Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham are to team up for a new action-adventure series at Prime Video.
The series will see Waddingham play Judith, who has secretly been working as a highly trained assassin. That’s a double life that Judith’s best friend Debbie (played by Spencer) knows nothing about — until a hit goes wrong. Now Judith and Debbie are on the run, aiming to stay one step ahead of a mysterious enemy. And while they try to figure out what’s going on, they also have to fix their now-ruptured friendship.
Also in news – Original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy to hit the BFI IMAX this December
Based on an original idea by exec producer Tessa Coates, Skydance Television is behind the show, along with Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream shingle and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment. The untitled series will produce eight episodes for Prime Video across the world.
The series will see Waddingham play Judith, who has secretly been working as a highly trained assassin. That’s a double life that Judith’s best friend Debbie (played by Spencer) knows nothing about — until a hit goes wrong. Now Judith and Debbie are on the run, aiming to stay one step ahead of a mysterious enemy. And while they try to figure out what’s going on, they also have to fix their now-ruptured friendship.
Also in news – Original ‘Star Wars’ trilogy to hit the BFI IMAX this December
Based on an original idea by exec producer Tessa Coates, Skydance Television is behind the show, along with Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream shingle and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment. The untitled series will produce eight episodes for Prime Video across the world.
- 12/20/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Truth Be Told) and Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) are set to star in and executive produce a new comedy series from creator Tessa Coates (Feel Good). In a highly competitive situation with multiple bidders, the as-yet-untitled series from Skydance Television has landed at Prime Video with a straight-to-series order.
The 8-episode series, based on an original pitch from Coates, follows two best friends, Judith (Waddingham) and Debbie (Spencer), who know everything about each other—or do they? Unbeknownst to Debbie, Judith has been living a double life as a highly trained assassin. When a hit goes horribly wrong, the pair must go on the run together and work to repair their broken friendship—all while being targeted by a mysterious enemy who wants them dead.
Skydance Television produces in collaboration with Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.
“I...
The 8-episode series, based on an original pitch from Coates, follows two best friends, Judith (Waddingham) and Debbie (Spencer), who know everything about each other—or do they? Unbeknownst to Debbie, Judith has been living a double life as a highly trained assassin. When a hit goes horribly wrong, the pair must go on the run together and work to repair their broken friendship—all while being targeted by a mysterious enemy who wants them dead.
Skydance Television produces in collaboration with Andy and Barbara Muschietti’s Double Dream and Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.
“I...
- 12/19/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Consider this Thelma & Louise meets Jack Ryan.
Amazon, following an intensive bidding war, has landed the action-adventure show starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer with an eight-episode, straight-to-series order.
The untitled show is based on an original idea from Tessa Coates (Feel Good) that was taken out to six of the major streamers, four of which bought the show while in the room and with the others also making offers before Amazon emerged the victor, prompting the pitch to the seventh streamer to be canceled. The series was one of few new original scripted ideas that generated multiple offers in what many Hollywood insiders say has been an unusually quiet marketplace after the writers strike.
Ted Lasso Emmy winner Waddingham and The Help Oscar winner Octavia Spencer will star as best friends Judith and Debbie, respectively, who work to repair their friendship after Debbie learns Judith is a highly trained assassin.
Amazon, following an intensive bidding war, has landed the action-adventure show starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer with an eight-episode, straight-to-series order.
The untitled show is based on an original idea from Tessa Coates (Feel Good) that was taken out to six of the major streamers, four of which bought the show while in the room and with the others also making offers before Amazon emerged the victor, prompting the pitch to the seventh streamer to be canceled. The series was one of few new original scripted ideas that generated multiple offers in what many Hollywood insiders say has been an unusually quiet marketplace after the writers strike.
Ted Lasso Emmy winner Waddingham and The Help Oscar winner Octavia Spencer will star as best friends Judith and Debbie, respectively, who work to repair their friendship after Debbie learns Judith is a highly trained assassin.
