Neither Eric nor Shannon Evangelista have had the career paths you would expect from a major player in nonfiction TV.
The former spent 14 years as a broadcast news reporter and newspaper journalist; the latter started her career as a federal criminal defense attorney, working in District Attorney offices from Manhattan to Orange County. But it’s precisely this background that helps the Hot Snakes Media co-owners stand out from the pack, particularly with true crime projects like Investigation Discovery’s buzzy “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.”
“I was turned down for showrunning jobs at Discovery Channel a year before we started ‘Breaking Amish’ and ‘Amish Mafia,’ which were our first two shows and were record-breaking ratings successes for Discovery,” Eric Evangelista told TheWrap.
Since that pair of 2012 breakouts, Hot Snakes Media has been a production company behind other hit shows like Netflix’s “Deaf U,” VH1’s “My True...
The former spent 14 years as a broadcast news reporter and newspaper journalist; the latter started her career as a federal criminal defense attorney, working in District Attorney offices from Manhattan to Orange County. But it’s precisely this background that helps the Hot Snakes Media co-owners stand out from the pack, particularly with true crime projects like Investigation Discovery’s buzzy “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace.”
“I was turned down for showrunning jobs at Discovery Channel a year before we started ‘Breaking Amish’ and ‘Amish Mafia,’ which were our first two shows and were record-breaking ratings successes for Discovery,” Eric Evangelista told TheWrap.
Since that pair of 2012 breakouts, Hot Snakes Media has been a production company behind other hit shows like Netflix’s “Deaf U,” VH1’s “My True...
- 5/25/2024
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
In 2023, Investigation Discovery dove into the bizarre and fascinating case of Natalia Grace, the Ukranian orphan with a rare form of dwarfism, spondyloepiphyseal, who was adopted by Michael and Kristine Barnett in 2010.
“The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” which has reached more than 10 million viewers across ID and Max since its debut, follows the story of the young girl, who claimed she was 6 at the time of her adoption; two years after adopting her, the Barnetts petitioned to have Grace’s age legally changed to 22, changing her birth year from 2003 to 1989. A year later, in 2013, they moved to Canada and abandoned her.
Michael Barnett, who was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy in 2022, called Natalia a “con artist,” claiming she was an adult masquerading as a child and tried to kill the family. The second season, titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks,” debuted in January.
“The Curious Case of Natalia Grace,” which has reached more than 10 million viewers across ID and Max since its debut, follows the story of the young girl, who claimed she was 6 at the time of her adoption; two years after adopting her, the Barnetts petitioned to have Grace’s age legally changed to 22, changing her birth year from 2003 to 1989. A year later, in 2013, they moved to Canada and abandoned her.
Michael Barnett, who was found not guilty of three counts of neglect and conspiracy in 2022, called Natalia a “con artist,” claiming she was an adult masquerading as a child and tried to kill the family. The second season, titled “The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks,” debuted in January.
- 2/5/2024
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s a tough time to be a mid-sized unscripted production company right now.
A slow-down of greenlights amid cost cutting within all of the major media conglomerates, and seemingly no bump from the writers and actors strike despite what many were expecting, has led to doom and gloom across the non-scripted sector.
This has led to many companies having to undergo layoffs. Deadline understands that companies including Bunim/Murray, Half-Yard Productions and Propagate Content have all cut staff recently and more are expected to follow suit. ITV America-backed High Noon Entertainment informed its local production staff in Denver that due to production cycles, the number of workers contracted when shows weren’t in production would be reduced. We hear Hot Snakes Media is in a similar situation.
“It’s the toughest time to be in unscripted that I can remember,” one unscripted producer told Deadline.
Another source...
A slow-down of greenlights amid cost cutting within all of the major media conglomerates, and seemingly no bump from the writers and actors strike despite what many were expecting, has led to doom and gloom across the non-scripted sector.
This has led to many companies having to undergo layoffs. Deadline understands that companies including Bunim/Murray, Half-Yard Productions and Propagate Content have all cut staff recently and more are expected to follow suit. ITV America-backed High Noon Entertainment informed its local production staff in Denver that due to production cycles, the number of workers contracted when shows weren’t in production would be reduced. We hear Hot Snakes Media is in a similar situation.
“It’s the toughest time to be in unscripted that I can remember,” one unscripted producer told Deadline.
