Before the Door Pictures VRP

 

Before the Door Pictures is a media production company that was founded in 2008 by Zachary Quinto, Neal Dodson, and Corey Moosa, all three Carnegie Mellon University drama graduates.
Partners/Producers: Zachary Quinto, Neal Dodson, Corey Moosa
Filmography:
Abandoned
Biopunk (TV)
Brenner
Lucid
Mr. Murder Is Dead
Vivien Hasn’t Been Herself Lately
Never Here  2017
Aardvark 2017
A Must Violent Year 2014
The Chair (TV) 2014
Banshee Chapter 2013
All Is Lost 2013
Breakup at a Wedding 2013
Periods. 2013
Margin Call 2911
In the Media:
Zachary Quinto Reluctantly Seeks Help From Jenny Slate in ‘Aardvark’ (Exclusive Video)  |  Hollywood Report  |  April 20, 2017
Zachary Quinto’s Josh Norman has a problem.

“I have a condition. I have since I was 19,” Josh tells his therapist, Emily (Jenny Slate), in the above exclusive clip from Aardvark. “It doesn’t have a name, or at least all of the conditions that do have names aren’t a great match.”

Josh says that he does “perfectly fine at life.” But Emily counters that he “must want help” if he’s seeing her.

Aardvark, co-starring Jon Hamm, is set to have its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival this Friday (April 21).

The movie, written and directed by Brian Shoaf in his feature debut, follows Josh as his estranged brother, Craig (Hamm), a well-known TV actor, returns home for the first time in years. Stuck in his brother’s shadow and haunted by it, Josh seeks help from Emily, who develops her own connection to Craig.

Quinto and producing partner Neal Dodson produced Aardvark via their Before the Door Pictures banner, which has also produced films such as Margin Call, All Is Lost and A Most Violent Year. Susan Leber, who previously worked with Quinto and Dodson on Margin Call, also served as a producer.

Shoaf and Before the Door’s Corey Moosa executive produced Aardvark as did Robert Halmi Jr. and Jim Reeve.

Zachary Quinto & Neal Dodson Talk Forming Before the Door Pictures & ‘All is Lost’  |  SSN Insider  |  November 20, 2013

Before The Door Pictures, the production company founded in 2008 by Corey Moosa, actor Zachary Quinto and Neal Dodson, has quietly risen to become a credible Hollywood player.

Its inaugural film, 2011’s Margin Call, written and directed by J.C. Chandor, received an Oscar nomination for best screenplay, and this year the company is headed towards more awards recognition with Chandor’s follow-up, All is Lost. Set entirely on water, the film stars Robert Redford in a virtually silent one-man show that’s already being earmarked for Best Actor recognition.

Quinto and Dodson, who have been friends since high school, spoke with SSN about the success of their company and their mutually beneficial relationship with Chandor.

SSN: When you first created the company, what was the initial purpose for doing it?

Quinto: The idea was generated on the heels of my first season on Heroes, when I realized as an actor I had a platform that I hadn’t before. Then Star Trek happened and I realized there was a window opening for me that wouldn’t stay open forever. I wanted to seize that opportunity.

SSN: Was there a grand plan when you first got together?

Quinto: We didn’t have any idea what we were doing. (laughs) We just knew that we’d been friends for a very long time and there was an implicit trust and an investment in each other’s well being and success. We felt that was a good engine for beginning a creative venture. Any time where there was a crossroads, it’s that connection that we leaned into. It’s served us to this point.

SSN: How hard was it to have others take you seriously when you first started taking meetings for projects?

Dodson: It was certainly hard at first. We had a handful of meetings where Zach and I would leave and go, ‘Well they didn’t really want to take that meeting.’ Now that we’ve established ourselves, we’re not having to make that argument anymore.

SSN: Your two most prominent projects have been with J.C. Chandor. What is that relationship like?

Quinto: The great thing about our relationship with J.C., from a creative standpoint, is that it’s a mutual experience. [With Margin Call] we brought him an opportunity that he wouldn’t have otherwise had, and the success of that film brought us opportunities that we might not have otherwise had.

Dodson: He’s a great template for the kind of people we’re looking to work with. As we meet other filmmakers, the qualities we love about J.C. are things we look for in others—no drama queen screamers, no angry sets—just people who are collaborative, who have a secure vision in what they’re trying to do, and like working together to achieve it.

SSN: After Chandor directed Margin Call, did you have faith he could do something that was virtually a silent film set on water?

Quinto: It was one step at a time for all of us. We went into Margin Call not knowing if J.C. could direct that movie or if we could pull it off from a production standpoint … As a result, we started to trust that the ground would reveal itself under our feet if we just stepped forward with curiosity, confidence, and as much integrity as we could all muster under the circumstances.

SSN: When he comes to you with All is Lost, which is a complete 180-degree turn from Margin Call, what do you say?

Dodson: All Is Lost was a big risk for all of us. To be candid, we didn’t know [if] J.C. could direct it, we didn’t know if the movie was going to be any good … The fences J.C. set around that project—no land, no dialogue, 77-year-old leading man, no other actors—were all risk factors for sure.

SSN: When were you sure that what you had with the film was something good?

Dodson: It wasn’t until we were sitting amongst 2,500 strangers at the Cannes Film Festival. The movie ended, people stood up, and clapped and didn’t stop clapping for somewhere between nine and 11 minutes, depending on who you believe in the stopwatch department. So it was that moment that we thought, ‘Oh maybe this worked.’

SSN: Neal, you were the day-to-day producer on that film along with Anna Gerb. How do you decide who takes the lead on a project between you, Zach, and Corey?

Dodson: The great thing about having partners is that it doesn’t mean all of us have to be there for every moment of every single project. While I was making All Is Lost, Zach was in the middle of shooting American Horror Story, and Corey took the lead on a horror movie we have coming out called The Banshee Chapter … We all sweat out everything from casting to contracts to financing.

SSN: Zach, you were both the day-to-day producer on Margin Call and an actor in the film. How come you have not appeared onscreen in any other Before The Door productions?
Quinto: I was in Margin Call to establish my association with the company … I haven’t been in any of the films that we made since because I’ve been pursuing other goals as an actor.

SSN: Does Before the Door have any specific aspirations as a company?

Dodson:  So far, all our films have been fully independent, have all received releases, and we’ve given directors final cut. But in terms of where we’d like to go next, in addition to maintaining a sense of independence, we’d like to try our feet on a bigger studio project.

Quinto: It all comes down to material. All of us have similar enough sensibilities where we can recognize the projects that fit the parameters of what we want to accomplish creatively.

Working Title/Andrew Stearn VRP

 


Andrew Stearn Working Title Television
In Their Own Words:
Working Title Films, co-chaired by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner since 1992, is one of the world’s leading film production companies.

Formed in 1984, Working Title has more than 100 films that have grossed over $6 billion worldwide, including over $1 billion at the UK box office. Its films have won 12 Academy Awards® (for James Marsh’s The Theory of Everything, Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables, Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina, Tim Robbins’ Dead Man Walking; Joel and Ethan Coen’s Fargo; Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age; and Joe Wright’s Atonement); 39 BAFTA Awards; and prizes at the Cannes and Berlin International Film Festivals.

Mr. Bevan and Mr. Fellner have been honored with the Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures, the PGA’s highest honor for motion picture producers. They have also been accorded two of the highest film awards given to British filmmakers; the Michael Balcon Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema, at the BAFTA Awards, and the Alexander Walker Film Award at the Evening Standard British Film Awards. They have also both been honored with CBEs (Commanders of the Order of the British Empire).

Working Title’s upcoming slate includes The Snowman directed by Tomas Alfredson, starring Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson and Val Kilmer; Baby Driver, directed by Edgar Wright, starring Lily James, Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey and Jamie Foxx; Darkest Hour, directed by Joe Wright, starring Gary Oldman as Winston Churchill; and Victoria and Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears, starring Judi Dench as Queen Victoria.

Working Title TV is based in London and LA and is a joint venture between NBC Universal International, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. The UK office is headed up by Andrew Woodhead, the LA office by Andrew Stearn.

The UK office is currently developing projects across all UK broadcasters and has excellent co-production relationships with US broadcasters including NBC, HBO, PBS, ABC and BBC America.

Recent productions include LONDON SPY starring Ben Whishaw, Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling for BBC Two, 10-part series YOU, ME AND THE APOCALYPSE starring Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer, Mat Baynton and Megan Mullally for Sky 1, and YONDERLAND for Sky 1.

Among our past productions are MARY & MARTHA, written by Richard Curtis, directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Hilary Swank and Brenda Blethyn, the critically acclaimed and BAFTA-winning BIRDSONG starring Eddie Redmayne and adapted by Abi Morgan, and BBC One’s hit Christmas film THE BORROWERS.

