Francesca Orsi Wins Series Mania Award
HBO programing boss Francesca Orsi is to be awarded Series Mania’s Woman In Series Award and will take the stage with Bad Wolf CEO Jane Tranter at the Lille confab later this month. Orsi, whose slate has included the likes of The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria, along with Bad Wolf-made shows such as Industry, will speak about her career and the industry during the Tranter chat. She is one of the biggest draws for the Lille event, which takes place in two weeks and is featuring the likes of Patricia Arquette and Narcos showrunner Chris Brancato. “Awarding Francesca Orsi with this award for 2024 was an easy decision and an obvious choice for us,” said Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania founder. “Francesca is a true leader and I am incredibly honored to be presenting her with our award this year.” Last...
HBO programing boss Francesca Orsi is to be awarded Series Mania’s Woman In Series Award and will take the stage with Bad Wolf CEO Jane Tranter at the Lille confab later this month. Orsi, whose slate has included the likes of The Last of Us, The White Lotus and Euphoria, along with Bad Wolf-made shows such as Industry, will speak about her career and the industry during the Tranter chat. She is one of the biggest draws for the Lille event, which takes place in two weeks and is featuring the likes of Patricia Arquette and Narcos showrunner Chris Brancato. “Awarding Francesca Orsi with this award for 2024 was an easy decision and an obvious choice for us,” said Laurence Herszberg, Series Mania founder. “Francesca is a true leader and I am incredibly honored to be presenting her with our award this year.” Last...
- 3/8/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Half Yard Productions, the company behind TLC’s long-running series Say Yes To The Dress, is losing its two most senior executives.
CEO Dirk Hoogstra and Chief Creative Officer Nicole Sorrenti are exiting the company, which is owned by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company. North Road took it over as part of its deal to acquire the U.S. assets of Red Arrow Studios last year.
It follows layoffs within the company over the summer as North Road looked to “right-size” the business.
It comes at a difficult time for unscripted producers; many companies in the genre are struggling as buying seems to have hit a low and the writers and actors strike didn’t bring any boom to the area, as happened with the 07/08 strike. There are fewer places to sell unscripted reality series and the market has been hurting.
“It’s the toughest time to...
CEO Dirk Hoogstra and Chief Creative Officer Nicole Sorrenti are exiting the company, which is owned by Peter Chernin’s The North Road Company. North Road took it over as part of its deal to acquire the U.S. assets of Red Arrow Studios last year.
It follows layoffs within the company over the summer as North Road looked to “right-size” the business.
It comes at a difficult time for unscripted producers; many companies in the genre are struggling as buying seems to have hit a low and the writers and actors strike didn’t bring any boom to the area, as happened with the 07/08 strike. There are fewer places to sell unscripted reality series and the market has been hurting.
“It’s the toughest time to...
- 12/5/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Banijay has launched a global accelerator program aimed at supporting female creators developing promising unscripted formats. The company has also commissioned a first-ever study on women in the non-fiction space.
Named Banijay Launch, the competitive program was unveiled at Mipcom by Sharon Levy, Endemol Shine North America CEO and James Townley, Banijay’s Cco of development. Levy and Townley, who are the driving forces behind the initiative, are launching a global portal for submissions on Tuesday.
“We are always looking for the next ‘Survivor,’ for the next ‘Big Brother,'” Levy said. “But every time we hear about studies on women in business, most of them – all of them – are about scripted. No one has really looked at the non-scripted numbers,” she continued. This is about to change.
Banijay will select top three to five finalists who will then be mentored by a local creative to develop their formats. The...
Named Banijay Launch, the competitive program was unveiled at Mipcom by Sharon Levy, Endemol Shine North America CEO and James Townley, Banijay’s Cco of development. Levy and Townley, who are the driving forces behind the initiative, are launching a global portal for submissions on Tuesday.
“We are always looking for the next ‘Survivor,’ for the next ‘Big Brother,'” Levy said. “But every time we hear about studies on women in business, most of them – all of them – are about scripted. No one has really looked at the non-scripted numbers,” she continued. This is about to change.