Another source...
- 8/16/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
With the 2023 Truth Seekers Summit presented by Showtime taking place a day after former President Donald Trump was indicted for a third time, this time in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow set the tone of the event after receiving the Variety and Rolling Stone Truth Seekers Award, “The crisis we have right now in this work that we do is not a crisis about the truth,” she said in a sitdown with Variety’s Co-Editor-In-Chief Ramin Setoodeh. “The truth is the truth; the truth just exists.
- 8/4/2023
- by Sean Malcolm
- Rollingstone.com
Last Wednesday, Rolling Stone and Variety made more news regarding their upcoming Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime on August 2nd. The two brands announced a digital content hub for attendees, featuring the kind of reporting that’s at the heart of the event’s celebration of hard-nosed journalism and documentary and investigative storytelling. Seeking to dig “underneath the surface to reveal what’s hidden, what happened and what might come next,” the content hub will showcase stories on documentaries of all genres by both Rolling Stone and Variety.
One...
One...
- 7/26/2023
- by Sean Malcolm
- Rollingstone.com
On Wednesday, Rolling Stone and Variety announced more names and special programming that will appear at the two brands’ annual Truth Seekers Summit, presented by Showtime. Serving as welcomed additions to the August 2nd event, these developments will further bolster an already stacked lineup that will feature keynote and panel discussions led by journalists, documentary filmmakers and cultural trendsetters, whose sole purpose is to spread the gospel of authenticity while bringing truth to light in the stories they tell.
Hollywood and Crime’s host and co-producer, Tracy Pattin, will be...
Hollywood and Crime’s host and co-producer, Tracy Pattin, will be...
- 6/23/2023
- by Sean Malcolm
- Rollingstone.com
In today’s TV news roundup, Netflix unveiled the trailer for “Deaf U,” and Amazon Prime Video set a premiere date for “Truth Seekers.”
Dates
Netflix announced that “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” a documentary on broadcaster David Attenborough and his past experiences visiting the wild places on Earth, will come to the platform on Oct. 4. Attenborough, who lent his voice to the likes of “Planet Earth” and “The Blue Planet,” has traveled the globe over his decades documenting nature. The documentary aims to address challenges life on our planet faces while also offering a message of hope. It is directed by Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes and Keith Scholey. Watch a trailer below.
Netflix also shared the upcoming dates for new seasons of “Carmen Sandiego” and “The Last Kids on Earth,” as well as premiere dates for “The Cabin with Bert Kreischer” and “Dream Home Makeover.” Season 3 of animated series “Carmen Sandiego,...
Dates
Netflix announced that “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet,” a documentary on broadcaster David Attenborough and his past experiences visiting the wild places on Earth, will come to the platform on Oct. 4. Attenborough, who lent his voice to the likes of “Planet Earth” and “The Blue Planet,” has traveled the globe over his decades documenting nature. The documentary aims to address challenges life on our planet faces while also offering a message of hope. It is directed by Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes and Keith Scholey. Watch a trailer below.
Netflix also shared the upcoming dates for new seasons of “Carmen Sandiego” and “The Last Kids on Earth,” as well as premiere dates for “The Cabin with Bert Kreischer” and “Dream Home Makeover.” Season 3 of animated series “Carmen Sandiego,...
- 9/23/2020
- by Eli Countryman
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix dropped the trailer for its coming-of-age docuseries “Deaf U” from model and deaf activist Nyle Dimarco, and the trailer wastes no time in diving right into the dating pool at Gallaudet University. As one student puts it, “The women here are just wow!”
Premiering Oct. 9, things tend to get pretty steamy within the “tight-knit” group of students at the private college for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C. Maybe that has something to do with the school’s enrollment of 700 women and only 300 men?
When one student laments that “People think I’m a f—boy,” another reminds him (in American Sign Language): “If you talk and act like one, you probably are one!”
Throughout the docuseries, the friends “navigate the high, lows, and hookups of college life together,” according to Netflix. “Their stories offer an unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the Deaf community.
Premiering Oct. 9, things tend to get pretty steamy within the “tight-knit” group of students at the private college for the deaf and hard of hearing in Washington, D.C. Maybe that has something to do with the school’s enrollment of 700 women and only 300 men?