- 12/19/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The View” co-host Sunny Hostin is taking a little more time to enjoy the TV milleu.
The multi-hyphenate is in the early stages of developing her first novel, “Summer on the Bluffs,” as a television series for Amazon MGM Studios. The series will be produced by Sunny Hostin Productions, Amazon MGM Studios and Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.
The book, published by William Morrow in 2021, follows the tales of three godsisters and their godmother, as well as the rich history of Oak Bluffs, an exclusive historically Black beach community in Martha’s Vineyard. The novel explores personal journeys, hidden secrets and the transformative power of heritage.
Elizabeth Hunter will adapt the novel for television and serve as executive producer and showrunner. She is known for films “Jumping the Broom” (2011) and “The Fighting Temptations.”
“Summer on the Bluffs” reps the first installment of Hostin’s summer trilogy. The book became an...
The multi-hyphenate is in the early stages of developing her first novel, “Summer on the Bluffs,” as a television series for Amazon MGM Studios. The series will be produced by Sunny Hostin Productions, Amazon MGM Studios and Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment.
The book, published by William Morrow in 2021, follows the tales of three godsisters and their godmother, as well as the rich history of Oak Bluffs, an exclusive historically Black beach community in Martha’s Vineyard. The novel explores personal journeys, hidden secrets and the transformative power of heritage.
Elizabeth Hunter will adapt the novel for television and serve as executive producer and showrunner. She is known for films “Jumping the Broom” (2011) and “The Fighting Temptations.”
“Summer on the Bluffs” reps the first installment of Hostin’s summer trilogy. The book became an...
- 12/15/2023
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Amblin Partners has secured the film rights to “Confessions in B-Flat,” with Academy Award-winning actor and producer Octavia Spencer, four-time Oscar-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Aimee Carpenter set to produce.
The 2020 novel, from Essence bestselling author Donna Hill, tells an emotional love story set amid the Civil Rights Movement, following two young people, Anita and Jason, who meet and fall in love despite their clashing political beliefs.
Maya Dunbar is adapting the book for the screen.
Spencer is producing the adaptation via her Orit Entertainment production company, with Carpenter producing under her Marcy Place Productions banner. Executive producers are Brian Clisham and Tara Taylor, with Liz Pelletier serving as co-producer. Jeb Brody, Amblin Partners’ president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, SVP of creative affairs, will oversee the project for the studio.
Hill is an American author of romance, mystery and women’s fiction, who has over 90 titles in print...
The 2020 novel, from Essence bestselling author Donna Hill, tells an emotional love story set amid the Civil Rights Movement, following two young people, Anita and Jason, who meet and fall in love despite their clashing political beliefs.
Maya Dunbar is adapting the book for the screen.
Spencer is producing the adaptation via her Orit Entertainment production company, with Carpenter producing under her Marcy Place Productions banner. Executive producers are Brian Clisham and Tara Taylor, with Liz Pelletier serving as co-producer. Jeb Brody, Amblin Partners’ president of production, and Mia Maniscalco, SVP of creative affairs, will oversee the project for the studio.
Hill is an American author of romance, mystery and women’s fiction, who has over 90 titles in print...
- 3/9/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Oscar winner Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures), Emmy winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception) and Emmy nominee Lucy Liu (Shazam: Fury of the Gods) are attached to lead the high-concept comedy Nobody Nothing Nowhere, which The Exchange is launching for sales at the upcoming European Film Market.
Filming is slated for summer 2023 on the project, which is “the story of Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole purpose of filling in a realistic world for a bland guy named Dave, the only person that actually exists on Earth. Tired of serving as an extra in someone else’s life, Ruth is ready to demand a life of her own.”
A 2018 Black List and Sundance Screenwriter Labs script written and to be directed by Rachel Wolther and Alex H. Fischer, pic is being produced by veteran producers Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald of the Department of Motion Pictures,...
