedings. Today, the program features real people and real cases — ranging from divorce court proceedings to other domestic disputes.
Judge Faith Jenkins will continue through the end of Season 23 and Jones will join for Season 24. Jones, a former assistant district attorney in New York and former legal correspondent on NBC’s “Today Show,” “Nightly News” and more, said that she will “offer the parties before ‘Divorce Court,’ as well as viewers, a no-nonsense approach to the law and a decision driven by my proven legal expertise, compassion and empathy, personal experiences and hard-earned common sense.”
“Divorce Court” is produced by Lincolnwood Productions...
- 1/11/2022
- by Wyatte Grantham-Philips and Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Aloft Strategic Communications has hired Rebecca Taylor as a partner. The boutique firm was founded by veteran publicist Michael Donkis in April.
Taylor was most recently VP, Talent at Jonesworks, and before that, a VP at Rogers & Cowan Pmk, working with Robert Downey Jr., Patty Jenkins and Christopher McQuarrie, among others. The move is a reunion of sorts for Taylor and Donkis, as both worked closely together at Prime, a boutique firm run by Donkis and Joy Fehily, which was absorbed by Pmk-bnc in 2016.
“Rebecca is one of the smartest, hardest working, ethical and caring publicists I’ve worked alongside,” Donkis tells Deadline. “She has a sterling reputation and is a perfect fit for Aloft. While I’ve enjoyed calling her ‘friend’ for some time, I’m very excited to now call her ‘partner’ as well.”
Taylor’s impressive client roster of showrunners, filmmakers, talent and authors includes Jac Schaeffer,...
Taylor was most recently VP, Talent at Jonesworks, and before that, a VP at Rogers & Cowan Pmk, working with Robert Downey Jr., Patty Jenkins and Christopher McQuarrie, among others. The move is a reunion of sorts for Taylor and Donkis, as both worked closely together at Prime, a boutique firm run by Donkis and Joy Fehily, which was absorbed by Pmk-bnc in 2016.
“Rebecca is one of the smartest, hardest working, ethical and caring publicists I’ve worked alongside,” Donkis tells Deadline. “She has a sterling reputation and is a perfect fit for Aloft. While I’ve enjoyed calling her ‘friend’ for some time, I’m very excited to now call her ‘partner’ as well.”
Taylor’s impressive client roster of showrunners, filmmakers, talent and authors includes Jac Schaeffer,...
- 7/28/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has placed a series order for Lee Daniels and Karin Gist’s drama “Our Kind of People.”
This marks the first drama the broadcast network has ordered to series for the 2021-2022 season. The project has been in the works at Fox since 2017, with Wendy Calhoun, who was originally set to write and executive produce, exiting in August 2019 and “Mixed-ish” executive producer Gist stepping in to take her place.
Last September, Fox gave “Our Kind of People” a writers’ room commitment to allow Gist, Daniels and their team to further develop the project before the network ordered it to series.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years.
This marks the first drama the broadcast network has ordered to series for the 2021-2022 season. The project has been in the works at Fox since 2017, with Wendy Calhoun, who was originally set to write and executive produce, exiting in August 2019 and “Mixed-ish” executive producer Gist stepping in to take her place.
Last September, Fox gave “Our Kind of People” a writers’ room commitment to allow Gist, Daniels and their team to further develop the project before the network ordered it to series.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class,” the series takes place in the aspirational world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard, a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years.
- 3/29/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Joe Clark, the New Jersey principal who inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me” starring Morgan Freeman, has died. He was 82.
Clark’s death was announced by his family, who said he died on Tuesday after a long illness.
Clark was the principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J. from 1983 to 1989. Known for roaming the halls with a bullhorn and baseball bat, Clark was not afraid to enforce discipline upon his students. His unorthodox methodology drew both praise and criticism, landing him the cover of Time magazine in 1988 and even an offer to be part of Ronald Reagan’s administration as a policy advisor, which Clark declined.
The 1989 film “Lean on Me” was inspired by Clark, who was portrayed by Morgan Freeman. The film grossed $31 million at the box office and was awarded outstanding motion picture at the 1989 NAACP Image Awards. John Legend, Wendy Calhoun and LeBron James were...
Clark’s death was announced by his family, who said he died on Tuesday after a long illness.
Clark was the principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J. from 1983 to 1989. Known for roaming the halls with a bullhorn and baseball bat, Clark was not afraid to enforce discipline upon his students. His unorthodox methodology drew both praise and criticism, landing him the cover of Time magazine in 1988 and even an offer to be part of Ronald Reagan’s administration as a policy advisor, which Clark declined.
The 1989 film “Lean on Me” was inspired by Clark, who was portrayed by Morgan Freeman. The film grossed $31 million at the box office and was awarded outstanding motion picture at the 1989 NAACP Image Awards. John Legend, Wendy Calhoun and LeBron James were...
- 12/30/2020
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Joe Clark, the inspiration for John G. Avildsen’s 1989 film Lean On Me has died.
Clark’s family shared in a statement that the retired New Jersey high school principal died on Tuesday in his Gainesville, Florida home after a long battle with illness. He was 82.
Born in Rochelle, Georgia in 1938, Clark is most known as the ambitious principal of New Jersey’s Eastside High School who expelled nearly 300 students for drug possession, vandalism and fighting, and challenged the remaining students to strive for better. To help him inspire his students and get his inspirational messages across, Clark carried a bullhorn and baseball bat through the Eastside hallways.
