Wiip (stylized as “wiip”) is a development and production company started by Paul Lee in 2017 and funded by CAA. “Wiip” stands for (word.idea.imagination.
Paul Lee Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Lee’s wiip Land Series Order for Facebook Watch Scripted Drama | Variety | May 9, 2018
Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo is kicking it with a new team. Ronaldo has partnered with with Paul Lee’s newly launched studio, wiip, to produce a new scripted drama series for Facebook Watch.The series centers on a diverse high school girls soccer team from upstate New York, whose ability to achieve its goals through teamwork and friendship inspires the local community to transcend the racial, ethnic and class differences that divide it. En route to greater cultural understanding, the show also explores the personal struggles and triumphs of the teen team members.
“The story of my life has many similarities with the highs and lows the girls varsity soccer team will face in the series,” Ronaldo said. “While the series is set against the background of soccer, it goes much deeper than just the beautiful game. It’s about values, challenges, friendship, difficult times, hard work, solidarity, tensions, and harmony. In a word — it’s about life.”
Liz Garcia and Josh Harto, creators of TNT’s “Memphis Beat,” join Ronaldo as the series’ executive producers, while wiip will helm production with the support of the CAA. The announcement comes on the heels of wiip CEO Lee’s recent acquisition of the Gimlet Media podcast, “Sandra.”
“This is a high-end series with global appeal, set against the backdrop of the world’s most popular sport, and created in partnership with the world’s best footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and remarkable storytellers Liz and Josh,” Lee said.
The sports drama marks wiip’s second collaboration with Facebook Watch, which is also developing the Catherine Zeta-Jones-starrer “Queen America.”
‘Sandra’ Podcast In Works As TV Series By Paul Lee’s Wiip & Gimlet Pictures | Deadline | May 7, 2018
In a competitive situation, Paul Lee’s recently launched independent studio wiip has acquired the rights to Gimlet Media’s new scripted podcast, Sandra, to develop for premium television. Gimlet Pictures (Homecoming), the TV and film production arm of Gimlet, will produce the series, its first project under the banner launched earlier this year.
The seven-episode podcast, which launched all episodes Wednesday, April 18, is set five minutes in the future and follows Helen Perez, a new hire at Orbital Industries, the company behind Sandra, the world’s most intuitive virtual assistant. As one of thousands of Sandra operators, Helen spends her days peeking into the world of Sandra users and helping them navigate their questions and demands. One problem: the users don’t know she’s real. Along the way, Helen’s own world becomes more difficult to navigate, too, as she struggles to manage a divorce while keeping her boss Dustin happy. Oh, and she also may be in a bit of an increasingly unprofessional situation in her interactions with Tad, a heartbroken Sandra super-user. Kristen Wiig voices Sandra in the podcast, along with Ethan Hawke, who voices Dustin and Arrested Development’s Alia Shawkat, who voices Helen.
“wiip is committed to supporting bold, creative content,” said Lee. “Sandra is the latest example that Gimlet Pictures has mastered the art of storytelling, and we’re excited to partner with them to bring Sandra’s compelling and complex world to life on screen.”
Gimlet Pictures’ Eli Horowitz and Giliberti will serve as Executive Producers on the series.
“On the heels of launching Gimlet Pictures this year, we’re excited to set our first project under the banner,” said Chris Giliberti, Head of Gimlet Pictures. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to take this step forward with Paul Lee and the wonderful wiip team.”
Lee’s wiip (word.idea.imagination.
Gimlet Media has high-profile new series Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts and produced by Universal Cable Productions, coming up at Amazon.
Catherine Zeta-Jones has signed on to play the lead role in a new Facebook Watchseries titled “Queen America,” Variety has learned.The half-hour series, which has received a 10-episode straight-to-series-order, is described as a dark comedy set in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It revolves around Vicki Ellis (Zeta-Jones), the most renowned and ruthless pageant coach in the state, and the hapless Samantha Stone, who hopes Vicki can mold her into worthwhile contender for the title of Miss America. Vicki is desperately sought after by young women competing to be Miss America for one reason; she can turn any girl into a winner. But when she gets paired with the beautiful but unpolished Samantha, Vicki’s entire reputation might be at stake.
Zeta-Jones most recently starred in the Lifetime movie “Cocaine Godmother: The Griselda Blanco Story.” She also appeared as Olivia de Havilland in the first season of the Ryan Murphy anthology series “Feud.” She won an Oscar for best supporting actress for her work in the 2002 film adaptation of the hit musical “Chicago” and is also known for her roles in films like “Traffic,” “Entrapment,” “Intolerable Cruelty,” and “The Mask of Zorro.”
She is repped by WME and Management 360.
The series is created, written, and executive produced by Meaghan Oppenheimer. Made Up Stories’ Bruna Papandrea and Casey Haver, and Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady and Suzan Bymel will also executive produce alongside Janice Williams. It also marks the first straight-to-series order for wiip, the new independent studio launched and led by veteran television executive Paul Lee. Made Up Stories will serve as wiip’s co-studio partner.
“I’m so excited to be making this show, set in my hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma — and beyond grateful to be partnered again with Bruna Papandrea, who has championed this project from its earliest stages and proven to be one of the biggest supporters of women in the industry,” said Oppenheimer. “We have been very lucky to have found such great collaborators in wiip, Entertainment 360, and Facebook. To have one of my favorite actresses, Catherine Zeta-Jones, bringing this character to life is a dream come true.”
In addition to her work as an actress, Oppenheimer also co-wrote the screenplay for the 2015 Zac Efron film “We Are Your Friends.” On the TV side, she has written for “Fear the Walking Dead” and created the ABC pilot “Broken” in 2016, which was executive produced by Papandrea. She is repped by CAA and Management 360.
Papandrea serves as an executive producer on the hit HBO series “Big Little Lies.” She will also executive produce the upcoming HBO series “The Undoing” starring and executive produced by “Big Little Lies’” Nicole Kidman and the series “Deadlier than the Male” at TNT.
Former ABC Chief Paul Lee Eyes TV Production Company Set Up at CAA | Variety | Dec 8, 2016
Paul Lee may have found his next move.
A representative for CAA declined to comment.
The move would potentially take CAA into new territory, expanding the agency’s role into scripted television programming production.
Lee departed ABC this past February when he was replaced by Channing Dungey, who is now president of the network. Lee, who held the post of ABC Entertainment Group president and also oversaw ABC Studios, was ousted as a result of a power struggle with Disney/ABC Television president Ben Sherwood. The British exec was head of ABC when the highly successful Shondaland “TGIT” block was put in place, but when Lee was pushed out, the net was in last place among the major broadcasters in 18-49. Prior to joining ABC in 2010, he was at the then-ABC Family (now Freeform) where he helped launch “Pretty Little Liars,” “Kyle XY” and “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” Lee got his start at the BBC, and before joining ABC Family, he launched BBC America in the states.