Banijay will select top three to five finalists who will then be mentored by a local creative to develop their formats. The...
- 10/17/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Banijay has forged a “global accelerator program” to encourage more women to get into unscripted formats.
Unveiled at a swanky breakfast at Mipcom Cannes attended by press and producers, Banijay Launch is being helmed by Endemol Shine North America CEO Sharon Levy and Chief Content Officer, Development James Townley.
The program from the Big Brother and Survivor maker will provide women with mentorship by the French powerhouse’s creative heads to aid them in developing formats from concept to pitch to sale, which it is hoping will boost pipeline. Interested parties can apply here.
To support the program, Banijay Americas has commissioned a first-of-its-kind study with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in partnership with Everywoman Studios. Banijay Launch was inspired by the Propelle program, a female-focused accelerator initiative created and developed in 2020 by Everywoman Studios’ CEO, Abby Greensfelder. Greensfelder consulted on the creation of Banijay Launch and...
Unveiled at a swanky breakfast at Mipcom Cannes attended by press and producers, Banijay Launch is being helmed by Endemol Shine North America CEO Sharon Levy and Chief Content Officer, Development James Townley.
The program from the Big Brother and Survivor maker will provide women with mentorship by the French powerhouse’s creative heads to aid them in developing formats from concept to pitch to sale, which it is hoping will boost pipeline. Interested parties can apply here.
To support the program, Banijay Americas has commissioned a first-of-its-kind study with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, in partnership with Everywoman Studios. Banijay Launch was inspired by the Propelle program, a female-focused accelerator initiative created and developed in 2020 by Everywoman Studios’ CEO, Abby Greensfelder. Greensfelder consulted on the creation of Banijay Launch and...
- 10/17/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Leading independent production company Banijay has launched a global accelerator program designed to support women creators in the non-scripted television business.
Sharon Levy, CEO of Endemol Shine North America, announced the new program together with Banijay Chief Content Officer James Townley, at the international television conference MIPCOM Cannes on Tuesday.
The program, Banijay Launch, will accept pitches from female creators for non-scripted formats. Banijay will select the top three to five most promising pitches and pair the creatives up with selected women from Banijay’s global collective of established talents for mentorships to aid them in turning their pitches from concept to pitch to sale. The competition will culminate with a live pitch presentation before a judging panel led by Levy and Townley. Fellow judges include Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay; Pilar Blasco, CEO of Banijay Iberia; and Abby Greensfelder, founder and CEO of Everywoman Studios. A winner will be...
Sharon Levy, CEO of Endemol Shine North America, announced the new program together with Banijay Chief Content Officer James Townley, at the international television conference MIPCOM Cannes on Tuesday.
The program, Banijay Launch, will accept pitches from female creators for non-scripted formats. Banijay will select the top three to five most promising pitches and pair the creatives up with selected women from Banijay’s global collective of established talents for mentorships to aid them in turning their pitches from concept to pitch to sale. The competition will culminate with a live pitch presentation before a judging panel led by Levy and Townley. Fellow judges include Marco Bassetti, CEO of Banijay; Pilar Blasco, CEO of Banijay Iberia; and Abby Greensfelder, founder and CEO of Everywoman Studios. A winner will be...
- 10/17/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In the realm of popular music, statistics can reveal the truth behind the glitz and glamour. USC Annenberg’s Inclusion in the Recording Studio study, provides an insightful examination into the lack of women present in the music industry across various sections including engineering, songwriting, producers, spanning from 2012 to 2019. Across 800 popular songs, the study shines a spotlight on an industry that has been predominantly white and male.