Filming is slated for summer 2023 on the project, which is “the story of Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole purpose of filling in a realistic world for a bland guy named Dave, the only person that actually exists on Earth. Tired of serving as an extra in someone else’s life, Ruth is ready to demand a life of her own.”
A 2018 Black List and Sundance Screenwriter Labs script written and to be directed by Rachel Wolther and Alex H. Fischer, pic is being produced by veteran producers Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald of the Department of Motion Pictures,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Rachel Wolther, Alex H. Fischer to direct from 2018 Blacklist screenplay.
Octavia Spencer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lucy Liu are attached to star in the comedy Nobody Nothing Nowhere, which The Exchange is introducing to EFM buyers in Berlin this month.
Rachel Wolther and Alex H. Fischer will direct from their 2018 Blacklist and Sundance Screenwriter Labs original screenplay about Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole purpose of filling in a realistic world for a bland guy named Dave, the only person that actually exists on Earth.
Tired of serving as an extra in someone else’s life,...
Octavia Spencer, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Lucy Liu are attached to star in the comedy Nobody Nothing Nowhere, which The Exchange is introducing to EFM buyers in Berlin this month.
Rachel Wolther and Alex H. Fischer will direct from their 2018 Blacklist and Sundance Screenwriter Labs original screenplay about Ruth, one of the Non-People, human-looking beings designed and trained for the sole purpose of filling in a realistic world for a bland guy named Dave, the only person that actually exists on Earth.
Tired of serving as an extra in someone else’s life,...
- 2/2/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment and Skydance Television have entered a multiyear first-look deal for scripted TV projects.
The Oscar-winning actress’ shingle, headed by Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft, will develop and produce original series for the studio behind Grace and Frankie, Reacher, Foundation and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan — with the potential for Spencer to star in one.
“Brian, Stephanie and I are thrilled to team up with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell and their incredible team at Skydance Television,” said Spencer. “Their collective passion, taste and track record of creating elevated, commercial content at the center of the zeitgeist speaks for itself. We can’t wait to build something special with them.”
Spencer, who currently stars in Orit production Truth Be Told on Apple TV+, has previously produced Self-Made: Inspired by The Life of Madam C.J. Walker and the documentary short Right to Try.
Octavia Spencer’s Orit Entertainment and Skydance Television have entered a multiyear first-look deal for scripted TV projects.
The Oscar-winning actress’ shingle, headed by Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft, will develop and produce original series for the studio behind Grace and Frankie, Reacher, Foundation and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan — with the potential for Spencer to star in one.
“Brian, Stephanie and I are thrilled to team up with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell and their incredible team at Skydance Television,” said Spencer. “Their collective passion, taste and track record of creating elevated, commercial content at the center of the zeitgeist speaks for itself. We can’t wait to build something special with them.”
Spencer, who currently stars in Orit production Truth Be Told on Apple TV+, has previously produced Self-Made: Inspired by The Life of Madam C.J. Walker and the documentary short Right to Try.
- 12/19/2022
- by Mikey O'Connell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Krista Vernoff is branching out to streaming.
The Grey’s Anatomy showrunner is teaming with Octavia Spencer to adapt Ashley Elston’s forthcoming novel First Lie Wins for Hulu. The drama, which landed at Hulu and ABC Signature following a bidding war, is currently in development at the streamer.
First Lie Wins is described as a twisty cat-and-mouse thriller. Elston sold the title preemptively to Pamela Dorman Books. It is slated for publication in early 2023.
Vernoff and Meghann Plunkett are both set to pen the script. First Lie Wins marks a reunion for Vernoff and Plunkett, with the latter currently writing on Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19 and having been staffed on the former’s short-lived ABC drama Rebel.
Exec producers include Vernoff, Plunkett, Spencer and her Orit collaborators Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft. Author Elston will also exec produce alongside Vernoff’s husband...
Krista Vernoff is branching out to streaming.