Gaining fame for his success at Eastside, the former U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant and Drill Instructor went on to grace the cover of Time Magazine and made appearances on 60 Minutes and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 1989, Clark retired from Eastside and...
Clark’s family shared in a statement that the retired New Jersey high school principal died on Tuesday in his Gainesville, Florida home after a long battle with illness. He was 82.
Born in Rochelle, Georgia in 1938, Clark is most known as the ambitious principal of New Jersey’s Eastside High School who expelled nearly 300 students for drug possession, vandalism and fighting, and challenged the remaining students to strive for better. To help him inspire his students and get his inspirational messages across, Clark carried a bullhorn and baseball bat through the Eastside hallways.
Gaining fame for his success at Eastside, the former U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant and Drill Instructor went on to grace the cover of Time Magazine and made appearances on 60 Minutes and The Arsenio Hall Show. In 1989, Clark retired from Eastside and...
- 12/30/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Quarantined viewers tuned into Saturday’s all-day, virtual ScreenCraft Screenwriting Summit were treated to a special surprise in the evening when filmmaker and TV titan J.J. Abrams crashed the party as the surprise special guest. He arrived just after his fellow “Star Wars” scribe Tony Gilroy (“Rogue One” and the upcoming Cassian Andor series) finished his conversation about the craft of screenwriting.
Abrams’ Q&a touched on a range of topics, from the origins of 2015’s “The Force Awakens” to scaling “the mountain,” as he called it, of writing a screenplay, and to the Golden Age of television happening now. It’s an era Abrams helped to launch with his ABC mystery series “Lost.” “I know my role in that. I’m not talking as if I had nothing to do with this,” he said.
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Abrams’ Q&a touched on a range of topics, from the origins of 2015’s “The Force Awakens” to scaling “the mountain,” as he called it, of writing a screenplay, and to the Golden Age of television happening now. It’s an era Abrams helped to launch with his ABC mystery series “Lost.” “I know my role in that. I’m not talking as if I had nothing to do with this,” he said.
More from IndieWireThe Show Must Go On: Here's What's Still Open for Business in HollywoodJeffrey Katzenberg Is Courting J.
- 3/29/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
As Hollywood continues to navigate and rally during the Covid-19 pandemic, ScreenCraft is doing their part with a Virtual Screenwriting Summit set to take place on March 28. The donation-based online event is open to everyone and will feature an impressive roster of industry creatives including Tony Gilroy, Alan Yang, Meg LeFauve, Max Borenstein, Adam Kolbrenner, Wendy Calhoun, Stephany Folsom and David Rabinowitz.
“In uncertain times, we are comforted by stories, and the ScreenCraft Virtual Summit will be an opportunity to hear from storytellers who do it best,” said Katie Buckland, Writers Guild Foundation Executive Director. “We’re honored to be a nonprofit partner — any donations will help us bounce back from our temporary closure and continue supporting writers at all levels.”
More from DeadlineThe Black List Teams With F. Gary Gray's Fenix Studios For Screenwriting InitiativeTony Gilroy & Scott Frank Tell How William Goldman's Mentorship Left As Lasting A...
“In uncertain times, we are comforted by stories, and the ScreenCraft Virtual Summit will be an opportunity to hear from storytellers who do it best,” said Katie Buckland, Writers Guild Foundation Executive Director. “We’re honored to be a nonprofit partner — any donations will help us bounce back from our temporary closure and continue supporting writers at all levels.”
More from DeadlineThe Black List Teams With F. Gary Gray's Fenix Studios For Screenwriting InitiativeTony Gilroy & Scott Frank Tell How William Goldman's Mentorship Left As Lasting A...
- 3/25/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the success of past reunions for “Gilmore Girls,” “The West Wing,” and “Battlestar Galactica,” the Atx TV Festival is readying multiple anniversary panels for its 2020 lineup, along with more special screenings and industry-focused discussions.
In honor of the 10th anniversary of its premiere, the “Parenthood” gang is getting back together, including cast members Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Mae Whitman, and Craig T. Nelson. Creator and executive producer Jason Katims, long a fan-favorite at the Austin-based festival for his role in “Friday Night Lights,” is also scheduled to participate in the panel with fellow writer and E.P. David Hudgins. In addition to a conversation about the series’ enduring legacy, the cast will perform a live script reading of one of the series’ episodes.
The festival is also honoring another 10th anniversary in Atx-favorite creator Graham Yost’s “Justified,” bringing together the prolific writers’ room behind...
In honor of the 10th anniversary of its premiere, the “Parenthood” gang is getting back together, including cast members Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Mae Whitman, and Craig T. Nelson. Creator and executive producer Jason Katims, long a fan-favorite at the Austin-based festival for his role in “Friday Night Lights,” is also scheduled to participate in the panel with fellow writer and E.P. David Hudgins. In addition to a conversation about the series’ enduring legacy, the cast will perform a live script reading of one of the series’ episodes.
The festival is also honoring another 10th anniversary in Atx-favorite creator Graham Yost’s “Justified,” bringing together the prolific writers’ room behind...
- 11/6/2019
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Fox is redeveloping the drama project “Our Kind of People” with Lee Daniels and Karin Gist.
Gist will now serve as writer and executive producer on the project via TheGistofIt Produtions, with Daniels also joining as an executive producer under his Lee Daniels Entertainment banner.
The project is inspired by the non-fiction book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class” by Lawrence Otis Graham. Variety exclusively reported the project was in development back in 2017.