However, the emergence of the organization She Is The Music, co-founded by Alicia Keys (Ak Worldwide), recording and mixing engineer Ann Mincieli (Ak Worldwide/Jungle City Studios), Sam Kirby Yoh, Co-Head of UTA, Dr. Stacy Smith of USC, Rebecca Leon of Lionfish Entertainment and Jody Gerson at Universal Music publishing, materialized in response to the stark data from USC Annenberg’s study. The initiative encompasses mentoring programs, songwriting camps, and a global database of female creators, reflecting a profound commitment to cultivating and...
However, the emergence of the organization She Is The Music, co-founded by Alicia Keys (Ak Worldwide), recording and mixing engineer Ann Mincieli (Ak Worldwide/Jungle City Studios), Sam Kirby Yoh, Co-Head of UTA, Dr. Stacy Smith of USC, Rebecca Leon of Lionfish Entertainment and Jody Gerson at Universal Music publishing, materialized in response to the stark data from USC Annenberg’s study. The initiative encompasses mentoring programs, songwriting camps, and a global database of female creators, reflecting a profound commitment to cultivating and...
- 6/9/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix announced the final season of “Dear White People” will launch Sept. 22 and be a musical season.
“The only way to move forward is to throw it back,” a teaser for the season previews. From there a cover of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” kicks into gear.
The teaser also shows the students getting ready to dance, with snapping of hands and getting into formation to perform Jordan’s 1995 hit. There is an Afro-futuristic and 1990s-inspired dance floor, as the students of the fictional Winchester University look back on their time on campus amid their final year.
“Dear White People,” an extension of the film of the same name by Justin Simien, deals with issues of race, class and sexuality on that college campus. Logan Browning’s Sam White hosts a radio show within the series that is also titled “Dear White People” and is where...
“The only way to move forward is to throw it back,” a teaser for the season previews. From there a cover of Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” kicks into gear.
The teaser also shows the students getting ready to dance, with snapping of hands and getting into formation to perform Jordan’s 1995 hit. There is an Afro-futuristic and 1990s-inspired dance floor, as the students of the fictional Winchester University look back on their time on campus amid their final year.
“Dear White People,” an extension of the film of the same name by Justin Simien, deals with issues of race, class and sexuality on that college campus. Logan Browning’s Sam White hosts a radio show within the series that is also titled “Dear White People” and is where...
- 8/6/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma and Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
After more than a decade of showcasing women wrestling with what to wear down the aisle on TLC behemoth Say Yes to the Dress, veteran producer Abby Greensfelder is taking a somewhat different approach to female-focused storytelling with her new venture.
Greensfelder, who started in unscripted programming at Discovery before co-founding Say Yes shingle Half Yard Productions in 2006, launched Everywoman Studios in 2019 — and, thanks in part to the halo of Olympic interest, her first project is currently being plugged on the HBO Max landing page. Documentary foray Lfg, short for “Let’s Fucking Go,” follows the U.S. women’s soccer player ...
Greensfelder, who started in unscripted programming at Discovery before co-founding Say Yes shingle Half Yard Productions in 2006, launched Everywoman Studios in 2019 — and, thanks in part to the halo of Olympic interest, her first project is currently being plugged on the HBO Max landing page. Documentary foray Lfg, short for “Let’s Fucking Go,” follows the U.S. women’s soccer player ...
- 7/28/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
After more than a decade of showcasing women wrestling with what to wear down the aisle on TLC behemoth Say Yes to the Dress, veteran producer Abby Greensfelder is taking a somewhat different approach to female-focused storytelling with her new venture.
Greensfelder, who started in unscripted programming at Discovery before co-founding Say Yes shingle Half Yard Productions in 2006, launched Everywoman Studios in 2019 — and, thanks in part to the halo of Olympic interest, her first project is currently being plugged on the HBO Max landing page. Documentary foray Lfg, short for “Let’s Fucking Go,” follows the U.S. women’s soccer player ...
Greensfelder, who started in unscripted programming at Discovery before co-founding Say Yes shingle Half Yard Productions in 2006, launched Everywoman Studios in 2019 — and, thanks in part to the halo of Olympic interest, her first project is currently being plugged on the HBO Max landing page. Documentary foray Lfg, short for “Let’s Fucking Go,” follows the U.S. women’s soccer player ...
