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EXCLUSIVE: Curiosity Entertainment has named erstwhile CBS exec Laurie Seidman arsenic its TV and movie chief, arsenic nan accumulation location and its publishing subsidiary, Storyteller Media, unveiled a debut page-to-screen slate.
Seideman is named Head of Film & Television, handing her power of Curiosity’s slate. The agelong serving CBS exec exited her postas Senior Vice President of Current Programming astatine Paramount’s CBS Entertainment successful December past year, having overseen nan likes of The Talk and Bull. She besides produced NBC’s drama Medium.
She will beryllium successful complaint of a slate that includes 2008 financial crisis-inspired characteristic dramedy Goodman, negociate bid Kaidro: The Awakening and YA imagination bid Witches of Calabasas among others. Read connected for nan afloat slate, astatine Curiosity and Storyteller, some of which were co-founded by shaper Adhrucia Apana and screenwriter and writer Charles Allen successful a bid to build a business exemplary based astir publishing and surface adaptations.
“As Curiosity enters its adjacent shape of growth, we wanted a leader who understands some imaginative improvement and production,” said Apana. “Laurie has built an exceptional profession championing talent, processing successful programming, and bringing projects to nan screen. Her acquisition and activity make her an outstanding summation to our team.”
“I’ve had nan opportunity to activity alongside Adhrucia and Charles and spot firsthand nan institution they’re building,” shares Seidman. “They’re creating a spot wherever original stories and creators are genuinely valued. I’m excited to thief turn nan slate and bring these projects to audiences.”
Also joining Curiosity is seasoned media exec John Maatta, erstwhile COO of The CW and existent Partner astatine Frost LLP, who will service arsenic committee chair. “Curiosity is building its business astir 1 of nan intermezo industry’s astir valuable assets – original intelligence property,” says Maatta. “By bringing publishing and surface improvement together, nan institution is creating opportunities for creators while positioning stories for semipermanent growth.”
Curiosity and Storyteller, whose books are distributed globally by Macmillan, run by sigining books that are actively pushed arsenic TV, film, gaming and integer level adaptations. Apana is known arsenic exec shaper connected nan likes of HBO’s The Survivor, characteristic film Capone and John Ridley’s Needle successful a Timestack, while Allen is simply a screenwriter, author, co-author and editor who antecedently ran an writer and screenwriter IP incubator spanning literate and film.
Their scheme is for Storyteller to people 20 to 30 titles annually crossed children’s, young adult, big fiction, fantasy, memoir, and schematic novels. Each is selected for its publishing imaginable while besides being developed for description film, television, gaming, and different intermezo platforms.
Headlining nan slate are a trio of projects. Goodman is billed arsenic a “David-and-Goliath dramedy inspired by existent events during nan 2008 financial crisis,” pinch Apana and Allen os co-writers and casting head Robert Ulrich (The Boys, Grey’s Anatomy) producing, pinch Jason and Jamie Neese (The Umbrella Academy) attached to direct. Production originates this fall.
Kaidro: The Awakening, developed successful business pinch Gadget-Bot Productions, is simply a manga franchise that will beryllium distributed globally done Macmillan, while Witches of Calabasas — a YA imagination bid from Emmy Award-nominated journalist Frank Elaridi.
Additional titles include You Don’t Know Dick by Kristina Denton; Pay to Play, a governmental thriller inspired by existent events; and The Traveling Audience, nan debut caller from Jason Neese, who produced of The Umbrella Academy.
“We’re betting connected what exertion cannot switch – authentic connections, community and real life experiences,” said Apana. “Great stories don’t beryllium successful conscionable 1 mean anymore. We built Curiosity and Storyteller together because we saw an opportunity to span publishing and intermezo successful a measurement that gives creators much opportunities while building lasting audiences astir original IP.”
“What we’re really doing is putting nan creator backmost astatine nan halfway of nan deal,” added Allen. “Publishing should beryllium nan opening of nan journey, not nan decorativeness line. Our extremity is to thief creators build stories that tin turn crossed aggregate platforms while keeping them connected to nan readers and audiences who observe them.”
Last year, we reported that Storyteller had struck a woody pinch L.A. publishing location Gungnir for a slate of page to surface titles, including Gina Din’s autobiography, Daughter of Africa.
Allen founded Storyteller arsenic nan publishing limb of Curiosity is collaboration pinch Apana and Gungnir’s publisher, Matthew Medney.
