09/21/23: Box Box drives into new genres

Thursday September 21, 2023

Today’s Premieres
BET+: Love & Murder: Atlanta Playboy
Max: Young Love
Netflix: Sex Education; Kengan Ashura; Scissor Seven
Tastemade: Struggle Meals

Today’s Finales
ABC: Generation Gap at 8p; The Prank Panel at 9p

IN THE NEWS

WGA picketers were quickstepping to “Dancing with the Stars” rehearsals. Approximately 30 writers protested outside of the ABC series’ rehearsal studios in West Hollywood yesterday and outside the 3rd Street Dance Studio near the Beverly Center ahead of the show’s season premiere on Tuesday. Signs targeted competing contestants, with signs like, “This one time… At band camp… Alyson Hannigan screwed the entire WGA,” “Can’t dance your way out of this!” and “MATT WALSH, DON’T DANCE AS A SCAB!”

Russell Brand is facing backlash after damaging allegations emerged about his treatment of women. “The UK TV industry should not become synonymous with the scandals of #MeToo.” The comedian is facing accusations of rape, sexual assaults and emotional abuse over a seven-year period from four women. At the RTS Cambridge Convention, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the industry should provide “places where people feel safe, where working cultures are responsible and accountable and don’t allow abuses of power.” She continued, “I would urge all of you as leaders in your industry to look hard at your culture and processes in your own organizations and lead change if change is needed.” Brand’s comedy special, “Russell Brand in New York,” was removed from Paramount+ following the allegations.

Fuse Media closed its Upfronts with double-digit growth in volume and high single-digit growth in CPMs across platforms. The increases were driven by wins in original programming on both linear and streaming as well as growth in the FAST space, including the return of Big Freedia in “Big Freedia Means Business” and Critic’s Choice Real TV Award nominee “Like a Girl.”

Cynopsis Top Women in Media Awards
BOP TO THE TOP
This year’s Top Women in Media Honorees are fearless – in speaking out, standing up for others, and moving the needle. The fifth annual awards gala will honor their incredible achievements. Take a look at some of our honorees:
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Dana McGraw, Disney
Melanie Babcock, The Home Depot
Tina Perry, OWN
Will you be there to cheer them on and network with all the other attendees?
YES, I’LL BE THERE

PRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT

Box Box is taking on new genres after the success of its docuseries “Formula 1: Drive to Survive.” The production company founded by James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin is expanding into new territory such as true-crime and scripted. Martin told Deadline, “We looked at sport as an area, particularly in the premium space, that felt underserved. “ou had ESPN, which did ‘30 for 30’ and HBO doing ‘Hard Knocks’ once a year. But we felt there was a ton of opportunity for really well done, premium storytelling in the sports space. I don’t think we expected ‘Drive to Survive’ to suddenly become this thing that was bigger than just a TV show. But we definitely sensed that there was an opportunity in that space. Then ‘Drive to Survive’ became the right show at the right time and probably fast tracked where we are.”

NEW & RETURNING SERIES

The MVPs of “Basketball Wives L.A.” are back. Evelyn Lozada, Jennifer Williams, Shaunie Henderson, Jackie Christie and Brooke Bailey have returned for season 11 of the reality series. Lozada said in the season’s promotional video, “I actually miss the ladies, the hustle and bustle.” Four new wives have joined the roster: Brittany Renner, Vanessa Rider, Jac’Eil Duckworth and Clayanna Warthen.

Apple’s “Slow Horses” starring Gary Oldman returns December 1. The espionage drama’s third season will air with the first two episodes, followed by one new episode weekly, Fridays through December 29, on Apple TV+.

“AKA Mr. Chow” debuts on HBO on October 22. Oscar-nominated Diane Quon produces and Nick Hooker (“Agnelli”) directs the documentary portrait of the artist, actor and restaurateur Michael Chow. The documentary includes interviews with artists including Peter Blake, Julian Schnabel and Ed Ruscha.

Telemundo’s “Exatlón All-Stars” kicks off its new season on September 26. The eighth edition of the network’s longest-running reality series will feature the return of 24 champions and runners-up who will test their physical and mental skills to win half a million dollars, the largest prize ever awarded on US Hispanic TV. Competitors will tackle brand-new parkours such as The Circus, Olympic Pool, Black Box, ExaArena and more.

Nickelodeon and Mattel’s “Monster High” animated series debuts October 2. The series continues with the original and legacy characters and half-hour specials throughout season one, with students battling a zombie invasion and a Night of Terror, as well as a hunt to find Monster Talismans, and midterms. Fans can watch “Monster High” on the Nick App, Nick.com and VOD.

Wendy Guevara’s “Wendy, Perdida Pero Famosa” premieres October 5 on ViX. The new 13-episode reality show provides an exclusive glimpse into the life of Guevara, the winner of “La Casa de los Famosos México,” as she shares her beginnings and her relationship with her closest circle. Guevara was the first transgender woman to win a reality show in Mexico.

Ms. Pat is the latest to take on the role of TV judge on BET. With a jury of her friends and family members, as well as guest stars, Patricia Williams will star in the unscripted series, “Ms. Pat Settles in,” set to premiere October 18 at 10p.

Season two of FX’s “Welcome to Wrexham” continues Tuesdays, starting next week. Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds navigate running the third-oldest professional football club in the world.