The US office has a first look deal with Universal Television and is currently developing projects for both broadcast and cable networks.

Andy Stearn is president of Working Title Television as of 2015. He was previously president of John Wells Production.
9720 Wilshire Blvd # 4, Beverly Hills, CA 90212  |  310.777.3100
Twitter: (10.6K followers) https://twitter.com/Working_Title
Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_Title_Films

Recent Television Productions:

London Spy 2015
You, Me, & the Apocalypse 2015
The Secrets 2014
About a Boy 2014 – 2015
Yonderland 2013 – 2015
Mary and Martha 2013
True Love 2012
Birdsong 2012
The Borrowers 2011
In the Media:
Andrew Stearn Named President of Working Title Television U.S.  I  Variety  I September 8, 2015
Working Title Television has recruited Andrew Stearn, formerly president of television at John Wells Productions, to run its U.S. operation.

Stearn is set to join the company this week as president of Working Title Television U.S. He’ll work closely with Working Title Films founders Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as well as Liza Chasin, Working Title’s president of U.S. production. His mandate is to work with creative talent and broadcasters on both sides of the Atlantic to develop a range of projects and co-productions.

Based in London and Los Angeles, Working Title Television is a joint venture between NBCUniversal International Studios and Bevan and Fellner. Stearn will work closely in that capacity with Michael Edelstein, president of NBCU International Studios, and JoAnn Alfano, exec VP of scripted programming.

Working Title has taken a few stabs at the U.S. TV market. It has a limited series, “You, Me and the End of the World,” set to air on NBC later this season. For the previous two seasons Working Title produced the adaptation of “About a Boy” for NBC.

“With his wealth of experience, (Stearn) is perfectly placed to advance our label’s potential in television production,” Bevan and Fellner said in a statement.

Stearn’s hiring follows the departure of Gina Girolamo, who joined Working Title in Los Angeles last October as exec VP of television. But she exited the company in July to return to Alloy Media, where she’d worked before signing on with Working Title.

“I am thrilled to be joining such a well-established and recognized production company,” Stearn said. “And I hope my collaboration with Working Title is as long and prosperous as my time with John Wells.”

Michael Edelstein, NBCUniversal International Studios president, called Stearn “a skilled executive who commands an encyclopedic knowledge of the TV business, with strong and established relationships with writers.”

Stearn spent more than 15 years with John Wells Productions, steering the company’s TV series and pilot development activity. He served as a producer on NBC’s “The West Wing” and “Third Watch” and as a exec producer of NBC/TNT’s “Southland” and Showtime’s “Shameless.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with Andrew Stearn through these many years and successes,” Wells said. “He’s a terrific executive who I’m sure will have much more success in the years to come.”

Broadway Video VRP



Broadway Video is an American multimedia entertainment studio founded by Lorne Michaels, creator of the sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live and producer of other television programs and movies.

In Their Own Words:
Broadway Video is a global entertainment and media company founded by Lorne Michaels. Launched in 1979 in New York’s historic Brill Building, Broadway Video has grown into an independent studio that produces and distributes original comedic content for every platform.

Company Size: 51 – 200
Founded: 1979

Offices:
1619 Broadway, New York, NY 10019  |  212.265.7600
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112  |  212.664.5700
9401 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210  |  310.7460300

Executive Producer/Founder – Lorne Michaels
CEO – Jack Sullivan
President, Broadway Video Ventures – David Birnbaum
Chief Creative Officer, Branding and Creative – Elaine Cantwell
President, Above Average Productions – Jennifer Danielson
President and Managing Director, Production Services – Stacey Foster
Chief Communications Officer – Cristina McGinniss
EVP – Kathryn Miller
President, Broadway Video Enterprises – Britta von Schoeler
President, Broadway Video Television – Andrew Singer

Websitehttp://broadwayvideo.com/

Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_Video

Twitter: (6.5K followers) https://twitter.com/broadwayvideo?lang=en

Facebook: (1.1K likes) https://www.facebook.com/BroadwayVideo/

Broadway Video Film Slatehttp://broadwayvideo.com/film/
Broadway Video TV Slatehttp://broadwayvideo.com/television/
Filmography:
Untitled Mike O’Brien Project (TV) 2017
Detroiters (TV) 2017
Masterminds 2016
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot 2016
Maya & Marty (TV) 2016 –
American Odyssey (TV) 2015
Documentary Now! (TV) 2015 –
Man Seeking Woman (TV) 2015 –
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (TV) 2014 –
Hot Rod 2007
30 Rock (TV) 2006 – 2013
Mean Girls 2004
Saturday Night Live (TV) 1975 – 2017
[additional credits, approximately 200]

In the Media:
Comedy Central Renews ‘Detroiters’ for Season 2  |  Variety  |  March 20, 2017
Comedy Central has renewed “Detroiters” for a second season, Variety has learned.

The series, currently in the middle of its first season run, stars real life best friends Sam Richardson (“Veep”), from Detroit, and Tim Robinson (“Saturday Night Live”), from Metro Detroit, as small-time ad men in the Motor City. Executive produced, created and written by Richardson, Robinson, Joe Kelly, and Zach Kanin, and executive produced by Lorne Michaels, Jason Sudeikis, and Broadway Video’s Andrew Singer, Season 2 will premiere in 2018.

“Sam and Tim’s sweet, goofy friendship is so infectious, we’ve noticed people being nicer to each other,” said Comedy Central president Kent Alterman. “Perhaps we’ll set Season 2 in D.C.”

The guest star list for Season 1 is packed, including Sudeikis, Obba Babatunde, Michael Che, Comedian CP, Steve Higgins, Richard Karn, Rick Mahorn, Keegan-Michael Key, Kevin Nash, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Cecily Strong, Trick Trick, George Wallace, and Malcolm-Jamal Warner.

Ratings for cable series are less and less a straight barometer for renewal; “Detroiters” has thus far fared no worse than other new cable comedies that have been renewed, averaging a 0.2 in the 18-49 demo and an audience of 381,000, with those numbers showing the usual double-digit increases with delayed and digital viewing. Critical consensus was a strong vote of confidence for the series. Variety‘s Sonia Saraiya called it “a bizarre, rollicking joy to watch. As is fitting for a show named after a place, ‘Detroiters’ is a state of mind — a nice place to visit and stay awhile, to enjoy the world in a completely different headspace.”

Lorne Michaels’ Above Average Digital Comedy Studio Raises $15 Million from Turner, Advance Vixeid Partners  |  Variety  |  July 20, 2016
Above Average, the digital comedy studio formed by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, has raised $15 million in funding from Turner Broadcasting and Advance Vixeid Partners, the independent investment arm of Advance Publications and Conde Nast.

Above Average, which launched in 2012, produces web series and content — with a good portion of it featuring talent from Broadway Video’s flagship franchise, “Saturday Night Live” for NBC.

“While digital-first with a talent-first philosophy, we are both a publisher and a studio creating premium smart comedy for talent, audiences and brands,” said Jennifer Danielson, president of Above Average. “This funding further validates our efforts and productions, and we’re excited about the new opportunities for growth it provides.”

Productions from Above Average include “Alec Baldwin’s Love Ride” (pictured above), featuring the actor providing relationship advice to guests in a New York City cab; “Sound Advice” with “SNL” cast member Vanessa Bayer playing an image consultant to musicians; “Seven Minutes in Heaven”; “Hudson Valley Ballers”; and “Everyone’s Upstairs Neighbors.” Its content is distributed across multiple platforms, including YouTube, NBCUniversal’s Seeso, Vessel and Google Play.

In addition, Above Average has launched The Kicker, a sports comedy online destination from Bryan Tucker, co-head writer of “SNL,” and it also produces branded content for advertisers.

Above Average is led by Danielson, who began working at Broadway Video in 2001. Other key execs include Marc Lieberman, VP of biz dev, who formerly worked for the Onion in the same capacity, and director of development Josh Poole, who before joining the company in 2012 worked in production and development at MTV.

Above Average, which has a staff of about 60, is based in New York. Its tagline is “The Internet’s last hope for comedy,” with competitors including Funny Or Die, the Onion, College Humor and Turner’s recently relaunched Super Deluxe. The venture’s funding was first reported by Recode.

Anonymous Content VRP

Anonymous Content 

 

 
Anonymous Content is an entertainment company founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin. It is based in Los Angeleswith its offices in Culver City and New York City.
In Their Own Words:

Founded in 1999 by CEO Steve Golin, Anonymous Content is a production and management company where talent comes first. We manage exceptional directors, writers, actors, and comedians, and work closely with them to achieve their goals, whether in feature films, television, commercials, music videos, or brand integrated content. We guide careers with confidence, relying on our experience in every area of the changing media landscape. Alongside our distinguished clients, we continue to grow our outstanding reputation in the entertainment and advertising industries.