When one student laments that “People think I’m a f—boy,” another reminds him (in American Sign Language): “If you talk and act like one, you probably are one!”
Throughout the docuseries, the friends “navigate the high, lows, and hookups of college life together,” according to Netflix. “Their stories offer an unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the Deaf community.
- 9/23/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
The Gallaudet University students featured in Netflix’s Deaf U invite viewers, regardless of hearing ability, to see life through their eyes.
Daequan Taylor, Cheyanna Clearbrook, Renate Rose and Rodney Buford are the subjects of the new Netflix docuseries produced by Nyle Dimarco. Deaf U follows the students’ day-to-day lives at Gallaudet, the famed Washington D.C. private college for the deaf and hard of hearing. During Netflix’s leg of the virtual TCA tour Tuesday, the students and Dimarco spoke about their experiences filming the show and what they hope the streamer audience can take away from the series.
“The point of it all is that deaf people are human. We’re the same as human people, we go through the same as hearing people,” Dimarco signed through an Asl interpreter.
The exec producer, who made history as America’s Next Top Model‘s first deaf winner in 2015, grew up hoping to study at Gallaudet,...
Daequan Taylor, Cheyanna Clearbrook, Renate Rose and Rodney Buford are the subjects of the new Netflix docuseries produced by Nyle Dimarco. Deaf U follows the students’ day-to-day lives at Gallaudet, the famed Washington D.C. private college for the deaf and hard of hearing. During Netflix’s leg of the virtual TCA tour Tuesday, the students and Dimarco spoke about their experiences filming the show and what they hope the streamer audience can take away from the series.
“The point of it all is that deaf people are human. We’re the same as human people, we go through the same as hearing people,” Dimarco signed through an Asl interpreter.
The exec producer, who made history as America’s Next Top Model‘s first deaf winner in 2015, grew up hoping to study at Gallaudet,...
- 8/4/2020
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has ordered Deaf U and Audible, two documentaries centered around the deaf community in the U.S.
Deaf U is a coming-of-age documentary series following a tight-knit group of Deaf students at Gallaudet University, a renowned private college for the deaf and hard of hearing, in Washington, D.C.
As the group of friends navigate the high, lows, and hookups of college life together, their stories offer an unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the Deaf community.
The doc, which will premiere on October 9, consists of eight episodes of around 20-minutes. It will be exec produced by Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista and Nyle Dimarco
Audible is an immersive film, documenting the journey of Maryland School for the Deaf high school athlete Amaree McKenstry-Hall.
Amaree and his closest friends face the pressures of senior year while grappling with the realities of venturing off into a hearing world. They take...
Deaf U is a coming-of-age documentary series following a tight-knit group of Deaf students at Gallaudet University, a renowned private college for the deaf and hard of hearing, in Washington, D.C.
As the group of friends navigate the high, lows, and hookups of college life together, their stories offer an unprecedented, unfiltered, and often unexpected look inside the Deaf community.
The doc, which will premiere on October 9, consists of eight episodes of around 20-minutes. It will be exec produced by Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista and Nyle Dimarco
Audible is an immersive film, documenting the journey of Maryland School for the Deaf high school athlete Amaree McKenstry-Hall.
Amaree and his closest friends face the pressures of senior year while grappling with the realities of venturing off into a hearing world. They take...
- 7/24/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s TV news roundup, MTV has announced a new reality special, “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders,” and Showtime has made two of their documentaries about racial injustice free to watch.
Dates
MTV will premiere a new reality special, “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” on June 9 at 9 p.m. The self-shot show will follow two millennial volunteer first responders in New York City as they risk their lives to help others amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Rhanell is a trauma nurse and Alex is a Fdny Emt who have both volunteered to serve Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corp in the Bronx. Through first-hand accounts and deep confessionals, Rhanell and Alex show the world what it’s like to be a hero. “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” is produced by Hot Snakes Media. Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista and MTV’s Dane Joseph serve as executive producers; MTV’s Laurie Sharpe is co-executive producer.
Dates
MTV will premiere a new reality special, “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” on June 9 at 9 p.m. The self-shot show will follow two millennial volunteer first responders in New York City as they risk their lives to help others amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. Rhanell is a trauma nurse and Alex is a Fdny Emt who have both volunteered to serve Throggs Neck Volunteer Ambulance Corp in the Bronx. Through first-hand accounts and deep confessionals, Rhanell and Alex show the world what it’s like to be a hero. “True Life Presents: First-Time First Responders” is produced by Hot Snakes Media. Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista and MTV’s Dane Joseph serve as executive producers; MTV’s Laurie Sharpe is co-executive producer.