Gist takes over writing the project from Wendy Calhoun. Gist’s version follows single mom Angela Vaughn, who risks it all and moves her family to Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of taking her natural hair care line to the next level by infiltrating the African American elite in Oak Bluffs. But she soon discovers a secret about her past that just might change her position and shake up her life and this influential community forever.
Gist will now serve as writer and executive producer on the project via TheGistofIt Produtions, with Daniels also joining as an executive producer under his Lee Daniels Entertainment banner.
The project is inspired by the non-fiction book “Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class” by Lawrence Otis Graham. Variety exclusively reported the project was in development back in 2017.
Gist takes over writing the project from Wendy Calhoun. Gist’s version follows single mom Angela Vaughn, who risks it all and moves her family to Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of taking her natural hair care line to the next level by infiltrating the African American elite in Oak Bluffs. But she soon discovers a secret about her past that just might change her position and shake up her life and this influential community forever.
- 8/6/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Lee Daniels and Karin Gist have joined Fox’s “Our Kind of People,” a drama that has been in the works at the network since 2017 — with Wendy Calhoun, who was originally set to write and executive produce — exiting the potential series, an individual with knowledge of the situation tells TheWrap.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s non-fiction book of the same name, “Our Kind of People” tells the story of single mom Angela Vaughn who risks it all and moves her family to Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of taking her natural hair care line to the next level by infiltrating the African American elite in Oak Bluffs. But she soon discovers a secret about her past that just might change her position and shake up her life and this influential community forever.
Gist will now write the script and executive produce with Daniels, Pam Williams and Marc Velez executive producing for Lee Daniels Entertainment.
Inspired by Lawrence Otis Graham’s non-fiction book of the same name, “Our Kind of People” tells the story of single mom Angela Vaughn who risks it all and moves her family to Martha’s Vineyard with hopes of taking her natural hair care line to the next level by infiltrating the African American elite in Oak Bluffs. But she soon discovers a secret about her past that just might change her position and shake up her life and this influential community forever.
Gist will now write the script and executive produce with Daniels, Pam Williams and Marc Velez executive producing for Lee Daniels Entertainment.
- 8/6/2019
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Film Independent is looking to enrich and inspire the industry with its latest lineup of keynotes, films and panelists for its 14th annual Film Independent Forum. Keynotes will be delivered by Late Night filmmaker Nisha Ganatra and Len Amato President of HBO Films. The Forum will kick off with a screening of Olivia Wilde’s comedy Booksmart and will also feature Justin Chon’s drama Ms. Purple. The event, which continues to champion inclusive storytelling in film, takes place April 26 – 28 at the Lmu Playa Vista Campus and Harmony Gold Theater.
“Once again, I am thrilled to congregate our community to explore the work of the most interesting creators this year,” said Maria Raquel Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Initiatives. “From our screenings of Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Chon’s Ms. Purple to our Keynotes by acclaimed writer-director Nisha Ganatra and HBO Films President Len Amato,...
“Once again, I am thrilled to congregate our community to explore the work of the most interesting creators this year,” said Maria Raquel Bozzi, Senior Director of Education and International Initiatives. “From our screenings of Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart and Justin Chon’s Ms. Purple to our Keynotes by acclaimed writer-director Nisha Ganatra and HBO Films President Len Amato,...
- 4/9/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has handed a pilot order to Patty’s Auto, a multi-camera ensemble comedy from writer and The Big C creator Darlene Hunt, Elizabeth Banks & Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions and Warner Bros. Television, where the company is based.
Written by Hunt, Patty’s Auto is inspired by Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic, a Pennsylvania-based auto repair shop with all female mechanics. It revolves around Patty and the eclectic women who work for her.
Hunt, Banks and Handelman executive produce, with Banks serving as consulting producer. Fox co-produces with Brownstone Productions in association with Wbtv.
Hunt recently served as co-executive producer on the highly rated Roseanne revival on ABC and executive produced Amazon’s praised Good Girls Revolt.
Brownstone also has a Nkechi Carroll drama, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC; Hoops, which has a script plus penalty commitment at NBC; and another drama set at NBC, Strong Justice,...
Written by Hunt, Patty’s Auto is inspired by Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic, a Pennsylvania-based auto repair shop with all female mechanics. It revolves around Patty and the eclectic women who work for her.
Hunt, Banks and Handelman executive produce, with Banks serving as consulting producer. Fox co-produces with Brownstone Productions in association with Wbtv.
Hunt recently served as co-executive producer on the highly rated Roseanne revival on ABC and executive produced Amazon’s praised Good Girls Revolt.
Brownstone also has a Nkechi Carroll drama, which has a put pilot commitment at ABC; Hoops, which has a script plus penalty commitment at NBC; and another drama set at NBC, Strong Justice,...
- 1/29/2019
- by Denise Petski and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Merry doesn’t even begin to describe the crowd gathered at UTA on Tuesday night for the fourth annual Holiday Soul Party.
Organized by the Committee of Black Writers of the WGA, the African-American Steering Committee of the DGA and the African-American Film Critics Association, and hosted by the Ghetto Film School Roster, the networking event celebrated industry tastemakers and innovators — “people who are moving the needle in terms of diversity in Hollywood,” said producer and writer Wendy Calhoun.
Mike Jackson — John Legend’s partner in Get Lifted Film Co., who won an Emmy as executive producer of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert’ — was one of four celebrated agents of change for 2018.
“How do I feel that we’ve pushed the needle forward as far as inclusion? Well, we produced ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and we had the first black Jesus,” Jackson told Variety. “Anything we put out there is...