3532 Hayden Ave, Culver City, CA 90232  |  310.558.3667
Size: 51 – 200

Founded: 1999

CEO/Founder: Steve Golin
Partner/Manager/Producer: Michael Sugar

Partial Filmography:
13 Reasons Why (TV) 2017
The OA (TV) 2016 –
Berlin Station (TV) 2016 –
Quarry (TV) 2016 –
Collateral Beauty 2016
Mr. Robot (TV) 2015 –
Schitt’s Creek (TV) 2014 – 2017
The Knick (TV) 2014 – 2015
The Revenant 2015
True Detective (TV) 2014 – 2015
Spotlight 2014
The L Word (TV) 2004 – 2009
Winter’s Bone 2010
Babel 2006
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 2004
[additional credits, approximately 200 total]
Notable Clients:
Robin Wright
Emma Stone
Melissa Benoist
James Franco
Ryan Gosling
Samuel L. Jackson
Matt Bomer
Stanley Tucci
Michael Keaton
Edgar Wright
Peter Skargaard
John Lithgow
Twitter: (12.3K followers) https://twitter.com/anoncontent
Facebook: (14.8K likes) https://www.facebook.com/AnonContent/
In the Media:
Anonymous Content Nabs Rights To Stephen & Owen King’s Novel ‘Sleeping Beauties’ For TV Series Adaptation  |  Deadline  |  April 4, 2017
In a very competitive situation, Anonymous Content has landed the rights to Sleeping Beauties, the upcoming supernatural/suspense novel by horror master Stephen King and his son, Owen King. Anonymous will be partnering with the Kings to develop Sleeping Beauties as a TV series.

Set for a September release by Simon & Schuster‘s Scribner, Sleeping Beauties takes place in the near future in a small Appalachian town whose primary employer is a women’s prison. Something happens when women go to sleep; they become shrouded in a cocoon-like gauze. If they are awakened, if the gauze wrapping their bodies is disturbed or violated, the women become feral and spectacularly violent. And while they sleep they go to another place. Meanwhile, the men are abandoned, left to their increasingly primal devices. One woman, the mysterious Evie, is immune to the blessing or curse of the sleeping disease. Is Evie a medical anomaly to be studied? Or is she a demon who must be slain?

Oscar-winning producer Michael Sugar (Spotlight) and Ashley Zalta will executive produce the series for Anonymous Content. Sugar and Zalta also are executive producing Netflix’s mystery drama series The OA,recently renewed for a second season, and the high-profile upcoming Netflix series Maniac, starring Emma Stone and Jonah Hill with Cary Fukunaga directing, which is set to go into production at the end of summer. Sugar’s series credits also include Cinemax’s The Knick and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why.

Stephen King has published more than 60 novels, books and short-story collections, which have sold 350 million-plus copies. Many have been adapted for film and television, most recently features It and The Dark Tower, limited series 11.22.63 and the upcoming horror series Castle Rock, both for Hulu with J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot.

Owen King and his brother, fellow writer Joe Hill, are developing their original feature script Fade Away as a television series for Miramax and Miguel Sapochnik. Owen King is also co-writing with Mark Poirier Alien Invasion for Constantin Film based on their graphic novel.

Stephen King is repped by Paradigm. Owen King is repped by the Lynn Pleshette Literary Agency and Thruline Entertainment.

Room’s Lenny Abrahamson Lights Up FBI Siege Tale ‘Burning Rainbow Farm’  |  Deadline  |  March 22, 2017
Anonymous Content, Element Pictures and Film4 have optioned the Dean Kuipers book Burning Rainbow Farm, and will develop it as a directing vehicle for Room helmer Lenny Abrahamson. Playwright Cory Finley, who made his directing debut with the Sundance pic Thoroughbred, will write the script. It is the true story of two marijuana advocates who were gunned down by the FBI after a five-day standoff. Anonymous Content’s Adam Shulman and Mad Dog Films’ Alix Madigan will produce with Element’s Ed Guiney and Abrahamson. Steve Golin and Andrew Lowe will be exec producers alongside Film4’s Daniel Battsek.

Rainbow Farm was a peaceful, pot-friendly haven in rural Michigan, hatched in the 1990s by life partners Tom Crosslin and Rollie Rohm. Their annual hemp and music festivals led them toward becoming a catalyst for marijuana legalization in the state. Their festivals were well attended and High Times magazine judged the farm one of the top stoner travel spots in the country. But Crosslin and Rohm grew increasingly bold with their cultivation of marijuana plants. After an accident involving a teen attendee of one of their festivals who crashed his car and died, the farm was raided and the hippie couple was charged with possession of a firearm and for cultivating 200 plants. Their son was removed from their home and placed in foster care.

In an act of defiance, Crosslin and Rohm skipped their appointed court date on their criminal case, and torched Rainbow Farm. County officials called the FBI. A five-day standoff erupted, with shots fired,  and the couple was eventually shot dead. The siege might have created more of a public outcry, but it happened days before the 9/11 terror attacks. The book was published in 2006.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the tension in U.S. political discourse between various ideals of personal liberty and the perceived threats against them from the state,” said Abrahamson, who was Oscar-nominated for his last film, Room. “The intensely moving and tragic story of Tom and Rollie and the fate of Rainbow Farm, brilliantly captured and contextualized in Dean Kuiper’s excellent book, is a vivid and compelling way of dramatizing a fundamental fracture which continues to define U.S. society today. I’m delighted to be working with such great producers as Alix and Adam, alongside my partner Ed Guiney and very excited to be collaborating with Cory Finley, who is an exceptional talent.”

Finley’s Sundance debut Thoroughbred was acquired by Focus Features after its premiere.

Abrahamson is represented by WME and Casarotto Ramsay; Finley by ICM Partners. Element previously teamed with Film4 on Room and also The Lobster, and Anonymous Content’s credits include Spotlight and The Revenant.

Anonymous Content Sells Minority Stake to Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective  |  Variety  |  September 30, 2016
Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective has bought a minority stake in powerhouse management-production company Anonymous Content.

Anonymous, founded by producer Steve Golin in 1999, has been shopping for a minority investor in the company for the past few months. With the investment, Anonymous and Emerson will focus on developing “socially-relevant” film, TV and digital content.

Anonymous has come on strong on the production side during the past few years with high-profile TV shows such as “True Detective,” “Mr. Robot” and “The Knick.” The company was also behind the two heatseekers of the 2015-16 film awards cycle, “Spotlight” (which won the best picture Oscar) and “The Revenant.”

“It is an honor for Anonymous Content to be partnering with Laurene Powell Jobs and the Emerson Collective team,” said Golin, who is CEO of Anonymous. “Emerson Collective shares our commitment to creating high-quality content that both entertains and inspires, and we are eager to help further their bold initiatives. Our partnership will expand opportunities for our clients and Anonymous Content to highlight issues of social justice and produce projects that can serve as agents of change.”

Golin and his partners Michael Sugar, Doug Wald, Eric Stern and Diane Janicki will continue to run the privately held Anonymous, which is based in Culver City. Emerson will have representation on its board of directors.

The success with TV series has revved up the financial momentum at Anonymous. The company retained Guggenheim Securities earlier this year to shop for investors to allow the company to further expand its scope and capitalize on the insatiable demand for high-end content. In addition to management, TV and film production, Anonymous has a prosperous commercial and branded content division that works with blue-chip advertisers such as Coca-Cola, Prada and Nike.

Endemol Shine, Paramount Pictures and ITV are among the traditional entertainment companies that took a serious look at investing in the company. But Anonymous was asking for $100 million for a 49% minority interest — which translated to a sky-high earnings multiple. And that made it an uphill climb for getting a deal done.

Reps for Anonymous and Emerson would not discuss financial terms. But a source close to the situation said the valuation of Anonymous in the deal with Emerson came in considerably higher than $100 million.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based Emerson Collective, a philanthropy-focused LLC, has been moving into the media and entertainment arena. Last year it invested in Macro, the production venture launched by former WME agent Charles King. Powell Jobs is the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

“Emerson Collective believes in the power of storytelling to shape our culture and improve lives,” said Powell Jobs, who is president of Emerson Collective. “We’re thrilled to partner with Steve and his talented team at Anonymous Content to create films, television and digital content that can inspire change.”

Emerson Collective is named after the 19th century Transcendentalist writer and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. The org’s goal is to “remove barriers to opportunity so people can live to their full potential.” Emerson’s focus to date has been on education and immigration reform, as well as environmental concerns.

In addition to Guggenheim, Anonymous was advised in the sale by a team led by Robert Haymer at Latham & Watkins.

Justin Sayre Mini-VRP

 

Justin Sayre is best known as the creator and host of The Meeting* of the International Order of Sodomites, the acclaimed comedy/variety show. The Meeting* was named among the Top nightclub shows of 2013 by Time Out New York, and received the 2012 Bistro Award for “Comedy Artistry” and a 2011 MAC Award nomination for Best Male Comedy Performance.