- 6/5/2020
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Discovery has announced its lineup of programming to celebrate Earth Day on April 22, and it’s lead by an hourlong environmental special featuring Zac Efron and hosted by Vine and Tik Tok star Zach King, TheWrap has learned exclusively.
Titled “The Great Global Clean Up,” Efron and King will be joined by celebrities inc luding Lil Dicky, Liza Koshy, and Cody Simpson to talk about the efforts being made to clean up our planet. The special will travel to different locations around the world, including a beach cleanup in Efron’s hometown in California. Efron will also interview Denis Hayes, who founded Earth Day in 1970.
“The Great Global Cleanup” will air April 22 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt immediately following a special one-hour episode of “Josh Gates Tonight” in which Gates will interview a list of celebrity guests and environmental experts about their commitment to preserving planet Earth.
Also Read: Investigation...
Titled “The Great Global Clean Up,” Efron and King will be joined by celebrities inc luding Lil Dicky, Liza Koshy, and Cody Simpson to talk about the efforts being made to clean up our planet. The special will travel to different locations around the world, including a beach cleanup in Efron’s hometown in California. Efron will also interview Denis Hayes, who founded Earth Day in 1970.
“The Great Global Cleanup” will air April 22 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt immediately following a special one-hour episode of “Josh Gates Tonight” in which Gates will interview a list of celebrity guests and environmental experts about their commitment to preserving planet Earth.
Also Read: Investigation...
- 4/10/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Indie production company Hot Snakes Media, whose credits include TLC’s “Breaking Amish” and Animal Planet’s “Extinct Or Alive,” has tapped veteran media executive Colleen Conway Grogan as their senior vice president of development.
Grogan will focus on expanding the company’s scripted and unscripted slates, as well as being involved in its efforts in podcasts and documentaries.
Before joining Hot Snakes, Grogan served as vice president of non-fiction at Lifetime where she developed and oversaw a wide range of female-skewing documentary series and character-led formats, most notably “Bring It!,” “The Rap Game,” “Kim of Queens,” “Date Night Live” and “The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns.”
Before Lifetime, Grogan worked as senior director of non-fiction programming at A&e. During her tenure at A&e Grogan oversaw some of the networks most highly rated and longest-running series, which included the Emmy-award winning series “Intervention,” “The First 48” and “I Survived.”
Hot Snakes...
Grogan will focus on expanding the company’s scripted and unscripted slates, as well as being involved in its efforts in podcasts and documentaries.
Before joining Hot Snakes, Grogan served as vice president of non-fiction at Lifetime where she developed and oversaw a wide range of female-skewing documentary series and character-led formats, most notably “Bring It!,” “The Rap Game,” “Kim of Queens,” “Date Night Live” and “The Sisterhood: Becoming Nuns.”
Before Lifetime, Grogan worked as senior director of non-fiction programming at A&e. During her tenure at A&e Grogan oversaw some of the networks most highly rated and longest-running series, which included the Emmy-award winning series “Intervention,” “The First 48” and “I Survived.”
Hot Snakes...
- 11/6/2019
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Elizabeth Vargas has signed an overall deal with A+E Networks following her exit from “20/20,” the company announced on Wednesday.
Under the deal, Vargas will produce series and specials for the newly announced “A&E Investigates” banner, a collection of nonfiction, journalistic content airing in primetime. It will serve as her follow-up to a 14-year run as co-host of ABC’s “20/20.”
The first planned series under the A&E Investigates label, “Cults and Extreme Belief,” launches on May 28 and will see Vargas examine the self-help organization Nxivm, which has been accused of being a sex cult. The project doubles down on the success of A&E’s “Scientology and the Aftermath,” which recently earned host and executive producer Leah Remini her own overall deal with A+E.