- 7/28/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Discovery commissioner and co-founder of Say Yes To The Dress producer Half-Yard Productions Abby Greensfelder is on a mission to create more female-led stories in the non-scripted space.
Greensfelder set up Everywoman Studios after she left Red Arrow-owned Half-Yard and is now in the middle of putting together a slate of projects, including a soccer doc for HBO Max, a cooking series featuring immigrant grandmothers and a cult doc series from Eva Orner.
“My plan is to create stories by and about women, especially in spaces where we don’t typically see women in content,” she told Deadline. “I programmed Discovery, which was a male skewing channel, and there were all of these spaces such as sports, the outdoors, science, exploration, space and none of them had any women in these shows. All these years later, I wanted to find stories that appealed to everyone, they’re very...
Greensfelder set up Everywoman Studios after she left Red Arrow-owned Half-Yard and is now in the middle of putting together a slate of projects, including a soccer doc for HBO Max, a cooking series featuring immigrant grandmothers and a cult doc series from Eva Orner.
“My plan is to create stories by and about women, especially in spaces where we don’t typically see women in content,” she told Deadline. “I programmed Discovery, which was a male skewing channel, and there were all of these spaces such as sports, the outdoors, science, exploration, space and none of them had any women in these shows. All these years later, I wanted to find stories that appealed to everyone, they’re very...
- 4/13/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Dirk Hoogstra Named CEO Of ‘Say Yes To The Dress’ Producer Half Yard After Sean Gallagher Steps Down
Former History Channel general manager Dirk Hoogstra is taking over at Half Yard Productions, the company behind TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress franchise, after co-founder Sean Gallagher stepped down.
Hoogstra has been named CEO after Gallagher decided to pursue interests outside of the TV industry.
It comes 18 months after Hoogstra joined the company as EVP of Development.
Half Yard Productions is currently producing the 19th season of Say Yes to the Dress for the Discovery-owned broadcaster and also makes Relatively Evil for Investigation Discovery and Dino Hunters for Discovery.
Hoogstra previously spent nine years at A+E Networks, where he ran History with series including American Pickers, Counting Cars, Hatfields & McCoys, The Bible and Vikings. Before that he spent 11 years at Discovery. After leaving A+E Networks in 2016, he was Chief Creative Officer at Stephen David Entertainment before launching Triton City Entertainment, his own digital sci-fi and...
Hoogstra has been named CEO after Gallagher decided to pursue interests outside of the TV industry.
It comes 18 months after Hoogstra joined the company as EVP of Development.
Half Yard Productions is currently producing the 19th season of Say Yes to the Dress for the Discovery-owned broadcaster and also makes Relatively Evil for Investigation Discovery and Dino Hunters for Discovery.
Hoogstra previously spent nine years at A+E Networks, where he ran History with series including American Pickers, Counting Cars, Hatfields & McCoys, The Bible and Vikings. Before that he spent 11 years at Discovery. After leaving A+E Networks in 2016, he was Chief Creative Officer at Stephen David Entertainment before launching Triton City Entertainment, his own digital sci-fi and...
- 12/3/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Start your engines! Discovery Channel has ordered the Sacred Steel TV series, as a part of its Motor-Mondays line-up. Sacred Steel takes viewers inside the exclusive Douche Larouche club, dedicated to building, riding, and working on motorcycles.
Jason Wilson and team at his Sacred Steel shop build customized high-end choppers and restore classic bikes, too. Sean Gallagher, Abby Greensfelder, and John Jones are executive producing Sacred Steel, for Half Yard Productions. For Discovery Channel, executive producers are Craig Coffman, Christo Doyle, and John Slaughter. Meagan Davis is producing.
Read More…...
Jason Wilson and team at his Sacred Steel shop build customized high-end choppers and restore classic bikes, too. Sean Gallagher, Abby Greensfelder, and John Jones are executive producing Sacred Steel, for Half Yard Productions. For Discovery Channel, executive producers are Craig Coffman, Christo Doyle, and John Slaughter. Meagan Davis is producing.