He was described by Michael Musto in The Village Voice as “Oscar Wilde meets Whoopi Goldberg.” In a recent story for Edge New York, Steve Weinstein said ”Comedian, raconteur, performing artist, gay rights activist and sexual outlaw: I’m not sure Justin Sayre is classifiable. The veteran performer is on his way to becoming a Downtown Manhattan institution along the lines of Charles Ludlum or Charles Busch.” Justin is a child of Forty Fort, Pennsylvania who demonstrated a supernatural instinct for “camp” at an early age. With a voice straight out the MGM finishing school for girls, he moved to New York believing it was still 1947. He was terribly misinformed.
As an actor, he has worked and studied with some of the finest professionals in the city. As a comedian, Sayre is regular guest at Homo-Comicus at the Gotham Comedy Club and contributing writer to Murray Hill’s ShowBiz on MTVX. As a gay, Justin has excelled at scarf placement, devilish quips, and a healthy but firm love of the American musical.
An evening of his short plays, Justin Sayre Is Alive and Well… Writing – called one of the “Top 10 Events on the New York Stage” by the New York Daily News – sold out two shows at Ars Nova in 2012. Sayre’s play, The Click of the Lock, was a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill Theater Conference and debuted at The Cherry Lane Theatre starring Randy Harrison. Sayre is a contributor to The Huffington Post and Flavorwire, as well offering playful and witty love advice at The Date Report. He is currently a staff writer for 2 Broke Girls on CBS-TV and is writing a young adult book, which was released by Penguin Books in 2015.
The Gay Agenda” – his debut comedy/spoken word album – is available now.

CAA: Elizabeth Newman (CAA)
Manager: Alex Goldstone (Anonymous Content)
The Meeting* Website: http://www.themeetingshow.com
Filmography
2 Broke Girls Writer 2015 – 2017
Hard Decisions (TV) Actor: Max 2015
Jason and Shirley Actor: Marvelous Neighbor 2015
The Comeback (TV) Actor: Q 2014
In the Media:
Interview: Justin Sayre  |  October 21, 2016  |  Drama Queen NYC
The Meeting* hosted by Justin Sayre – the monthly gathering of the International Order of Sodomites, a fictional “centuries-old organization which sets the mythic Gay Agenda” – will come to an end at the conclusion of its upcoming season. After seven years of audacious humor, trailblazing political discourse and button-pushing cultural exploration, the acclaimed comedy/variety show will be presented for the eighth and final season from September 2016 through May 2017 at Joe’s Pub at The Public Theater. The Fall 2016 season shows are Sunday nights at 9:30pm and will feature tributes to gay icons Bette Midler (October 23), and Angela Lansbury (November 20), with the 8th Annual Holiday Spectacular! being held December 18. There will also be a November 5 show at Oasis in San Francisco.

I talked recently with Sayre about The Meeting*, his new comedy CD The Gay Agenda, and his popular podcast “Sparkle & Circulate”.

What was the origin of The Meeting*?

I had gone to a Radical Faerie event and I had never been to one before I was struck by the community, the discussions that people were having. I left and the whole idea for The Meeting* spurted out in one moment. [Laughs.] “Oh! What if you did a comedy / variety show, that was political and topical, that celebrated different gay icons? Invite people from the community to intepret their work, rather than doing impersonations. Do it month to month.” Really, came up with the title and the whole thing. I called some friends in New York and asked, “Do you think that will work? Would you ever come to something like that?” The response was positive, so I though, okay I’ll try it! See what happens, nothing really lost if it fails – it’s only one night [Laughs.] I thought that for the first year, really, it’s only one night a month if it doesn’t work out how bad is it? It really hit the ground running, we did the first two shows at the Duplex, and they said “this is really smart and fun, and we would love to have you back.” And there was always something new I wanted to do, or new people I wanted to have on it.

Do you think of your monologues as stand-up?

No. I still don’t consider myself a stand up in a strange way. I’m more of a storyteller. To me stand-up is more athletic, they’re more like rock-jumpers going from idea to idea to idea. As a theatre actor, it was more about “this is part of this particular section of the show, and here we need to introduce this idea to help frame the next part.” Like my “hanky code” story was framing emotional baggage. Or we need to introduce the political side of x, y and z for what’s coming up next, so we need to spin it this way.

Who influenced you as a performer?

Especially as a gay performer, as somebody coming out of the cabaret world Justin Vivian Bond was an enormous influence on me, I was obsessed with Justin and Kenny Mellman as Kiki & Herb, when they were playing I would buy tickets for every performance. Just the way they would work this really intelligent commentary into this wild world. Also people like Sandra Bernhart, certainly. And strangely, Stritch. I know that sounds so strange, but I’ve taken a huge thing from her performing style. You know just stand there and do itdeliver. Not anything else really, but just that – she’s always represented that to me, and for better or worse the honesty that comes out of that.

Tell me a little about The Gay Agenda.

We’d always recorded the shows, and about two or three years ago we thought, well, we have all this material, it’d be great to put it together and have a “Greatest Hits” of The Meeting*. Dan Fortune, my producer spearhead the idea, we picked out tracks, listened to dubs and all that stuff. It really represents what The Meeting* has been about very, very well.

In listening to The Gay Agenda, do I detect the influence of Buddy Cole [Scott Thompson’s insanely flamboyant character from Kids in the Hall]?

[Laughs.] Scott actually came to one of the shows and I said to him, “Sometimes I feel like I’m just doing Buddy Cole!” [Laughs.] I grew up with Kids in the Hall, and Buddy Cole is one of the first out people I remember seeing, and talking so frankly about it. I remember being so titillated and excited, thinking “look at him, he’s so gay!” [Laughs.] I take that as a huge compliment, really I do, because I think everything Scott and those guys did was so fantastic and ahead of their time. Thank you for even thinking of me in the same light!

How did the “Sparkle & Circulate” podcast come about?

It’s another way to get more material out there and to keep fans interested. Once our YouTube channel started to take off, we wanted to supply people with a really easy, accessible way to “tune in.” When we started there was just too much on my plate to consider something as complex as creating a whole other show. We have all these great guests at The Meeting*, because of the format of the show I don’t interact with them much. The podcast came out of my desire to actually talk to people I admired, find out where they were at with their work, what queerness or gayness has to do with their work. I found very quickly that I really liked it. And it’s really taken off, it’s a remarkable thing that I never saw coming but really delight in. And that will continue long after The Meeting* is over.

Do you have anything coming up?

Two plays coming up by the end of this year, I’m working on a pilot right now, books coming out. The work has grown exponetially through and because of The Meeting*. I got hired to write for Two Broke Girls because Michael Patrick King saw a clip and thought I was really funny. I got my book deal in a very similar way.

One last thing, as someone who has said that, in the boudoir, calling you “Madame” works just as well as calling you “Daddy,” what’s your take on masculinity?

I don’t deal with it well! [Laughs.] When somebody’s really butch I’m very “What are you doing in my house? Get outta here!” It’s almost what the premise of the show is, in a weird way. Even in the beginning The Meeting* was going to operate from the fact that being gay was never outside the norm but was the norm, even the superior norm. So there are no apologies, no teaching anybody, we’re all in on the joke. It became a celebration of what that means. I think so many people have a struggle with masculinity, because they think its about strength or some kind of bravura, but I so often find that masculinity is about insecurity. It’s about demanding space because you’re worried that somebody else is going to take it. And when you give that up and say “You know, I take up space simply because I’m this person, nobody can take it.” I can invite people into it and make sure that other voices are heard. Everything doesn’t have to be a pissing contest. I think we get a lot more donethinking like that, and are just happier. I take on masculinity because I feel like it’s something that people are forcing down on themselves, or using to force someone out of their space. I’ve seen masculinity being used as a preventative measure, and I don’t like that. I take it on because I want to free people of it, metaphorically take it off the table and poke fun at it. Within expectations of masculinity there’s that thread of misogyny. It’s always shocking to me that little gay kids grow up and want to be like the kid that tortured them in middle school. That seems silly to me. We need to celebrate who we are rather than try to be somebody else.

For tickets and more information about Justin, click here.

The Mark Gordon Company VRP

The Mark Gordon Company


tmcg-eone

The Mark Gordon Company has produced numerous films and television shows. In 2015, it partnered with Entertainment One (eOne) to create an independent television and film studio. Gordon serves as CEO of the company, which both finances and produces premium content by Gordon as well as other producers.