The Grey’s Anatomy showrunner is teaming with Octavia Spencer to adapt Ashley Elston’s forthcoming novel First Lie Wins for Hulu. The drama, which landed at Hulu and ABC Signature following a bidding war, is currently in development at the streamer.
First Lie Wins is described as a twisty cat-and-mouse thriller. Elston sold the title preemptively to Pamela Dorman Books. It is slated for publication in early 2023.
Vernoff and Meghann Plunkett are both set to pen the script. First Lie Wins marks a reunion for Vernoff and Plunkett, with the latter currently writing on Grey’s Anatomy spinoff Station 19 and having been staffed on the former’s short-lived ABC drama Rebel.
Exec producers include Vernoff, Plunkett, Spencer and her Orit collaborators Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft. Author Elston will also exec produce alongside Vernoff’s husband...
- 9/7/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar winner Octavia Spencer is set to executive produce Feds (working title), a six-part docuseries about the FBI, for ID and discovery+. The project is the second to be announced as part of Spencer’s multi-part deal with ID and discovery+, with her Orit Entertainment and October Films.
Feds (wt) will give viewers an inside look at America’s leading crime-fighting agency, the FBI, with exclusive access to active-duty FBI agents and details of high-profile and unusual cases as told by agents, informants, undercover operatives and victims. Featured investigations will range from infiltrating Ms-13 in Boston to taking down a multimillion-dollar drug empire in Florida. The series also uncovers looming tragedies that the FBI was able to thwart.
“A big part of my excitement about our partnership with ID was the opportunity to bring incredible stories to true crime fans from an entirely new perspective,” said Spencer. Feds (wt) is genuinely unique.
Feds (wt) will give viewers an inside look at America’s leading crime-fighting agency, the FBI, with exclusive access to active-duty FBI agents and details of high-profile and unusual cases as told by agents, informants, undercover operatives and victims. Featured investigations will range from infiltrating Ms-13 in Boston to taking down a multimillion-dollar drug empire in Florida. The series also uncovers looming tragedies that the FBI was able to thwart.
“A big part of my excitement about our partnership with ID was the opportunity to bring incredible stories to true crime fans from an entirely new perspective,” said Spencer. Feds (wt) is genuinely unique.
- 8/26/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Octavia Spencer’s production company Orit Entertainment is set to produce a docu-series about the FBI titled “Feds.” Spencer will exec produce.
The docu-series, which is co-produced by October Films, will air on true-crime network ID and on Discovery+.
“Feds” (working title) is set to be a six-part production that will give viewers an insight into America’s best-known crime-fighting agency with exclusive access to active FBI agents and unusual and high-profile cases such as the infiltration of the Ms-13 gang in Boston to the take-down of a Floridian drug empire, as told by agents, victims and informants. Audiences will also get the inside story of close calls – where the agency was able to prevent tragedy with the help of specialized intel and undercover agents.
“A big part of my excitement about our partnership with ID was the opportunity to bring incredible stories to true crime fans from an entirely new perspective,...
The docu-series, which is co-produced by October Films, will air on true-crime network ID and on Discovery+.
“Feds” (working title) is set to be a six-part production that will give viewers an insight into America’s best-known crime-fighting agency with exclusive access to active FBI agents and unusual and high-profile cases such as the infiltration of the Ms-13 gang in Boston to the take-down of a Floridian drug empire, as told by agents, victims and informants. Audiences will also get the inside story of close calls – where the agency was able to prevent tragedy with the help of specialized intel and undercover agents.
“A big part of my excitement about our partnership with ID was the opportunity to bring incredible stories to true crime fans from an entirely new perspective,...
- 8/26/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer is teaming with ID, discovery+ and October Films in an expansive partnership and development deal for premium unscripted true-crime content. Under the pact, Spencer and her production company, Orit Entertainment, and producer October Films will develop and produce multiple projects for ID and discovery+, with Spencer set to executive produce. Production on the deal’s first two projects is underway, with additional titles in development. The first title announced under the agreement is the three-episode one-hour series Highway 20 (w/t).