Read More…...
- 3/30/2016
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
London – German TV networks giant ProSiebenSat.1 said Thursday that its TV production unit Red Arrow Entertainment has acquired a majority stake in U.S. reality TV producer Half Yard Productions. Half Yard is the company behind TLC hit show Say Yes to the Dress and also produces Nat Geo's Diggers and Animal Planet's Hillbilly Handfishin’, among other shows. Financial terms weren't disclosed. Photos: TV’s Top Offices: Where the Showrunners of 'Mad Men,' 'New Girl,' 'Sons of Anarchy,' Work and Play Half Yard, launched in 2006, will continue to be run by founders and co-CEOs Abby Greensfelder and Sean
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- 2/27/2014
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Yet another U.S.-based unscripted production company is being snapped up by an European conglom. Munich-based Red Arrow Entertainment Group has acquired a majority stake in Half Yard Prods., which has offices in New York and Bethesda, MD. Founded in 2006 by Sean Gallagher and Abby Greensfelder, Half Yard focuses on reality series, factual entertainment and documentaries. It is the top producer of wedding programming in the Us with Say Yes to the Dress, I Found the Gown and Randy to the Rescue for TLC. The company’s portfolio also includes Diggers on Nat Geo, How the States Got Their Shapes on History, Hillbilly Handfishin; on Animal Planet and American Loggers on Discovery. Gallagher and Greensfelder will continue as co-CEOs. Half Yard joins Red Arrow’s other Us production holdings, Kinetic Content, Fabrik Entertainment and Left/Right Prods.
- 2/27/2014
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Washington -- Half Yard Productions, the Bethesda, Md.-based entertainment outfit behind the D.C. iteration of Bravo's "Real Housewives" franchise, turned five years old this summer. The Huffington Post caught up with Half Yard principals Abby Greensfelder and Sean Gallagher to dish about their past shows and the changing reality television landscape.
"The stakes are higher now," Greensfelder said. "There's generally, across the board, less margin for making mistakes."
Both she and Gallagher are network veterans, with more than a decade of experience at Discovery Channel and TLC, respectively. The pair have developed a slew of popular shows, from TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" to History Channel's "Modern Marvels."
Their decision to launch their own company was sparked, Gallagher said, by a desire to tell stories about "interesting characters [and] interesting worlds." But the economic climate has presented obstacles as networks tighten their belts.
"There's such pressure and...
"The stakes are higher now," Greensfelder said. "There's generally, across the board, less margin for making mistakes."
Both she and Gallagher are network veterans, with more than a decade of experience at Discovery Channel and TLC, respectively. The pair have developed a slew of popular shows, from TLC's "Say Yes to the Dress" to History Channel's "Modern Marvels."
Their decision to launch their own company was sparked, Gallagher said, by a desire to tell stories about "interesting characters [and] interesting worlds." But the economic climate has presented obstacles as networks tighten their belts.
"There's such pressure and...
- 11/30/2011
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Oxygen Media, which will hold its upfront presentation in New York later today, has put three more docu-series in the development pipeline, surprisingly, none of them featuring Tori Spelling: Maids of Drama (working title) which focuses on bridal parties gone awry; Lost Angels (wt), which follows Chloe Lattanzi, daughter of pop icon Olivia Newton-John; and My Post Grad Life (wt), a look at the year after college graduation. In addition, Hair Battle Spectacular, which became the most-watched freshman series in Oxygen history, has been renewed for a second season with new host model/actor Eva Marcille. Oxygen also announced premiere dates for two new series, The World According to Paris (June 1) and The Glee Project (June 12), whose premiere episode will feature Glee standout Darren Criss as a guest mentor. With The Glee Project, Oxygen is opening a new night of original programming on Sunday. Here are descriptions of Oxygen's...
- 4/4/2011
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
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