Organized by the Committee of Black Writers of the WGA, the African-American Steering Committee of the DGA and the African-American Film Critics Association, and hosted by the Ghetto Film School Roster, the networking event celebrated industry tastemakers and innovators — “people who are moving the needle in terms of diversity in Hollywood,” said producer and writer Wendy Calhoun.
Mike Jackson — John Legend’s partner in Get Lifted Film Co., who won an Emmy as executive producer of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert’ — was one of four celebrated agents of change for 2018.
“How do I feel that we’ve pushed the needle forward as far as inclusion? Well, we produced ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and we had the first black Jesus,” Jackson told Variety. “Anything we put out there is...
- 12/19/2018
- by James Patrick Herman
- Variety Film + TV
The CW is developing a series based on Oscar Wilde novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” Variety has learned.
Titled “Dorian,” the series is described as a comedic spin on the classic story. It follows a woman who made a deal with the devil 50 years ago to remain young and has spent the subsequent decades living selfishly and without consequences. As the downsides of eternal youth finally land on her, Dorian is ready to grow up and age gracefully, but, to do so, she’ll have to make amends for half a century of bad behavior.
The series hails from writer and executive producer Marisa Coughlan, with Len Goldstein also executive producing. Warner Bros. Television will produce.
Coughlan is primarily known for her acting work, having appeared in films like “Super Troopers” and its sequel as well as “Space Station 76.” She has sold multiple projects to the broadcast networks in the past few years,...
Titled “Dorian,” the series is described as a comedic spin on the classic story. It follows a woman who made a deal with the devil 50 years ago to remain young and has spent the subsequent decades living selfishly and without consequences. As the downsides of eternal youth finally land on her, Dorian is ready to grow up and age gracefully, but, to do so, she’ll have to make amends for half a century of bad behavior.
The series hails from writer and executive producer Marisa Coughlan, with Len Goldstein also executive producing. Warner Bros. Television will produce.
Coughlan is primarily known for her acting work, having appeared in films like “Super Troopers” and its sequel as well as “Space Station 76.” She has sold multiple projects to the broadcast networks in the past few years,...
- 10/17/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Women in Film Los Angeles has partnered with Ghetto Film School to launch a filmmaker development program aimed at women of color.
Wif will work with six Ghetto Film School participants for mentoring and master classes to be held as part of a yearlong development program dubbed Insight. At the end of the program, one participant will get the chance to produce a short film as part of Wif’s fall 2019 production program.
“We’re in a moment when diversity and inclusion are forefront for industry decision makers. But to see accurate representation, the culture has to shift at an essential level,” said Maikiko James, Wif’s director of programs. “Women of color filmmakers require a strong network of advocates with a stake in their success in order to start seeing their numbers increase at the rate they should, and that’s what this partnership is designed to create.”
Mentors...
Wif will work with six Ghetto Film School participants for mentoring and master classes to be held as part of a yearlong development program dubbed Insight. At the end of the program, one participant will get the chance to produce a short film as part of Wif’s fall 2019 production program.
“We’re in a moment when diversity and inclusion are forefront for industry decision makers. But to see accurate representation, the culture has to shift at an essential level,” said Maikiko James, Wif’s director of programs. “Women of color filmmakers require a strong network of advocates with a stake in their success in order to start seeing their numbers increase at the rate they should, and that’s what this partnership is designed to create.”
Mentors...
- 10/2/2018
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Universal Cable Productions said today that it will present the Austin Film Festival’s annual Pitch Competition, which kicks off October 25. The event gives contestants 90 seconds to pitch their best ideas to a panel of judges made up of agents, producers, managers and screenwriters.
This year’s judges are Kate Fenske, Svp Development at Ucp; Warner Bros TV writer-producer Wendy Calhoun; producer and former United Artists Lindsay Doran (Stranger Than Fiction); and Scriptnotes co-host Craig Mazin, who wrote Chernobyl and the last two Hangover films.
Ucp also will host a pitch-prep panel called “My First Pitch” at 1 Pm October 25 at St. David’s Episcopal Church. The panel will offer tips on approaching that first pitch and how to present to a room full of executives. Ucp’s Svp Development Elise Henderson, will be joined on the panel by some of the studio’s top producers with whom they...
This year’s judges are Kate Fenske, Svp Development at Ucp; Warner Bros TV writer-producer Wendy Calhoun; producer and former United Artists Lindsay Doran (Stranger Than Fiction); and Scriptnotes co-host Craig Mazin, who wrote Chernobyl and the last two Hangover films.
Ucp also will host a pitch-prep panel called “My First Pitch” at 1 Pm October 25 at St. David’s Episcopal Church. The panel will offer tips on approaching that first pitch and how to present to a room full of executives. Ucp’s Svp Development Elise Henderson, will be joined on the panel by some of the studio’s top producers with whom they...
- 10/2/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Fox has put in development Patty’s Auto, a multi-camera ensemble comedy from writer The Big C creator Darlene Hunt, Elizabeth Banks & Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions and Warner Bros. Television where the company is based.
Written by Hunt, Patty’s Auto is inspired by Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic, a Pennsylvania-based auto repair shop with all female mechanics. It centers on Patty and the eclectic women who work for her.
Hunt, Banks and Handelman executive produce, with Banks serving as consulting producer.
Fox, which is scaling back on content from 20th Century Fox TV as the two companies are heading for separation following Disney’s acquisition of key Fox assets, has been actively buying from Wbtv this season, with all projects earmarked as co-productions.