“As an avid fan of true crime, to now be partners with ID and October Films is a dream,” said Spencer. “Everyone at Orit Entertainment is committed to shedding light on the most fascinating cases and crime stories with a unique perspective. We are thrilled to launch our collaboration with Highway 20 (w/t), an incredible series of cases that took place over decades, only recently connected into...
“As an avid fan of true crime, to now be partners with ID and October Films is a dream,” said Spencer. “Everyone at Orit Entertainment is committed to shedding light on the most fascinating cases and crime stories with a unique perspective. We are thrilled to launch our collaboration with Highway 20 (w/t), an incredible series of cases that took place over decades, only recently connected into...
- 6/9/2022
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Oscar-winning actress and producer Octavia Spencer has signed a development and production deal with ID, discovery+ and October Films to create premium unscripted true crime TV content.
Spencer and her production company, Orit Entertainment, will work with October Films to produce a slate of series and specials that Spencer, discovery+ and true crime and justice network ID will executive produce.
The pact will kick of with two projects now in production. The first has the working title Highway 20, and is an event series that begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl. The series will detail a decades long true crime odyssey along an Oregon highway. Other projects are in development as part of the agreement.
“Everyone at Orit Entertainment is committed to shedding light on the most fascinating cases and crime stories with a unique perspective. We are thrilled to launch...
Oscar-winning actress and producer Octavia Spencer has signed a development and production deal with ID, discovery+ and October Films to create premium unscripted true crime TV content.
Spencer and her production company, Orit Entertainment, will work with October Films to produce a slate of series and specials that Spencer, discovery+ and true crime and justice network ID will executive produce.
The pact will kick of with two projects now in production. The first has the working title Highway 20, and is an event series that begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl. The series will detail a decades long true crime odyssey along an Oregon highway. Other projects are in development as part of the agreement.
“Everyone at Orit Entertainment is committed to shedding light on the most fascinating cases and crime stories with a unique perspective. We are thrilled to launch...
- 6/9/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Octavia Spencer and her production company Orit Entertainment have partnered with ID and Discovery+ as well as October Films to develop and executive produce a slate of true crime projects.
Two projects are already in production, with more in development. “Highway 20” (working title) is the first project to come out of the deal. The three-episode documentary series begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl and expands to examine a stretch of Oregon’s U.S. Highway 20 where many women and girls went missing or were raped or murdered between the 1970s and 1990s. As the discovery of numerous unsolved crimes sparks fear in the local community, the series focuses on the possibility that a serial killer has been roaming the highway for decades, asking poignant questions of our society’s treatment of women.
“Highway 20” is inspired by the work of journalist Noelle Crombie, videographer Dave Killen and photojournalist Beth Nakamura of The Oregonian,...
Two projects are already in production, with more in development. “Highway 20” (working title) is the first project to come out of the deal. The three-episode documentary series begins with the case of a missing 13-year-old girl and expands to examine a stretch of Oregon’s U.S. Highway 20 where many women and girls went missing or were raped or murdered between the 1970s and 1990s. As the discovery of numerous unsolved crimes sparks fear in the local community, the series focuses on the possibility that a serial killer has been roaming the highway for decades, asking poignant questions of our society’s treatment of women.
“Highway 20” is inspired by the work of journalist Noelle Crombie, videographer Dave Killen and photojournalist Beth Nakamura of The Oregonian,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Peacock has acquired “Right to Try,” the Octavia Spencer-produced documentary short about trying to find a cure for HIV.
Directed by “The Late Late Show With James Corden” producer Zeberiah Newman, the film tells the story of veteran casting director Jeffrey Drew’s participation in an experimental treatment trial to cure him of his HIV. Variety was the first to report about the doc in June shortly after CAA’s Travis Tammero came on board to shop it around.