Also Read: Leah Remini Signs Overall Deal With A+E Networks
“This is the exact challenge I was looking for in the next chapter of my career,” Vargas said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Paul and Elaine for presenting me this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Elizabeth is a brave storyteller and one of the most trusted journalists who is an expert at bringing audiences closer to the heart of stories that have never been told in order to reveal genuine moments of truth,” said A&E’s head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant. “Her honest and authentic brand is the perfect fit for our audience that always seeks the truth and we are fortunate that she chose A+E Networks as her new home.”
Read descriptions of all the initial A&E Investigates projects below:
“Cults and Extreme Belief” – nine-episode series – Two Night Premiere – Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29 at 10pm Et/Pt
Elizabeth Vargas, alongside former members of controversial organizations, goes on a search to uncover how these sects use their influence to prey upon people’s desperation to create powerful and often destructive belief systems. Each episode will take an immersive look at one currently active group through the eyes of past devotees and get perspective from believers and leaders that are still inside.
In the premiere episode, Vargas examines Nxivm, an organization that sells “self-help” seminars that they claim give people the tools they need to get their lives together and allow them to make a difference in the world. However, the group led by Keith Raniere, referred to by followers as Vanguard, stands accused of drawing supporters down a path of destruction that includes near-starvation diets, sexual assault, forced branding, pseudo-slavery, and blackmail. Luring in many high profile Hollywood actresses to evangelize for his cause over its 20 year in operation, Raniere was recently arrested in Mexico and charged with sex trafficking among other crimes. Former members of Nxivm share harrowing experiences of manipulation and sexual violation, including Sarah Edmundson who sits down with Vargas to share new details of her ordeal inside the organization which first broke in the New York Times late last year.
The series is produced for A&E by The Intellectual Property Corporation. Eli Holzman & Aaron Saidman executive produce for Ipc along with executive producer/showrunner Alex Weresow and executive producer Rachelle Mendez. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky and Evan Lerner serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“The Plot Against America” – two-hour special – premieres Monday, June 4 at 8pm Et/Pt
Beginning in 2001, a shift in counter-intelligence spending meant that the United States took its eye off the spy game while Russia continued to dedicate vast resources to developing their army of spies. This two-hour documentary investigates beyond the headlines and goes into the heart of our country to ask the question, is America safe? Retired FBI Special Agent Dennis Franks tracks down enemy “sleepers” who have been strategically placed throughout America, and builds a case to expose them.
The series is produced for A&E by Hot Snakes Media with Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista, David Doss and Dennis Franks serving as executive producers. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky, Sean Gottlieb and David Doss serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“The Untitled Word of Faith Fellowship Project (w.t.)” – six-episode series – premieres summer 2018
This docuseries follows the decades-long controversy surrounding the Word of Faith Fellowship Church in Spindle, North Carolina. This secretive church, led by 77-year-old Jane Whaley, continues to hold extreme power over its congregation and is riddled with allegations of mental and physical abuse and fraud. Elizabeth Vargas takes a look at the harrowing details of the past, as well as the present actions of the Church and examines the plight of former members who are fighting to get their families out.
The series is produced for A&E by Collins Avenue. Jeff Collins, Lindsay Schwartz, Michael Hammond and Francis Gasparini serve as executive producers for Collins Avenue. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky, Marcie Hume and David Doss serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“Child Brides (w.t.)” – two-hour special – premieres fall 2018
In America, a shocking number of young girls are forced into marriages against their will, a practice that is entirely legal with parental consent. Many believe this only happens in developing countries, but in the past 15 years, over 200,000 underage children have been forced into marriage in the Us. This in-depth two-hour special reveals the heart-wrenching stories of child marriage victims, who against all odds, escaped the most dire of circumstances. These brave survivors tackle this taboo issue in their personal lives and help to shine a light on the national epidemic with the hope that no child will ever have to be a victim again.
The special is produced for A&E Network by Sirens Media. Executive producers for Sirens Media are Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh and Jordana Hochman. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky and Molly Ebinger serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
Read original story Elizabeth Vargas Signs Overall Deal With A+E Networks At TheWrap...
Under the deal, Vargas will produce series and specials for the newly announced “A&E Investigates” banner, a collection of nonfiction, journalistic content airing in primetime. It will serve as her follow-up to a 14-year run as co-host of ABC’s “20/20.”
The first planned series under the A&E Investigates label, “Cults and Extreme Belief,” launches on May 28 and will see Vargas examine the self-help organization Nxivm, which has been accused of being a sex cult. The project doubles down on the success of A&E’s “Scientology and the Aftermath,” which recently earned host and executive producer Leah Remini her own overall deal with A+E.