Hunt recently served as co-executive producer on the highly rated Roseanne revival on ABC and also executive produced Amazon’s praised Good Girls Revolt. She...
Written by Hunt, Patty’s Auto is inspired by Patrice Banks’ Girls Auto Clinic, a Pennsylvania-based auto repair shop with all female mechanics. It centers on Patty and the eclectic women who work for her.
Hunt, Banks and Handelman executive produce, with Banks serving as consulting producer.
Fox, which is scaling back on content from 20th Century Fox TV as the two companies are heading for separation following Disney’s acquisition of key Fox assets, has been actively buying from Wbtv this season, with all projects earmarked as co-productions.
Hunt recently served as co-executive producer on the highly rated Roseanne revival on ABC and also executive produced Amazon’s praised Good Girls Revolt. She...
- 9/26/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
NBC has put in development Strong Justice, an hourlong drama from Wendy Calhoun (Empire), Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions and Warner Bros. TV.
Written by Calhoun, Strong Justice is inspired by Marlo McGuire Graham and Ethel McGuire. It centers on FBI’s first-ever mother-daughter duo, Special Agents Etta and Memphis Strong, who strive to be exceptional investigators despite sexist and racist hurdles. Both women tackle dangerous cases and fight for equality over two time periods, but their individual pursuits reveal truths that threaten to ruin their role-model legacy.
Calhoun executive produces via her new Edgewood Place Entertainment banner with Banks and Handelman via Brownstone. Dannah Shinder will oversee development on behalf of Brownstone. Warner Bros. TV, where Calhoun and Brownstone are based, is the studio. McGuire Graham and McGuire will serve as consultants.
This is Calhoun’s second network sale so far this season. She also has Lean On Me,...
Written by Calhoun, Strong Justice is inspired by Marlo McGuire Graham and Ethel McGuire. It centers on FBI’s first-ever mother-daughter duo, Special Agents Etta and Memphis Strong, who strive to be exceptional investigators despite sexist and racist hurdles. Both women tackle dangerous cases and fight for equality over two time periods, but their individual pursuits reveal truths that threaten to ruin their role-model legacy.
Calhoun executive produces via her new Edgewood Place Entertainment banner with Banks and Handelman via Brownstone. Dannah Shinder will oversee development on behalf of Brownstone. Warner Bros. TV, where Calhoun and Brownstone are based, is the studio. McGuire Graham and McGuire will serve as consultants.
This is Calhoun’s second network sale so far this season. She also has Lean On Me,...
- 9/20/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
LeBron James continues his move into Hollywood as he is set to produce two new TV series that are going into development.
The first is a female-led drama series inspired by the classic film Lean on Me. The series is set up at The CW and he will be producing the series with John Legend. Variety offers the following description:
In the series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
The series comes from Wendy Calhoun, who will serve as the writer and executive producer. She previously worked on ABC’s Station 19 along with shows such as Empire, Nashville, Justified,...
The first is a female-led drama series inspired by the classic film Lean on Me. The series is set up at The CW and he will be producing the series with John Legend. Variety offers the following description:
In the series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
The series comes from Wendy Calhoun, who will serve as the writer and executive producer. She previously worked on ABC’s Station 19 along with shows such as Empire, Nashville, Justified,...
- 9/14/2018
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
LeBron James is a busy man, and we’re not talking about his NBA career.
The CW is developing a TV adaptation of “Lean on Me,” the 1989 film starring Morgan Freeman. The series, which has a script development deal, will be executive produced by James and John Legend, along with Maverick Carter, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius.
In the CW series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
Also Read: NBC to Develop Basketball-Themed Drama From LeBron James and Elizabeth Banks
Written by Wendy Calhoun, the project is from SpringHill Entertainment and Get Lifted Film Co. in association with Warner Bros. Television.
The CW is developing a TV adaptation of “Lean on Me,” the 1989 film starring Morgan Freeman. The series, which has a script development deal, will be executive produced by James and John Legend, along with Maverick Carter, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius.
In the CW series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
Also Read: NBC to Develop Basketball-Themed Drama From LeBron James and Elizabeth Banks
Written by Wendy Calhoun, the project is from SpringHill Entertainment and Get Lifted Film Co. in association with Warner Bros. Television.
- 9/13/2018
- by Tim Baysinger
- The Wrap
The CW has put in development Lean On Me, a female-led hourlong drama inspired by the 1989 film that starred Morgan Freeman, from writer Wendy Calhoun (Station 19), LeBron James & Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment, John Legend, Mike Jackson and Ty Stiklorius’ Get Lifted, and Warner Bros. TV.
Written by Calhoun, in the potential series Lean On Me, when a spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school, she must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family. But can she keep her moxie in check in order to embody the aspirational educator that motivates and uplifts an entire community?
Calhoun executive produces with James and Carter via SpringHill and Legend, Jackson and Stiklorius via Get Lifted.
Written by Calhoun, in the potential series Lean On Me, when a spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school, she must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family. But can she keep her moxie in check in order to embody the aspirational educator that motivates and uplifts an entire community?
Calhoun executive produces with James and Carter via SpringHill and Legend, Jackson and Stiklorius via Get Lifted.
- 9/13/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
The CW is developing a drama series inspired by the film “Lean on Me” with LeBron James and John Legend attached as executive producers, Variety has learned.