Peacock will premiere “Right to Try” tomorrow, Dec. 1, on World AIDS Day.
“We are thrilled our film ‘Right to Try’ will be seen on Peacock. Though Jeffrey Drew’s heroic journey is singular, his story is universal,” Spencer said in a statement. “This is an important film and with Peacock we have a wonderful partner to bring it to our audience.”
The producing team also includes Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft...
Directed by “The Late Late Show With James Corden” producer Zeberiah Newman, the film tells the story of veteran casting director Jeffrey Drew’s participation in an experimental treatment trial to cure him of his HIV. Variety was the first to report about the doc in June shortly after CAA’s Travis Tammero came on board to shop it around.
Peacock will premiere “Right to Try” tomorrow, Dec. 1, on World AIDS Day.
“We are thrilled our film ‘Right to Try’ will be seen on Peacock. Though Jeffrey Drew’s heroic journey is singular, his story is universal,” Spencer said in a statement. “This is an important film and with Peacock we have a wonderful partner to bring it to our audience.”
The producing team also includes Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft...
- 11/30/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: FX is developing The Bobby Love Story, a one-hour drama starring and executive produced by Octavia Spencer, from writer Shalisha Francis-Feusner (Seven Seconds), Kerry Washington’s Simpson Street Productions and ABC Signature, where Spencer and her Orit Entertainment and Washington and Simpson Street are under deals.
Written and executive produced by Francis-Feusner, who also serves as showrunner, The Bobby Love Story is a dramatic true account of an escaped convict, Bobby Love, and his wife of 35+ years, Cheryl Love, who never knew his secret. Bobby Love and Cheryl Love serve as executive producers alongside Girls co-showrunner Jenni Konner.
The Loves’ story was featured in a 2020 multi-part series on Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York blog where it went viral and led to a 10-way bidding war for the rights.
As a Black child in the Jim Crow South, Bobby Love found himself in legal trouble before his 14th birthday.
Written and executive produced by Francis-Feusner, who also serves as showrunner, The Bobby Love Story is a dramatic true account of an escaped convict, Bobby Love, and his wife of 35+ years, Cheryl Love, who never knew his secret. Bobby Love and Cheryl Love serve as executive producers alongside Girls co-showrunner Jenni Konner.
The Loves’ story was featured in a 2020 multi-part series on Brandon Stanton’s Humans of New York blog where it went viral and led to a 10-way bidding war for the rights.
As a Black child in the Jim Crow South, Bobby Love found himself in legal trouble before his 14th birthday.
- 10/21/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.
The repping includes Orit Entertainment, the production banner the actress launched in 2019 with partner and producer Brian Clisham and head of production and development Stephanie Kluft. The company, which is in the middle of a three-year deal with ABC, is currently on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try.
CAA’s Bryan Lourd will lead the Spencer team.
Spencer, who was previously with WME, won an Oscar for supporting actress for her performance in 2011’s The Help and earned nominations for work in Guillermo del Toro’s ...
The repping includes Orit Entertainment, the production banner the actress launched in 2019 with partner and producer Brian Clisham and head of production and development Stephanie Kluft. The company, which is in the middle of a three-year deal with ABC, is currently on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try.
CAA’s Bryan Lourd will lead the Spencer team.
Spencer, who was previously with WME, won an Oscar for supporting actress for her performance in 2011’s The Help and earned nominations for work in Guillermo del Toro’s ...
- 9/30/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer has signed with CAA for representation in all areas.
The repping includes Orit Entertainment, the production banner the actress launched in 2019 with partner and producer Brian Clisham and head of production and development Stephanie Kluft. The company, which is in the middle of a three-year deal with ABC, is currently on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try.
CAA’s Bryan Lourd will lead the Spencer team.
Spencer, who was previously with WME, won an Oscar for supporting actress for her performance in 2011’s The Help and earned nominations for work in Guillermo del Toro’s ...