1447 Cloverfield Blvd. Ste 201, Santa Monica, CA 90404  |  310.943.6401
Founded: 1987
CEO/Principal/Producer: Mark Gordon
EVP: David Brownfield
SVP, TV: Brian Harvey
VP, Production & Finance: Marjorie Chodorov
VP, New Media: Shara Senderoff
Head, TV Drama: Nicholas Pepper
Creative Executive: Sara Smith
Coordinator: Lindsay Tolbert

Partial Filmography
:
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair
The Barbary Coast (TV)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew
Source Code 2
Tomorrow and Tomorrow
Private Benjamin
Beautiful Jim Key
Arc of Justice
The Politician
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 2018
Las Reinas (TV) 2017
Murder on the Orient Express 2017
Molly’s Game 2017
The Tribes of Palos Verdes 2017
Sand Castle 2017
Designated Survivor (TV) 2016 – 2017
Conviction (TV) 2016 – 2017
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (TV) 2016 – 2017
Quantico (TV) 2015 – 2017
Criminal Minds (TV) 2005 – 2017
Grey’s Anatomy (TV) 2005 – 2017
War Dogs 2016
Steve Jobs 2015
Ray Donovan (TV) 2013 – 2014
Army Wives (TV) 2007 – 2013
Private Practice (TV) 2007 – 2013
The To Do List 2013
Source Code 2011
2012 2009
The Painted Veil 2006
Casanova 2005
Speed 1994
[additional credits, over 80 total]

IMDBprohttps://pro-labs.imdb.com/company/co0085751/

Mark Gordon Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Gordon

In the Media:
Veteran Producer & Longtime CBS Exec David Brownfield Tapped As The Mark Gordon Company EVP  |  Deadline  |  Januar 19, 2017

The prolific The Mark Gordon Company has hired veteran executive and producer David Brownfield as Executive Vice President. In his new role, Brownfield will supervise all production activities for TMGC’s current series as well as work closely with the company’s creative team in developing premium television content. He will report to CEO Mark Gordon.

The move comes as TMGC experiences a notable increase in its production of on-air programming for both domestic and international markets. The company has seven television series currently on air and a full slate of upcoming high-profile feature films including Molly’s Game, The Nutcracker And The Four Realms, and Murder On The Orient Express. Most recently, TMGC and its partner Entertainment One (eOne), inked a multiyear deal with with Xavier Marchand’s Moonriver Content banner to increase the volume of UK and European television and film projects coming to them for financing, co-producing and distribution.

Brownfield comes to TMGC from Eleven Stitches Productions, CBS Television Studios, where he served as Executive Producer. His hourlong drama, The Case Runner was in development at CBS Network for the 2016-17 season. Prior to that, David was SVP of Current Programs at CBS Television for nine years. He was responsible for overseeing the creative development of over 20 scripted series per season, including CSI, NCIS, The Good Wife, The Big Bang Theory, and How I Met Your Mother. Brownfield was intricately involved in all aspects of ongoing series, regularly interfacing with senior management for the network’s Scheduling, Marketing, Casting, Digital and Business Affairs departments. David joined CBS in 2001 and served as VP Current Programs before he was made a department head in 2004. Before joining CBS, David worked as a comedy writer on several series, including Boy Meets World and The Drew Carey Show. He also worked as a Current and Development executive at ABC Network from 1993-97.

“David is a rare talent whose immense creative abilities match his superb skills in keeping productions on track,” said Gordon. “He is a highly respected and effective executive with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with in the past on Criminal Minds. We are delighted to have him steer our programming activities and help us continue to develop and expand our television pipeline.”

The company is currently in production on hit TV series including Ray Donovan(Showtime), Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), Criminal Minds and franchise spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS), and Quantico (ABC). The company also serves as the lead studio for new series Designated Survivor starring Kiefer Sutherland and Conviction starring Hayley Atwell, both of which premiered last fall on ABC.

Entertainment One and The Mark Gordon Company Partner for Film and Television Studio  |  The Hollywood Report  |  January 5, 2015

Entertainment One (eOne) and The Mark Gordon Company have announced a partnership to create an new independent studio that will finance and produce film, network, cable and digital premium content, which eOne will distribute internationally.

The new L.A.-based studio will be led by Mark Gordon as CEO and will continue to produce content for The Mark Gordon Company as well as finance projects by other producers. MGC is behind television hits Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Ray Donovan, and Gordon has helped produce box-office hits such as Speed, The Day After Tomorrow and Saving Private Ryan.

The deal will see eOne taking a significant stake in MGC. The new entity combines one of the most successful film and television producers with a company that has an extensive international distribution network.

Read more ABC, Mark Gordon Adapting Family Legal Drama ‘Fina Ludlow’ (Exclusive)

“As producers, we have been successful in bringing the vision of talented creators to large audiences. We can now expand our contribution to include financing and strong global distribution. There is a voracious appetite for premium original content worldwide. In order to realize the true value of our content, retention of rights ownership and control of international distribution are musts,” said Gordon in a statement. “In eOne, we have found partners that share our vision of supporting the creators and are immersed in the international marketplace with great ambitions to expand in the U.S. Together, we are building an alternative to the traditional studio way.”

Darren Throop, president and COO of Entertainment One, said: “We are delighted to enter into this partnership with Mark and his team. Mark brings a wealth of experience and talent to the table. The Mark Gordon Company creates first-class content and has been entertaining audiences around the world for many years. As eOne continues to build its global platform, partnering with strong creative companies like The Mark Gordon Company is right on strategy and I am very excited to welcome them to the larger eOne family.”

The Mark Gordon Company confirmed that it will complete its tenure with ABC studios and that it will continue to develop and produce film content across all genres, including the production of studio films.

eOne’s U.S. television business will continue developing, financing and producing programming, operating independently of MGC. eOne also said it plans to leverage its digital expertise to enhance the interactive potential of the content produced by the studio.

Dan Harmon VRP

Dan Harmon is a seasoned writer for film and television. He is the creator and executive producer of NBC’s COMMUNITY, co-creator of Adult Swim’s animated series, RICK AND MORTY, and co-creator of Comedy Central’s THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM. Harmon co-wrote the Academy Award nominated film, MONSTER HOUSE and the now famously failed television comedy pilot, HEAT VISION AND JACK, with writing partner Rob Schrab. He and Schrab founded Channel 101, a website celebrating innovative new web series. Dan also performs a weekly live show and recorded podcast, called HARMONTOWN, with special guests at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood. Starburns Industries recently premiered the movie at the South By South West Film Festival.

Company: Starburns Industry

Size: 51 – 200
Founded: 2010

1700 W. Burbank Blvd. Burbank, CA 91506  |  818.955.8977

http://www.starburnsindustries.com/

Producer/Partner/CEO: Joe Russo II
Executive Producer/Writer/Partner: Dan Harmon
Executive Producer/Writer/Partner: Dino Stamatopoulos
Executive Producer/Partner: James A. Fino
Director/Jr. Partner: Duke Johnson
Partial Filmography:
Bubbles Producer
Untitled ESports Show (TV) Executive Producer 2017
Great Minds with Dan Harmon (TV) Executive Producer 2016
HarmonQuest (TV) Executive Producer 2016
Anomalisa Executive Producer 2015
Harmontown Executive Producer 2014
Harmontown (TV) Executive Producer 2014 – 2017
Rick and Morty (TV) Executive Producer 2013 – 2017
Community (TV) Executive Producer 2009 – 2015
The Sarah Silverman Program (TV) Writer 2007 – 2010
The 81st Annual Academy Awards (TV) Writer 2009
Monster House Writer 2006
[additional credits, over 100 total]

Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Harmon

Twitter: (416K followers) https://twitter.com/danharmon
HARMONTOWN Facebook: (11,004 likes) https://www.facebook.com/Harmontown/
In the Media:
Dan Harmon, Scott Adsit to headline the Chicago Improv Fest  |  Chicago Tribune  |  March 9, 2017
Dan Harmon and Scott Adsit will headline the 20th annual Chicago Improv Festival, coming up March 27 to April 2.

Harmon, creator of the TV show “Community,” will perform a live version of his podcast “Harmontown” April 1. Adsit, a Northbrook native and Second City-alum known for playing Pete Hornberger on “30 Rock,” will be receiving a Spotlight Award at the festival and performing in two shows: Susan Messing’s “Messing with a Friend” with Kevin Dorff on March 30 and with Mama’s Boy, featuring Nancy Hayden and Jaime Moyer, on March 31.

Other headlining shows include: former SNL writer Katie Rich and Holly Laurent; Sheldon featuring Rob Belushi and Jon Barinholtz; Antoine McKay and Friends; Frangela with Frances Callier and Angela Shelton; Slotnick, Katz and Lehr featuring Joey Slotnick, Lauren Katz and John Lehr; and Two More featuring Kevin Dorff and TJ Jagodowski.