In the series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
The series hails from Wendy Calhoun, who will serve as the writer and executive producer on the project. Calhoun most recently served as a consulting producer for ABC’s “Station 19.” She has developed new series pilots with Netflix, Fbc, 20th Century Fox Television, FX, with ABC Signature. Her past credits include “Empire,” “Nashville,” “Justified,” and “Revenge.”
James, an Akron native, will executive produce...
In the series, spirited young black teacher Amarie Baldwin scores the principal job at an Akron, Ohio, public high school. She must dig deep to transform a failing campus into an urban oasis. In a time when education and school safety have life-or-death stakes, Amarie will take on a broken system that tests her mettle, love life and family.
The series hails from Wendy Calhoun, who will serve as the writer and executive producer on the project. Calhoun most recently served as a consulting producer for ABC’s “Station 19.” She has developed new series pilots with Netflix, Fbc, 20th Century Fox Television, FX, with ABC Signature. Her past credits include “Empire,” “Nashville,” “Justified,” and “Revenge.”
James, an Akron native, will executive produce...
- 9/13/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference has selected Larry Wilmore as the recipient of its 2018 Outstanding Television Writer Award.
The award will be at the 25th Annual Austin Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1. The awards lunch takes place on Oct. 27.
Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He broke into show business in 1991 as a writer for “In Living Color,” followed by “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Pj’s” (which he co-created with star Eddie Murphy), and “The Office”.
In 2001, Wilmore created “The Bernie Mac Show,” which ran for five seasons on Fox and earned him an Emmy Award in 2002 for outstanding writing for a comedy series as well as a 2001 Peabody Award. Recently, Wilmore helped launch ABC’s “Black-ish” as an executive producer. He also serves as the co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s “Insecure,” which he developed with star Issa Rae.
The award will be at the 25th Annual Austin Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 25 to Nov. 1. The awards lunch takes place on Oct. 27.
Wilmore has been a television producer, actor, comedian, and writer for more than 25 years. He broke into show business in 1991 as a writer for “In Living Color,” followed by “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,” “The Pj’s” (which he co-created with star Eddie Murphy), and “The Office”.
In 2001, Wilmore created “The Bernie Mac Show,” which ran for five seasons on Fox and earned him an Emmy Award in 2002 for outstanding writing for a comedy series as well as a 2001 Peabody Award. Recently, Wilmore helped launch ABC’s “Black-ish” as an executive producer. He also serves as the co-creator and consulting producer on HBO’s “Insecure,” which he developed with star Issa Rae.
- 8/28/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Drama writer-producer Wendy Calhoun has signed a multi-year overall deal with Warner Bros. Television. Under the pact, Calhoun will be developing and writing new series for broadcast, digital, and cable.
Calhoun most recently served as consulting producer on the first season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19. Her resume includes serving as writer/co-executive producer on the highly-rated first season of Fox’s Empire and stints on ABC’s Nashville and Revenge, FX’s Justified and NBC’s Life. She shared WGA Best New Series Award nominations for her work on Justified and Nashville.
Calhoun has developed projects for Netflix, Fbc, 20th TV Studios, FX and ABC Signature. Additionally, she wrote and directed the virtual reality short, Left Behind, sponsored by Google, and served as the Narrative Consultant for Electronic Arts’ Battlefield Hardline video game.
Calhoun, who has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion, is next...
Calhoun most recently served as consulting producer on the first season of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19. Her resume includes serving as writer/co-executive producer on the highly-rated first season of Fox’s Empire and stints on ABC’s Nashville and Revenge, FX’s Justified and NBC’s Life. She shared WGA Best New Series Award nominations for her work on Justified and Nashville.
Calhoun has developed projects for Netflix, Fbc, 20th TV Studios, FX and ABC Signature. Additionally, she wrote and directed the virtual reality short, Left Behind, sponsored by Google, and served as the Narrative Consultant for Electronic Arts’ Battlefield Hardline video game.
Calhoun, who has been an advocate for diversity and inclusion, is next...
- 6/4/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Regina King and John Ridley are teaming up to tell a real-life American crime.
The Emmy-winning actress is attached to star in No Place Safe, a drama in development at FX chronicling the Atlanta Child Murders, our sister site Deadline reports.
RelatedAmerican Crime Season 4 Poised to Tackle ‘Women in the Workplace’
The potential series, to be adapted by Empire scribe Wendy Calhoun, is based on the Kim Reid memoir of the same name. Reid at the time was a 13-year-old whose mother was one of the investigators in search of the killer of at least 28 African-American children, adolescents and...
The Emmy-winning actress is attached to star in No Place Safe, a drama in development at FX chronicling the Atlanta Child Murders, our sister site Deadline reports.
RelatedAmerican Crime Season 4 Poised to Tackle ‘Women in the Workplace’
The potential series, to be adapted by Empire scribe Wendy Calhoun, is based on the Kim Reid memoir of the same name. Reid at the time was a 13-year-old whose mother was one of the investigators in search of the killer of at least 28 African-American children, adolescents and...
- 4/12/2017
- TVLine.com
Emmy-winning American Crime co-star Regina King has re-teamed with series creator/executive producer John Ridley for No Place Safe, a drama series project about the Atlanta child murders, which has been set up at FX. King is set to star in the project, based on Kim Reid’s memoir No Place Safe and inspired by her life story. ABC Signature Studios is producing. Wendy Calhoun (Empire) is adapting the book. In addition to writing, she is executive producing with Ridley and…...