The repping includes Orit Entertainment, the production banner the actress launched in 2019 with partner and producer Brian Clisham and head of production and development Stephanie Kluft. The company, which is in the middle of a three-year deal with ABC, is currently on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try.
CAA’s Bryan Lourd will lead the Spencer team.
Spencer, who was previously with WME, won an Oscar for supporting actress for her performance in 2011’s The Help and earned nominations for work in Guillermo del Toro’s ...
- 9/30/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Oscar winner Octavia Spencer has signed with CAA for representation in all areas including her production company Orit Entertainment, which she runs with partner and producer Brian Clisham and Head of Production and Development Stephanie Kluft. Bryan Lourd will lead the team.
Projects under the Orit Entertainment banner include Truth Be Told for Apple; Netflix’s Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, produced with LeBron James and SpringHill Entertainment and for which Spencer also received her first Emmy nomination; and is on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try. Orit currently has a three-year overall deal with ABC studios.
Spencer is a three-time Oscar nominee who won the 2012 Academy Award for Supporting Actress for her portrayal as Minny Jackson in Tate Taylor’s The Help. She also has been nominated for performances in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water...
Projects under the Orit Entertainment banner include Truth Be Told for Apple; Netflix’s Self-Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker, produced with LeBron James and SpringHill Entertainment and for which Spencer also received her first Emmy nomination; and is on the festival circuit with its award-winning documentary short, Right to Try. Orit currently has a three-year overall deal with ABC studios.
Spencer is a three-time Oscar nominee who won the 2012 Academy Award for Supporting Actress for her portrayal as Minny Jackson in Tate Taylor’s The Help. She also has been nominated for performances in Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water...
- 9/30/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Octavia Spencer will be honored with the James Schamus Ally Award at the 2021 Outfest LA LGBTQ Film Festival.
The award will be presented to the actress and producer at Dtla’s Orpheum Theatre on August 22, as part of the festival’s Closing Night Gala.
The Ally Award was created “to honor the efforts of an individual in bringing LGBTQ stories to the forefront.” It takes its name from Oscar-nominated producer James Schamus, who was awarded Outfest’s Achievement Award in 2014. Past honorees include James Franco, Andra Day, and Rita Moreno.
At this year’s festival, Spencer isn’t just an honoree. She also has a film making its world premiere, titled Right to Try, which she produced with Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft, via her Orit Entertainment banner.
The documentary short tells the story of Jeffrey Drew, who puts his life on the line to try and help find a cure for HIV.
The award will be presented to the actress and producer at Dtla’s Orpheum Theatre on August 22, as part of the festival’s Closing Night Gala.
The Ally Award was created “to honor the efforts of an individual in bringing LGBTQ stories to the forefront.” It takes its name from Oscar-nominated producer James Schamus, who was awarded Outfest’s Achievement Award in 2014. Past honorees include James Franco, Andra Day, and Rita Moreno.
At this year’s festival, Spencer isn’t just an honoree. She also has a film making its world premiere, titled Right to Try, which she produced with Brian Clisham and Stephanie Kluft, via her Orit Entertainment banner.
The documentary short tells the story of Jeffrey Drew, who puts his life on the line to try and help find a cure for HIV.
- 8/2/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Everybody’s Talking About Jamie” will open the 39th edition of Outfest, the Los Angeles LGBTQ film festival.
The big-screen adaptation of the West End musical of the same name will kick off the festival Aug. 13 with its first ever outdoor gala hosted by Cinespia at Hollywood Forever cemetery. Closing night on Aug. 22 will feature a screening of “Fanny: The Right to Rock,” a film about the first female rock band to release an album with a major label. The evening will include a reunion performance by Fanny.