This year’s festival features more than 145 improv groups. Shows will be held at Stage 773, the Athenaeum Theatre, The Annoyance Theatre and Second City’s e.t.c. Theater. For the full lineup and tickets, visit chicagoimprovfestival.org.

Dan Harmon provides update on Rick and Morty’s third season  |  Polygon  |  Jan 25, 2017

Rick and Morty co-creator Dan Harmon has given one of his lengthiest and most detailed explanations yet for why the show’s third season still isn’t here.

Before giving the 15-tweet long update, Harmon spoke to Indiewire at Sundanceabout his career. When asked about the show, Harmon admitted that the series was late because he and co-creator Justin Roiland couldn’t agree on where they wanted to go with the season.

“If Justin were here, he’d agree,” Harmon said. “He and I would go, ‘Yeah, we fucked up,’ and it’s hard to put your finger on how we fucked up. Rick and Morty keeps taking longer and longer to write, and I don’t know why.

“We have fights all the time and then we have fights about why we’re having fights.”

Harmon’s remarks led to reports that it was because of in-house fighting that Rick and Morty’s third season kept getting delayed. Harmon took to Twitter today to clarify his comments. He added they don’t want to provide any specifics on episodes in the pipeline because of two reasons: fear their writers or artists would be harassed, and scheduling effectively comes down to Adult Swim executives.

Harmon also clarified that he and Roiland never fought, instead suggesting perhaps that was the problem.

“We respect and terrify each other and always want the other to be happy,” Harmon wrote.

The creator ended his Twitter thread by reminding fans that constantly asking when the third season would arrive wouldn’t accomplish anything other than making them seem “15 and dumb.”

Dan Harmon’s Angry, Abusive Twitter Rant Makes Him Seem Deeply Unhappy  |  Paste Magazine  |  October 21, 2015

File this one under “comedy??”

First off, none of this is safe for work in any way—if you scroll down, you will be reading some language. Second off, if you worship Dan Harmon, creator of Community and Rick and Morty, you might want to stop here, because even your fellow Harmon-worshippersthink it makes him look really small.

The story here is that Harmon was on a plane yesterday, possibly drunk, and someone insulted him on Twitter. This happens to famous people all the time. It even happens to non-famous people all the time. Twitter is essentially a cauldron of self-promotion, links, and insults, and there is no escape. Dan Harmon has surely been insulted on Twitter before—it’s part of the shitty bargain. This time, though, something snapped, and he caved to a dark desire to “inflict genuine pain.”

Unfortunately, his nemesis has protected all his/her tweets, so we can’t see the original spark, but Harmon’s responses tell us plenty all by themselves.

(UPDATE: From the comments, here’s the unforgivable, incendiary tweet that set Harmon off: “Uhhh ok? I guess you’re drunker than expected. That’s ok. But this isn’t that great of an idea?”)

Here’s a sampling:

It goes on from there, and you can revisit the whole debacle at Harmon’s Twitter feed. The interesting thing here is that his victim’s Twitter handle was “Bird Person,” which is a Rick and Morty character, so he’s at least nominally a Harmon fan.

The gist of Harmon’s insults, as you see above (and which went on interminably), is that because he’s famous, the hatred he piles on this Twitter user will be the most attention said Twitter user ever gets—i.e. the highlight of his life. This, of course, is based on the fundamentally Hollywood-American belief that a human being’s value derives chiefly from whatever fame he’s able to muster in this life. That seems to the milieu Harmon is most comfortable inhabiting…for better or worse. (Hint: Worse.)

There are also a few self-aggrandizing threats.

Followed by a re-iteration of the idea that the worst thing a human being can be is “not famous”.
Followed by a return to generic insults.
Followed by insulting other Twitter users who took him to task.

And so on. Late last night, now sober, he took stock.
So…what the hell just happened? Obviously we witnessed an incredible explosion of insecurity, narcissism, and anger from a man who is both creatively talented and insanely thin-skinned. More than anything, my takeaway is that Dan Harmon is deeply unhappy. I love a good trolling, but this flew beyond that category within like, three tweets. Hopefully this is a passing moment of counterproductive chest-thumping for Harmon, and not the start of an emotional breakdown that ends with him smashing into walls in an asylum.

Imagine Television VRP

 
Imagine Television
 
 

Imagine Television has participated in at least fifty productions and is associated with 20th Century Fox Television.

9465 Wilshire Blvd, 7th Fl, Beverly Hills, CA 90212  |  310.858.2000
Francie Calfo (President)

In August of 2010, Francie Calfo joined Imagine Entertainment partners Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, as President of Television. Along with EMPIRE, Calfo is an executive producer on FOX’s upcoming event series SHOTS FIRED, and the new cable series “Genius: Einstein,” based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling book, which will be directed by Ron Howard, and is scheduled to premiere in 2017.

Previously at Imagine, she executive-produced the cable drama “The Bastard Executioner,” created by Kurt Sutter; FOX’s “Gang Related”; the cable series “Those Who Kill”; the network comedy “How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)”; and the network drama “The Playboy Club.” Before arriving at Imagine, she had a multi-year deal as an independent producer at ABC Television Studios, where she sold and executive-produced numerous network comedy and drama pilots, including “Scoundrels.”

In the years prior, Calfo served as Executive Vice President of Development and Current Programming, ABC Primetime Entertainment, overseeing all scripted comedy and drama development, as well as current programming for the network. In that time, she and her team developed and shepherded some of primetime’s biggest hits, including “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Ugly Betty” and “Brothers & Sisters.”

Calfo had her first successful stint as a producer in 2003-2004, during which she executive-produced the series “Life As We Know It,” which followed her work as a studio executive in drama development for Touchstone Television, first as a Vice President, then as Senior Vice President of Drama Series. At the studio, she oversaw all drama development and current drama programming, including “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and the critical hit “Alias.” Before her move to development, Calfo had been Vice President of Creative Affairs for Touchstone, overseeing all current programming, including “Home Improvement,” “Boy Meets World,” “Felicity,” “Sports Night” and “The PJs.” She first joined the Walt Disney Company in the Television Research department, where she rose through the ranks to Vice President of Research for Buena Vista Television, overseeing network television and television animation.

Calfo graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in communications and a minor in business.

Married and the mother of three, she currently resides with her family in Santa Monica, CA.

Filmography: 
Harve Karbo Executive Producer
League of Pan Producer
Untitled Ms. Pat Project Executive Producer
Genius Executive Producer
Shots Fired Executive Producer 2017
Empire Executive Producer 2015 – 2017
The Bastard Executioner Executive Producer 2015
Clan of the Cave Bear Executive Producer 2015
Nerd Herd Executive Producer 2015
Gang Related Executive Producer 2014
Those Who Kill Executive Producer 2014
How to Live with Your… Executive Producer 2013
The Great Escape Executive Producer 2012
Susan 313 Executive Producer 2012
The Playboy Club Executive Producer 2011
Scoundrels Executive Producer 2010
Pulling Executive Producer 2009
Solving Charlie Executive Producer 2009
Finnegan Executive Producer 2008
Life As We Know It Executive Producer 2004
The Secret Service Executive Producer 2004
 
 
Jon Radler (VP)
Jon Radler, prior to joining Imagine Television, was a Development Executive at Nickelodeon Productions. His wife, Chelsea Radler, is an agent at CAA. 
Imagine Entertainment Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagine_Entertainment
Projects in Development/Production:
Harve Karbo
League of Pan
Untitled Ms. Pat Project
Mars (NatGeo) 2016 – 2017
Genius (NatGeo) 2017
Shots Fired (Fox) 2017
24: Legacy (Fox) 2017
Empire (Fox) 2015 – 2017
Recent Television Projects:
The Bastard Executioner (FX) 2015 Cancelled after one season
WTF America (Fox) 2015 Cancelled pilot
Nerd Herd (ABC) 2015 Cancelled pilot
Clan of the Cave Bear (Lifetime) 2015 Cancelled pilot
Partial Filmography:
24: Legacy 2017
Genius 2017
Mars 2016 –
Empire 2015 –
24 2001 – 2010
Arrested Development 2003 – 2013
Parenthood 2010 – 2015
Friday Night Lights 2009 – 2011
Felicity 1998 – 2002
Sports Night 1998 – 2000
[additional credits]
In the Media:
Imagine Entertainment Says Report of Apple Talks Is ‘Not Accurate’  |  Variety  |  February 16, 2017

A top exec at Imagine Entertainment, the TV and film production company led by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, said a report that Apple had discussed a business deal — or potentially even an acquisition — was inaccurate.

According to a report Thursday Financial Times, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Eddy Cue, senior VP of internet software and services, recently met with Imagine for talks that covered a possible first-look distribution deal, an investment by Apple or an acquisition. But discussions between the two companies “fizzled out,” the newspaper reported.

Imagine co-chairman Michael Rosenberg, asked for comment, wrote in an email to Variety, “The story is not accurate and Imagine has no further comment.”