- 4/11/2017
- Deadline TV
Courtesy of The Hollywood Reporter, in the video below, go behind the scenes with 3 writers from Fox's mega-hit TV soap, "Empire," which returns for a much-anticipated second season, kicking off on September 23 - less than a week from today! THR has a full piece on the entire writing team, which consists of some names you might be familiar with, given that we've featured their past work on this blog: Radha Blank, Eric Haywood, Malcolm Spellman, Jamie Rosengard, Ilene Chaiken, Attica Locke, JaNeika James, Joshua Allen, Carlito Rodriguez, Danny strong, JaSheika James, Ayanna Floyd, Ingrid Escajeda, Wendy Calhoun, Robert Munic. The piece includes some...
- 9/17/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Read More: Attention, Screenwriters: 5 Lessons from the Film Independent Screenwriting Lab Film Independent has announced that the 11th annual Film Independent Forum will feature Blumhouse Productions Founder and CEO Jason Blum, along with Couper Samuelson, Head of Motion Pictures and Terri Taylor, Head of Casting participating in an Executive Conversation on Sunday, October 25. Film Independent is the non-profit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the La Film Festival. Additional panelists at the Forum include producers Miranda Bailey ("The Diary of a Teenage Girl"), Nina Yang Bongiovi ("Dope," "Fruitvale Station," "Partner," "Significant Productions"), writers Bridget Bedard ("Transparent," "Mad Men"), Wendy Calhoun ("Empire"), Josh Braun (Co-President of Submarine Entertainment, Submarine Deluxe) and Jessica Lacy (Head of International & Independent...
- 9/17/2015
- by Sonya Saepoff
- Indiewire
Fox's Empire nearly didn't happen as a TV series. The hip-hop drama co-created by Danny Strong and Lee Daniels — which became a phenomenon last season and now ranks as broadcast TV's No. 1 show — was originally envisioned as a movie. Co-creator Danny Strong, joined by co-executive producer/writer Wendy Calhoun, speaking Saturday at the Atx Television Festival in Austin, revealed just how he came up with the idea for the Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard drama. See more 'Empire' Cast Before They Were Stars "There was a news story on the radio about Puffy and
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- 6/6/2015
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Scream Factory has added another Blu-ray release to their Summer of Fear Part 2: a double feature of the 1990 Italian horror films Metamorphosis and Beyond Darkness. Details on the season two world premiere of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, as well as the release details for James Cullen Bressack's Pernicious, are also included in our latest round-up.
Metamorphosis / Beyond Darkness Blu-ray: Scream Factory has slated their Metamorphosis / Beyond Darkness double feature Blu-ray for a late August release.
From Scream Factory: "Our "Summer of Fear Part 2" lineup continues to roll out with more retro Italian-made horror films both coming to blu-ray for the first time! 1990’s "mad science" film Metamorphosis will be doubled-billed with the 1990 haunted house-themed Beyond Darkness (and from the Director of Troll 2!) for a planned late August release. Pre-order links will go up next month."
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From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series: The sophomore...
Metamorphosis / Beyond Darkness Blu-ray: Scream Factory has slated their Metamorphosis / Beyond Darkness double feature Blu-ray for a late August release.
From Scream Factory: "Our "Summer of Fear Part 2" lineup continues to roll out with more retro Italian-made horror films both coming to blu-ray for the first time! 1990’s "mad science" film Metamorphosis will be doubled-billed with the 1990 haunted house-themed Beyond Darkness (and from the Director of Troll 2!) for a planned late August release. Pre-order links will go up next month."
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From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series: The sophomore...
- 4/28/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The 2015 incarnation of the Atx Television Festival, the fourth one in the festival’s history, has added a number of new panels to their lineup to go with previously announced panels, which have included Justified, Bunheads, and Playing House.
The festival has added the Fox series Empire to its lineup. Titled “Empire: The Creatives”, the panel will feature the show’s producers Danny Strong, Ilene Chaiken, and Wendy Calhoun discussing the freshman series. The animated series Rick & Morty will also be making an appearance at the festival, as channel Adult Swim is set to present “Inside Rick and Morty”, which will feature a discussion with the show’s creators, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
The most sizable presence, however, appears to be that of FX, as the channel has brought a number of its half-hour series to the festival. Among the panels will be the series Married, which will screen...
The festival has added the Fox series Empire to its lineup. Titled “Empire: The Creatives”, the panel will feature the show’s producers Danny Strong, Ilene Chaiken, and Wendy Calhoun discussing the freshman series. The animated series Rick & Morty will also be making an appearance at the festival, as channel Adult Swim is set to present “Inside Rick and Morty”, which will feature a discussion with the show’s creators, Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland.
The most sizable presence, however, appears to be that of FX, as the channel has brought a number of its half-hour series to the festival. Among the panels will be the series Married, which will screen...
- 4/28/2015
- by Deepayan Sengupta
- SoundOnSight
Embedded in Empire's over-the-top story lines and mic-drops are its sincere musical performances. Originally, the season's final two hours were shot as two separate episodes, 11 and 12. The first hour (Episode 11, "Die But Once") focuses on the themes of death, resurrection, belief, and betrayal. Jennifer Hudson, who plays Andre's music therapist, Michelle, closes the episode with a gospel number that brings the church down. Speaking to Vulture, Empire's choreographer, John Carrafa, who's played himself on several episodes, broke down how he brought the sprawling church event onto the screen. How did you bring Jennifer Hudson's performance from what you read in the script onto the screen? Wendy Calhoun, one of the writers, introduced me to this world of liturgical dancers, which I really didn't know much about. So I started researching it way before we got the script. There's a piece called "Revelations" that Alvin Ailey did that was sort...