Also Read: Leah Remini Signs Overall Deal With A+E Networks
“This is the exact challenge I was looking for in the next chapter of my career,” Vargas said in a statement. “I’m grateful to Paul and Elaine for presenting me this amazing once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“Elizabeth is a brave storyteller and one of the most trusted journalists who is an expert at bringing audiences closer to the heart of stories that have never been told in order to reveal genuine moments of truth,” said A&E’s head of programming Elaine Frontain Bryant. “Her honest and authentic brand is the perfect fit for our audience that always seeks the truth and we are fortunate that she chose A+E Networks as her new home.”
Read descriptions of all the initial A&E Investigates projects below:
“Cults and Extreme Belief” – nine-episode series – Two Night Premiere – Monday, May 28 and Tuesday, May 29 at 10pm Et/Pt
Elizabeth Vargas, alongside former members of controversial organizations, goes on a search to uncover how these sects use their influence to prey upon people’s desperation to create powerful and often destructive belief systems. Each episode will take an immersive look at one currently active group through the eyes of past devotees and get perspective from believers and leaders that are still inside.
In the premiere episode, Vargas examines Nxivm, an organization that sells “self-help” seminars that they claim give people the tools they need to get their lives together and allow them to make a difference in the world. However, the group led by Keith Raniere, referred to by followers as Vanguard, stands accused of drawing supporters down a path of destruction that includes near-starvation diets, sexual assault, forced branding, pseudo-slavery, and blackmail. Luring in many high profile Hollywood actresses to evangelize for his cause over its 20 year in operation, Raniere was recently arrested in Mexico and charged with sex trafficking among other crimes. Former members of Nxivm share harrowing experiences of manipulation and sexual violation, including Sarah Edmundson who sits down with Vargas to share new details of her ordeal inside the organization which first broke in the New York Times late last year.
The series is produced for A&E by The Intellectual Property Corporation. Eli Holzman & Aaron Saidman executive produce for Ipc along with executive producer/showrunner Alex Weresow and executive producer Rachelle Mendez. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky and Evan Lerner serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“The Plot Against America” – two-hour special – premieres Monday, June 4 at 8pm Et/Pt
Beginning in 2001, a shift in counter-intelligence spending meant that the United States took its eye off the spy game while Russia continued to dedicate vast resources to developing their army of spies. This two-hour documentary investigates beyond the headlines and goes into the heart of our country to ask the question, is America safe? Retired FBI Special Agent Dennis Franks tracks down enemy “sleepers” who have been strategically placed throughout America, and builds a case to expose them.
The series is produced for A&E by Hot Snakes Media with Eric Evangelista, Shannon Evangelista, David Doss and Dennis Franks serving as executive producers. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky, Sean Gottlieb and David Doss serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“The Untitled Word of Faith Fellowship Project (w.t.)” – six-episode series – premieres summer 2018
This docuseries follows the decades-long controversy surrounding the Word of Faith Fellowship Church in Spindle, North Carolina. This secretive church, led by 77-year-old Jane Whaley, continues to hold extreme power over its congregation and is riddled with allegations of mental and physical abuse and fraud. Elizabeth Vargas takes a look at the harrowing details of the past, as well as the present actions of the Church and examines the plight of former members who are fighting to get their families out.
The series is produced for A&E by Collins Avenue. Jeff Collins, Lindsay Schwartz, Michael Hammond and Francis Gasparini serve as executive producers for Collins Avenue. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky, Marcie Hume and David Doss serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
“Child Brides (w.t.)” – two-hour special – premieres fall 2018
In America, a shocking number of young girls are forced into marriages against their will, a practice that is entirely legal with parental consent. Many believe this only happens in developing countries, but in the past 15 years, over 200,000 underage children have been forced into marriage in the Us. This in-depth two-hour special reveals the heart-wrenching stories of child marriage victims, who against all odds, escaped the most dire of circumstances. These brave survivors tackle this taboo issue in their personal lives and help to shine a light on the national epidemic with the hope that no child will ever have to be a victim again.