Apple declined to comment.

Speculation has swirled about the extent of Apple’s Hollywood ambitions of late. The tech giant has launched a new effort to procure or produce original scripted TV shows and possibly movies for the Apple Music subscription service, according to a Wall Street Journal report last month. And Apple and Time Warner execs met in late 2015, where the prospect of a merger was reportedly raised; AT&T now is in the midst of acquiring Time Warner for $85 billion.

Apple has cut deals for some original video content for Apple Music, its $10 monthly service that competes with the likes of Spotify and Google Play Music. Those include a spinoff of James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” from CBS, set to premiere in April, and reality-competition show “Planet of the Apps” featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, will.i.am and Jessica Alba as judges.

At a conference earlier this week, Cue indicated that Apple is not interested in buying a large media company or studio and said the original content strategy is in its nascent stages. “We’re trying different things. How fast it grows or where it goes remains to be seen,” he said Monday at the Code Media confab.

A year ago, Imagine received an investment of more than $100 million from the Raine Group, as first reported by Variety.

Brian Grazer Rides Peak TV Wave, Builds New Empire at Imagine Television  |  Variety  |  June 6, 2016

Nobody is loving the Peak TV moment more than Brian Grazer.

For a producer of boundless energy and curiosity, the spike in demand for distinctive, high-end series is a dream come true. Grazer’s Imagine Television has been invigorated by the breadth of material it is fielding for Fox (“24: Legacy,” “Shots Fired” and “Empire”) and National Geographic Channel (“Mars” and “Genius”).

And there is more to come. The recent $100 million investment by Raine Group in Imagine Entertainment, which Grazer heads with Ron Howard, has given the company greater flexibility to pursue TV and film projects on a bigger scale. Imagine TV has been based at 20th Century Fox TV since 2000, but it also produces projects outside of 20th TV’s aegis.

Grazer, an Oscar winner for 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind,” likens the creative environment in TV today to a bygone era of the film biz.

“The great writers and directors in TV today are really the embodiment of the great filmmakers of the 1960s, ‘70s and early ‘80s,” Grazer says, citing Hal Ashby, William Friedkin and Sidney Lumet as examples. “Movies have to be very, very high concept to differentiate themselves these days. … The character-driven shows on television right now are so in alignment with my tastes and interests.”

And also Grazer’s skill set. Howard Gordon, a longtime collaborator with Grazer on the “24” franchise, calls him “a quiet provocateur” who asks the right questions at the right moments.

“I’ve never known anyone so curious about the world,” said Fox Television Group chairman Dana Walden. “It’s not a coincidence that some of our most inspired projects have been collaborations with Brian and Ron at Imagine,” she said, pointing to “24,” “Arrested Development” and “Empire,” the blockbuster soap that just wrapped its second season as broadcast TV’s most-watched series in adults 18-49.

Grazer is also “exactly who you want working alongside you when there’s a problem to be solved or a piece of talent you want to attract,” Walden added. “He makes it his mission to get the job done.”

Being slightly removed from the day-to-day grind of writing and directing episodes gives Grazer a good vantage point to help keep a project on track. That’s a classic producer’s job in film, but one that hasn’t traditionally been as prevalent in TV. But it’s a role that is increasingly valuable given the 400-plus scripted series competing for the audience’s attention, Gordon said.

“Brian is always there to help us frame how the story is relevant and how we make it feel like a story that needs to be told today,” Gordon said. “24: Legacy” has been generating strong early buzz, particularly for star Corey Hawkins.

Moreover, Gordon attributes Grazer’s success as a producer to his ability to fight for his vision, but also remain open-minded and collaborative. The decision to field a new iteration of “24” without Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer came after much consideration, Gordon said.

“Brian will ask a thousand people ‘What do you think of this idea?,’ from the guy who’s parking his car to (Disney CEO) Bob Iger,” he said. “He is an astoundingly good listener, and that is something that is always in short supply in Hollywood.”

“Shots Fired” is another example. The series, which will get the midseason “event” treatment next year, revolves around the fallout from a racially charged police shooting of an unarmed man in a small Southern town. In this case, the cop is black and the victim is white, but the issues examined in the show are ripped from the headlines about Ferguson, Mo., Freddie Gray and Trayvon Martin.

“I enjoy digging around the culture to get a sense of what’s real to people,” Grazer said. “I always want our shows to be about themes that have real meaning to people.”

Grazer credits Walden with suggesting the subject of police shootings as an arena with potential. And it was Imagine TV president Francie Calfo who recruited writers Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Rock Bythewood to tackle the difficult topic in such a compelling way that the project earned a straight-to-series order from Fox.

“Francie is spectacular in terms of aligning great writers to great themes,” Grazer said of the exec who has headed his TV wing since 2010.

“Mars” is also a big showcase for Nat Geo TV, slated to air in November. The series will blend documentary material about the Red Planet with a narrative story about twin Asian girls who aspire to become astronauts. The storyline shifts from the present to the future, where only one of the girls makes it to Mars.

“Genius” is a 10-hour narrative drama about Albert Einstein based on Walter Isaacson’s biography “Einstein: His Life and Universe.” Grazer’s Imagine partner Howard is set to direct the first episode. The series, targeted to premiere next spring, is designed as an anthology vehicle focusing on the life of a seminal thinker each season.

During the period when Imagine’s new TV series came together, Grazer was also busy shepherding four movies, including Universal’s upcoming Tom Cruise-starrer “Mena” and Sony’s “Inferno,” led by Tom Hanks. And Grazer published a book on his favorite subject: “A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life.”

As Imagine TV revs up with greater diversity than ever before, the difference between working in TV and movies has been thrown into sharp relief for Grazer.

“In television you know the economics going in — you know the size and shape of the box you’ll be working in for the program and the platform it will be on,” he said. “In movies, it’s all so open-ended. And then the system compresses your idea for a glacier into an ice cube. A ‘yes’ only means yes to the next step of putting it together. In television, a ‘yes’ pretty much means yes to doing it.”

Grazer is innately a searcher, someone who’s always hunting for the next big thing. But he allowed himself a moment to reflect on his company’s strides last month on the eve of the broadcast upfronts.

Grazer ran into Walden at New York’s Polo Bar the night before Fox presented its 2016-17 season schedule to advertisers. She showed him a newly cut trailer for “Shots Fired” on her smartphone. And then she broke the news that Fox released early the next day: “24: Legacy” had been selected to premiere behind Fox’s telecast of the 2017 Super Bowl.

“How do you beat that,” Grazer said, giddy at the prospect of the show getting a huge sendoff. “It’s so perfectly compatible.”

No matter what happens on the gridiron in Houston next Feb. 5, Brian Grazer has already won the Super Bowl.

Francie Calfo Named Imagine TV President  |  Deadline  |  July 22, 2010
Veteran TV executive/producer Francie Calfo is joining Imagine TV as president after more than 20 years at ABC. Calfo will replace David Nevins who is leaving to become entertainment president at Showtime, replacing Robert Greenblatt. Calfo’s deal with 20th TV where Imagine TV is based came after a couple of weeks of negotiations, mostly over financial terms.

Calfo most recently served as an ABC Studios-based producer, executive producing several pilots and one series, this summer’s struggling dramedy Scoundrels. Before that she was EVP at ABC, serving as entertainment president Stephen McPherson’s No.2. She segued into that job after spending a year as a producer, partnered with Stu Bloomberg when the two executive produced the short-lived ABC drama series Life As We Know It.

Calfo was previously an executive at ABC Studios’ predecessor Touchstone TV where she helped develop Alias and CSI under then-boss McPherson. Calfo first joined Disney’s TV team in 1989, in Buena Vista’s TV research department, eventually working her way into programming at Touchstone.

Calfo is the second ABC Studios-based producer to land a president-level job at a 20th TV-based company this week. On Tuesday, Bert Salke was named president of 20th TV’s cable/unscripted division Fox21.

Room 104 VRP

Room 104
 

Room 104 is an upcoming American television anthology comedy series created by Jay and Mark Duplass. The series was ordered by and will air on HBO in 2017. The series is set in a single room of an American hotel, exploring characters who pass through it in each episode.

Network: HBO
Airdate: TBD 2017
Creators: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Executive Producers: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass, Xan Aranda
Producers: Tyler Romary, Sydney Fleischmann
Production Company: Duplass Brothers Productions

Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Room_104

In the Media:

HBO Orders Duplass Brothers Anthology Comedy Series ‘Room 104’  |  Deadline  |  August 4, 2016
HBO has picked up Room 104, an anthology comedy series from brothers Jay and Mark Duplass. Set in a single room of an average American hotel, Room 104 tells a different story of the assorted characters who pass through it in each episode. It will begin production in Los Angeles later this year for 2017 debut.