- 3/19/2015
- by Soo Youn
- Vulture
The explosives have begun to go off in the “Year of the Crowes” FX’s Justified with just two episodes left. Art Mullen’s (Nick Searcy) been shot and his deputies need to step up while he lies on a hospital bed in critical condition. Raylan Given’s (Timothy Olyphant) struggle with the Crowe family reached the point of no return, as has the partnership between Boyd Crowder (Walton Goggins) and Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns). Oh and Ava (Joelle Carter) has just asserted herself as an alpha in the prison system and builds her own criminal rep. Five years in, Justified continues to help lead the pack of superb television and as always there are plenty of cogs in motion, and we’ve got Executive Producer/Showrunner Graham Yost on board to talk about this current and next year’s final season, how their writer’s room is unique, and...
- 3/27/2014
- by Ernie Estrella
- BuzzFocus.com
New Nashville season 2,episode 4 official spoilers,plotline revealed by ABC. Recently, ABC dished out the new, official, synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "Nashville" episode 4 of season 2. The episode is entitled, "You're No Angel Yourself," and it sounds quite intriguing and drama-filled as Teddy actually proposes to Peggy, Maddie ends up getting very upset about it, and more. In the new,4th episode press release: Rayna will cancel the tour with Juliette ,and Maddie is going to be at the center of a dramatic turn of events when she discovers Teddy plans to marry Peggy. Press release number 2: Rayna will leave Juliette in a lurch when she decides she needs to cancel the remainder of the tour. Teddy will propose to Peggy and asks her to be discreet around the girls, but when Maddie sees her grandmother’s ring hanging from Peggy’s neck, the charade is up. She is...
- 10/3/2013
- by Andre
- OnTheFlix
What do Walter White and Phil Dunphy have in common? They’re both at the center of the TV shows most honored by the Writers Guild of America today. The group just announced the nominees for its annual awards, which will be handed out Feb. 17 at simultaneous ceremonies in Los Angeles and New York. Breaking Bad garnered five nods; Modern Family drew four. Here’s a list of all the primetime and late night series in contention for the event’s biggest prizes:
Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Dave Flebotte, Diane Frolov, Chris Haddock, Rolin Jones, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki,...
Drama Series
Boardwalk Empire, Written by Dave Flebotte, Diane Frolov, Chris Haddock, Rolin Jones, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki,...
- 12/6/2012
- by Hillary Busis
- EW - Inside TV
Revenge Review, Season 1, Episode 10: “Loyalty”
Written by Wendy Calhoun & Nikki Toscano
Directed by J. Miller Tobin
Clea Major: Okay, I’m now willing to forgive the comparative lack of violence we’ve seen lately from Revenge, because while no one’s life got per se ruined in this last episode, there were laptops thrown into swimming pools, secrets got exposed, and Emily Van Camp at least got to rough up her mentor in a classic Karate training sequence. Not to mention that the next episode promises to bring the Tyler plotline to a head in a fantastically dramatic–and Klonozopam-induced, apparently!–fashion.
Louis Godfrey: In our last entry I joked about the possibility of a karate training sequence, and then this episode turns around and gives us one! It is like this show has a pipeline right into the collective id. I love it!
Lots of plot strands to grasp at,...
Written by Wendy Calhoun & Nikki Toscano
Directed by J. Miller Tobin
Clea Major: Okay, I’m now willing to forgive the comparative lack of violence we’ve seen lately from Revenge, because while no one’s life got per se ruined in this last episode, there were laptops thrown into swimming pools, secrets got exposed, and Emily Van Camp at least got to rough up her mentor in a classic Karate training sequence. Not to mention that the next episode promises to bring the Tyler plotline to a head in a fantastically dramatic–and Klonozopam-induced, apparently!–fashion.
Louis Godfrey: In our last entry I joked about the possibility of a karate training sequence, and then this episode turns around and gives us one! It is like this show has a pipeline right into the collective id. I love it!
Lots of plot strands to grasp at,...
- 12/8/2011
- by Louis Godfrey
- SoundOnSight
Tons of updates today. Let's start with Bear McCreary.
GameMusic.net posted an interview they did with him in April. It's mostly about the Socom 4 score, but Caprica and BSG also get a mention, as well as the other shows he is/was scoring. Here is a snippet:
Matt: To switch a bit, in addition to video games, you scored three television series over the past season: Eureka, The Walking Dead, and The Cape. How were you able to fit in composing and recording for so many projects?
Bear McCreary: I don't sleep a lot (laughs). The schedules are tough, but thankfully, of the three shows that you cited, two of them are on cable and cable has a very different schedule than network television. Generally I'm able to weave my way through the schedules and I usually don't have to work on more than one show at any given time.
GameMusic.net posted an interview they did with him in April. It's mostly about the Socom 4 score, but Caprica and BSG also get a mention, as well as the other shows he is/was scoring. Here is a snippet:
Matt: To switch a bit, in addition to video games, you scored three television series over the past season: Eureka, The Walking Dead, and The Cape. How were you able to fit in composing and recording for so many projects?
Bear McCreary: I don't sleep a lot (laughs). The schedules are tough, but thankfully, of the three shows that you cited, two of them are on cable and cable has a very different schedule than network television. Generally I'm able to weave my way through the schedules and I usually don't have to work on more than one show at any given time.
- 6/19/2011
- by fanshawe
- CapricaTV
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