Outfest returns to in-person screenings and events after having gone virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s lineup includes nearly 200 films with more than 50 international entries. There will be seven world premieres Charles Busch’s “The Sixth Reel”; “Homebody”; Outfest alum Jeffrey Schwarz’s true story of Gloria Swanson’s quest to star in a Sunset Boulevard musical, “Boulevard! A Hollywood Story”; “Gemmel and Tim,...
The big-screen adaptation of the West End musical of the same name will kick off the festival Aug. 13 with its first ever outdoor gala hosted by Cinespia at Hollywood Forever cemetery. Closing night on Aug. 22 will feature a screening of “Fanny: The Right to Rock,” a film about the first female rock band to release an album with a major label. The evening will include a reunion performance by Fanny.
Outfest returns to in-person screenings and events after having gone virtual in 2020 due to the pandemic. This year’s lineup includes nearly 200 films with more than 50 international entries. There will be seven world premieres Charles Busch’s “The Sixth Reel”; “Homebody”; Outfest alum Jeffrey Schwarz’s true story of Gloria Swanson’s quest to star in a Sunset Boulevard musical, “Boulevard! A Hollywood Story”; “Gemmel and Tim,...
- 7/26/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Octavia Spencer has joined “Right to Try,” a documentary short about an HIV cure treatment trial, as a producer through her production company Orit Entertainment. Spencer will produce along with her partner Brian Clisham and creative executive Stephanie Kluft.
The doc, directed by “The Late Late Show With James Corden” producer Zeberiah Newman, tells the story of casting director Jeffrey Drew’s participation in an experimental trial for an HIV cure.
The team, which also includes Andrew Carlberg, producer of the Oscar-winning short “Skin,” is hoping to find a distributor in time to release the film on Dec. 1 to mark the 40th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
“The sacrifices and the potential sacrifices that Jeffrey made in an effort to cure HIV, which 38 million people worldwide are battling, is a heroic journey that everyone should know about,” Clisham tells Variety.
Clisham says he and Spencer reached out to Newman after...
The doc, directed by “The Late Late Show With James Corden” producer Zeberiah Newman, tells the story of casting director Jeffrey Drew’s participation in an experimental trial for an HIV cure.
The team, which also includes Andrew Carlberg, producer of the Oscar-winning short “Skin,” is hoping to find a distributor in time to release the film on Dec. 1 to mark the 40th anniversary of World AIDS Day.
“The sacrifices and the potential sacrifices that Jeffrey made in an effort to cure HIV, which 38 million people worldwide are battling, is a heroic journey that everyone should know about,” Clisham tells Variety.
Clisham says he and Spencer reached out to Newman after...
- 7/22/2021
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: We unfortunately have learned that Disney VPs Global Publicity Stephanie Kluft and Andrew Bernstein and Fox Evp International Publicity Katherine Willing were part of Wednesday’s cuts at the studio.
All three were veteran PR executives with significant relationships in the industry.
Anecdotally speaking, Kluft and Bernstein will be missed as we’ve personally worked with them during awards season and their help was invaluable.
Kluft has been at the Walt Disney Studios since November 2010. She has an extensive history working on a diverse slate of films. She joined Disney to focus on the DreamWorks titles, including such Oscar pedigree as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln and Bridge of Spies. She took on additional titles, including Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 and Disney’s Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins Returns and most recently Aladdin. which is doing gangbusters at the global box office with $735.8M. Kluft previously worked at Universal.
All three were veteran PR executives with significant relationships in the industry.
Anecdotally speaking, Kluft and Bernstein will be missed as we’ve personally worked with them during awards season and their help was invaluable.
Kluft has been at the Walt Disney Studios since November 2010. She has an extensive history working on a diverse slate of films. She joined Disney to focus on the DreamWorks titles, including such Oscar pedigree as The Help, War Horse, Lincoln and Bridge of Spies. She took on additional titles, including Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 and Disney’s Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins Returns and most recently Aladdin. which is doing gangbusters at the global box office with $735.8M. Kluft previously worked at Universal.
- 6/21/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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