“Jay and Mark Duplass are two of the most inventive talents in TV today,” said HBO president of programming Casey Bloys. “We’re excited to see what they do with this unique concept.”

The project stems from filmmaking brothers Jay and Mark Duplass’ overall deal with HBO. The duo (along with Steve Zissis) also created the HBO comedy series Togetherness, which ran for two seasons, and executive produce HBO’s adult animated comedy series Animals, which returns for its second season in 2017.

“We’ve all seen stories set in seedy motels and high-class international resorts, but for years we’ve been fascinated by the funny, weird, sad, scary, absurd things going down in that corporate chain hotel near the airport. That’s what Room 104 is after… finding some magic in the seemingly mundane,” said Jay and Mark Duplass.

Room 104 will be executive produced by Jay & Mark Duplass, who are also showrunners; executive producer, Xan Aranda; producer, Sydney Fleischmann.

The Duplasses are repped by ICM Partners and Sloane Offer.

Jay Duplass Reveals How New Show ‘Room 104’ Spins ‘Magic’ Tales in a ‘Mundane’ Room  |  IndieWire  |  August 7, 2016
Meeting with reporters Sunday to promote Season 3 of Amazon’s “Transparent,” Jay Duplass also shared some tidbits about “Room 104” — the new series he and his brother Mark are producing for HBO.

As announced last week, “Room 104” is an anthology series set inside a hotel room. Different characters pass through it in each episode.

Duplass revealed to IndieWire that the show would be set in a corporate hotel located near the Cleveland airport. “It’s the most boring place, the most boring location,” he said. “Just a corporate, $100 hotel outside of the airport.”

Why such a nondescript locale? “What we’re interested in mining is the magic in the mundane,” he said. “That is something that we have always worked on in our filmmaking. We find regular life to be really special and we like to go deep and find the intricacies there.”

Duplass said the anthology series will feature a rotating cast, but “there will be specialty through lines here and there; some secrets you’ll pick up on as the season progresses.”

The room in question is a place where “weird, crazy, magical things happen,” he said, noting that “Room 104” will tackle various genres, including comedy, drama, thriller and horror. “It will be like half-hour mini-movies,” he said. “I won’t say it’s grounded in realism. Mark and I are creating the show and that is our style. But we have some fantasy stuff that’s going to come through the show too. Anything can happen in this room.”

Duplass said there’s “a chance you’ll see us” on camera, referring to him and Mark. The brothers are writing “Room 104” right now.

Coincidentally, TBS last week ordered creator Greg Garcia’s anthology series “The Guest Book,” which has a similar concept: the tale of different guests who each week rent a small-town vacation home. When told of the rival project, Duplass quipped, “We’re going to be competing!”

“Room 104” comes out of the Duplass brothers’ deal with HBO, where they’re also executive producers on the animated series “Animals.” Their critically acclaimed comedy “Togetherness” wasn’t renewed for a third season, but Duplass said he wasn’t dwelling on the show’s quick end.

“I feel crazy lucky that I got to make two seasons of a TV show exactly how I wanted to make it, without any compromise and with the full support of HBO,” he said. “We conceived the first two seasons, so it kind of ended where we imagined it. We could have continued it, of course. I am disappointed those characters don’t get to live on. But we have a good relationship with HBO and we’re making new stuff.”

Duplass said he’s also focusing on his on-camera work. “It honestly is giving me a little bit of time to work on my acting career, which is brand new for me. That’s been really fun, it’s been a great surprise for me.”

Kate Harwood VRP

Kate Harwood is Managing Director of FremantleMedia UK drama label Euston Films. Kate’s early career began in in-house drama production at the BBC starting as script editor and then producer and executive producer. Her career includes BAFTA-winning shows such as Holding On and Charles II  and she was producer and executive producer on titles such as Twenty Thousand Streets, Cranford, Lost World and Oliver Twist amongst many others. Kate also ran EastEnders as Executive Producer in 2005/6 and then became Controller of Series and Serials where she was responsible for output such as Criminal Justice, Luther, Five Daughters, Silent Witness, The Musketeers, South Riding and In the Flesh. Kate has been Head of Drama Production England since 2012 when the Continuing Drama Series and Daytime dramas were brought together under her leadership. She joined FremantleMedia UK to relaunch Euston Films in Autumn 2014.

Filmography:

Hard Sun (TV) ` Executive Producer 2017
Upstairs Downstairs (TV) Executive Producer 2010
Framed (TV) Executive Producer 2009
Cranford (TV) Executive Producer 2007 – 2009
Tess of the D’Urbervilles (TV) Executive Producer 2008
Walter’s War (TV) Executive Producer 2008
Oliver Twist (TV) Executive Producer 2007
True Dare Kiss (TV) Executive Producer 2007
EastEnders (TV) Executive Producer 2005 – 2007
Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky (TV) Executive Producer 2005
Charles II: The Power & the Passion (TV) Executive Producer 2003
Final Demand (TV) Executive Producer 2003
Daniel Deronda (TV) Executive Producer 2002
Man and Boy (TV) Producer 2002
Crime and Punishment (TV) Executive Producer 2002
The Lost World (TV) Executive Producer 2001
Love in a Cold Climate (TV) Producer 2001
David Copperfield (TV) Producer 1999
The Echo (TV) Producer 1998
Close Relations (TV) Producer 1998
The Beggar Bride (TV) Producer 1997
Twitter: (4,095 followers) https://twitter.com/kmpharwood
In the Media:

FremantleMedia raids C4 for UK CEO  |  C21 Media  |  Feb. 2, 2017
FremantleMedia has tapped a Channel 4 executive to oversee its restructured UK operation, which has brought its entertainment and factual units under one arm.

Liam Humphreys, currently the UK broadcaster’s head of popular factual television, will lead the new operation, which sees the production labels Thames, Boundless and Talkback brought together under the Unscripted banner.

The three businesses will continue to exist, but the new structure will combine their expertise in unscripted and work together “more holistically,” FremantleMedia UK (FMUK) said.

As FMUK CEO, Humphreys will report to FremantleMedia group CEO Cecile Frot-Coutaz.

Richard Holloway, who has been interim CEO of FMUK for the past two-and-a-half years while also managing Thames, will continue in the post until Humphreys joins the business later this year.

FMUK’s drama and comedy businesses will continue to operate separately, with Euston Films MD Kate Harwood and Retort boss Jon Rolph reporting to Frot-Coutaz.

FMUK, producer of shows such as The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent, will be represented at operating board level by its chairman, David Liddiment.

“As the entertainment and factual genres increasingly bleed into one another, it makes sense to run these labels as a single entity with a greater focus in order to explore new areas and further expand our unscripted business,” said Frot-Coutaz.

Fremantle set to resurrect Euston Films  |  The Guardian  |  March 17, 2014
FremantleMedia UK is to revive the production company behind classic 1970s and 80s dramas including The Sweeney and Reilly, Ace of Spies, and has hired the BBC head of drama production to run it.

Kate Harwood, who has overseen hits including Cranford, Luther, Five Daughters and The Musketeers during her 24 years at the BBC, will join Fremantle as managing director of Euston Films in the summer.

Euston Films has been mothballed since the mid-1990s but was producer of ITV dramas including The Flame Trees of Thika, Widows, Capital City and Reilly, Ace of Spies. The name faded away after owner Thames Television lost its ITV franchise in 1992.

It was set up as a Thames subsidiary in 1971 to specialise in high quality mainstream drama and built a reputation for shooting on film and on location, unlike much production of scripted TV output at the time. Euston’s best known productions were cop drama The Sweeney and comedy Minder.

Minder was Euston Films’ longest-running success, on air for 15 years from 1979. It was revived briefly by Channel 5 in 2009, with Shane Richie in the lead role but under the Talkback Thames name, rather than as a Euston Films production.

Many of the leading drama producers and writers of the era worked for Euston at one time or another, including Ted Childs, Verity Lambert, Linda Agran and Lynda La Plante

Harwood will be responsible for bringing the brand back to life, relaunching it as part of RTL subsidiary FremantleMedia – which owns the Thames name.

She said: “I am delighted to be taking up the role of managing director of Euston Films and am really relishing the challenge of new ventures in drama in the independent sector after many happy years in BBC Production.”

Harwood will be looking to create high-end shows with international appeal and will report to FremantleMedia UK chief executive Sara Geater.

Geater said: “Euston Films is a name associated with iconic drama, and I’m delighted to announce that we will be launching it as a new label as part of FremantleMedia UK. Our strategy is to produce high-end drama with global reach, and Kate’s appointment as managing director of Euston Films is a real coup. She brings a fantastic wealth of experience and knowledge, and will be a great asset.”

Euston Films will sit alongside the existing Fremantle production “labels” Boundless, Newman Street, Retort, Talkback and Thames.