The special is produced for A&E Network by Sirens Media. Executive producers for Sirens Media are Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh and Jordana Hochman. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Amy Savitsky and Molly Ebinger serve as executive producers for A&E Network.
Read original story Elizabeth Vargas Signs Overall Deal With A+E Networks At TheWrap...
- 4/19/2018
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
Hot Snakes Media founders Eric and Shannon Evangelista have announced three key hires.
Hal Lewis joins as evp of production, Billy Murphy as vp and creative director and Paul Listro as vp of finance.
The New York-based docu-series television production company has produced Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia, among others.
“Hal, Billy and Paul are the perfect additions to the team,” said Eric and Shannon Evangelista in a joint statement. “We strive to produce captivating entertainment, and their combined experience is indispensable as we continue to build our brand.”
Lewis (pictured, top left) is an award-winning television executive, with more than 25 years of experience in physical production who has worked on the likes of Brother vs. Brother, Food Network Star and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle.
Murphy (pictured, top right) is an Emmy Award-winning editor and producer who has plied his trade on Trl, Made, My Super Sweet 16 and Mob Wives.
Listro had worked...
Hal Lewis joins as evp of production, Billy Murphy as vp and creative director and Paul Listro as vp of finance.
The New York-based docu-series television production company has produced Breaking Amish and Amish Mafia, among others.
“Hal, Billy and Paul are the perfect additions to the team,” said Eric and Shannon Evangelista in a joint statement. “We strive to produce captivating entertainment, and their combined experience is indispensable as we continue to build our brand.”
Lewis (pictured, top left) is an award-winning television executive, with more than 25 years of experience in physical production who has worked on the likes of Brother vs. Brother, Food Network Star and 24 Hour Restaurant Battle.
Murphy (pictured, top right) is an Emmy Award-winning editor and producer who has plied his trade on Trl, Made, My Super Sweet 16 and Mob Wives.
Listro had worked...
- 8/28/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Destination America has two new paranormal-themed TV shows hitting the airwaves in September, and we have all the info you need on both of them right here so settle in and check out the details of "Ghost Asylum" and "Amish Haunting."
From the Press Release:
Investigating abandoned insane asylums is dangerous and downright terrifying, but in Destination America’s all-new series "Ghost Asylum" a fearless crew is on a quest to hunt down chain-rattling ghosts and scary apparitions by any means possible, even if that requires luring themselves as the decoy.
"Ghost Asylum" follows the most passionate paranormal team in America, the Tennessee Wraith Chasers, as they examine some of America’s most frightening asylums, sanitariums, and mental hospitals. Their goal isn’t just to conjure spirits and collect evidence, but they are on a mission to physically capture restless souls with their cutting-edge ghost traps and self-trained Tennessean wit.
From the Press Release:
Investigating abandoned insane asylums is dangerous and downright terrifying, but in Destination America’s all-new series "Ghost Asylum" a fearless crew is on a quest to hunt down chain-rattling ghosts and scary apparitions by any means possible, even if that requires luring themselves as the decoy.
"Ghost Asylum" follows the most passionate paranormal team in America, the Tennessee Wraith Chasers, as they examine some of America’s most frightening asylums, sanitariums, and mental hospitals. Their goal isn’t just to conjure spirits and collect evidence, but they are on a mission to physically capture restless souls with their cutting-edge ghost traps and self-trained Tennessean wit.
- 8/19/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
The life of a nun is something few people really understand, but Lifetime is looking to change that.
EW has confirmed that Lifetime has ordered six hour-long episodes of The Sisterhood, a new unscripted series that will follow five woman who have to decide whether they want to become nuns.
For The Sisterhood, cameras will be allowed inside a Catholic convent, where each woman will work and live before making her decision. Cameras have been granted access to the women in both the “discernment phase” and the “accelerated program,” which, according to the network, “will truly test their devotion.” Will they take vows of chastity,...
EW has confirmed that Lifetime has ordered six hour-long episodes of The Sisterhood, a new unscripted series that will follow five woman who have to decide whether they want to become nuns.
For The Sisterhood, cameras will be allowed inside a Catholic convent, where each woman will work and live before making her decision. Cameras have been granted access to the women in both the “discernment phase” and the “accelerated program,” which, according to the network, “will truly test their devotion.” Will they take vows of chastity,...
- 4/24/2014
- by Samantha Highfill
- EW - Inside TV
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