“Cake Boss” Buddy Valastro is back! The celebrity baker, chef and entrepreneur has joined A&E’s Home.Made.Nation with two new series produced by Six West Media, an A+E Factual Studios brand. Premiering with back-to-back episodes on November 11 at 9p, “Legends of the Fork” follows Buddy as he travels the country in search of the most renowned dishes and restaurants to uncover the “secret sauce” to their success. Immediately following at 10p, “Buddy Valastro’s Cake Dynasty” highlights Buddy and his family as they bring the Carlo’s Bake Shop empire to new levels.

All episodes of “One Day in America” premiere on National Geographic on November 5. The franchise returns with its second installment, “JFK: One Day in America,” to mark the 60th anniversary of former President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. From 72 Films and David Glover along with Oscar-winning filmmakers Dan Lindsay and T.J. Martin, the three-part docuseries weaves archival footage with testimony from the last surviving witnesses to create a minute-by-minute examination of that day, according to the description.

COMING UP

Ralph Barbosa’s “Cowabunga” is headed to Netflix. The hour-long stand-up comedy special was shot at The Kessler Theater in Dallas, TX, in August as part of Barbosa’s North American tour, and will premiere globally on October 31. Eric Abrams directed the special and Barbosa executive produced alongside Matthew Vaughan of Rotten Science and Zack Waxenberg of 3 Arts Entertainment.

Keltie Knight and Andrienne Bailon-Houghton will host The 72nd Miss USA Pageant. Led by the E! News chief correspondent and “The Real” host, the pageant judged by Nicole Miller, Vivica A. Fox, Emina Cunmulaj Nazarian and Patrick Starr airs on The CW on September 29.

STREAMING

“Beacon 23” has moved to MGM+ after AMC dropped plans to air the psychological thriller. Starring Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”) and Stephan James (“Degrassi: The Next Generation”), the drama was first greenlit by Spectrum Originals and AMC Networks in 2021. Produced by Boat Rocker, “Beacon 23” is scheduled for a global premiere on November 12 on the streamer.

The all-new E4 couples’ series “In Love & Toxic: Blue Therapy” launches October 5. The first iteration of the UK series became an overnight success as a YouTube series for its dissection of modern Black British relationships, and will now return as a six-part entertainment series on E4. Produced by Luti Media and Andy Amadi from Trend Centrl, the series follows five couples as they offload relationship challenges in couples’ therapy sessions, guided by returning relationship coach Denise and new joiner Jo. The first episode premieres on October 5 at 6p on YouTube and 10p on E4; the rest of the series will air on YouTube and E4 at 10p and will be available to stream on Channel 4.

GOING GLOBAL

The upcoming stage production of “Stranger Things: The First Shadow” cast its young Hopper, Joyce, Dr. Brenner and Vecna. The London play takes place in 1969 in Hawkins, Indiana, and acts as a prequel to the hit Netflix series, the final season of which is postponed due to ongoing strikes. Shane Attwool will play Chief Hopper, Isabella Pappas will play Joyce Maldonado and Louis McCartney will play Henry Creel (who later turns into Vecna).

Fifth Season inked the first wave of international sales for “Best Interests.” France Télévisions (France), RTÉ (Ireland), ABC (Australia), Hot (Israel), Antenna (Greece), NPO (Netherlands) and Now TV were the first to secure sales of the BBC One drama created and written by BAFTA-winning writer Jack Thorne. The series made its worldwide premiere at Series Mania 2023 as part of the festival’s International Competition selection, with Michael Sheen taking the award for Best Actor.

SPORTS

The Tennis Channel will cover the Laver Cup from this weekend. The annual event, pitting the tennis players in Europe against those of the rest of the world, begins tomorrow at 4p. Four of the six players on Team World hail from the US, including Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul. They will counter Team Europe with a pair of top 10-ranked singles stars, Andrey Rublev (Russia) and Casper Ruud (Norway).

OutKick delivered 20 million total multiplatform minutes and 19 million total multiplatform views in August 2023, according to Comscore. The multimedia sports platform also saw 5.2 total multiplatform unique viewers, up 9% year-over-year. Founder Clay Travis said, “OutKick’s growth continues to spotlight our cutting-edge content and fearless talent. I’m excited for what’s to come, especially with college football and [the] NFL in full swing.”

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RATINGS

“The Masked Singer” season 10 premiere reached 5.8 million viewers. Following seven days of multi-platform viewing, the series drew viewers from Hulu and Fox linear, upping the 3.9 million who tuned in on September 10 to watch the episode live.

“Hard Knocks: Training Camp with The New York Jets” scored its largest series audience in 13 years.The HBO series, which debuted on August 8, averaged 4.4 million viewers per episode and was the number one unscripted series on Max across its five-week run. “Telemarketers” also hit a high as the most-watched HBO documentary series (non-sports) in more than two years, with 1.9 million average viewers per episode.

EXECUTIVE MOVES

Lauren Haber is the new head of documentary at Amplify Pictures. The producer will be responsible for overseeing the company’s slate of documentary projects and expanding its portfolio, with an emphasis on ongoing series and IP creation. Before joining the Emmy-winning studio, Haber served as VP of production at Impact Partners.

IN MEMORIAM

TV director and producer Stan Harris died at 92. The director behind TV specials for Dolly Parton, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, John Wayne and Jack Benny is survived by his wife Fai Harris, daughters Lauren and Jayne, son Danny, six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

This Day in History
2004 – Green Day released their album “American Idiot” in the US

Answer to Our Last Trivia Question
Which series ranked #65 in primetime its first season, moved up to #58 in season two and #44 for season three – only to sink to #104 in its fourth season, causing the cancellation of plans for a fifth run? “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” (1993-97).

Today’s Trivia Question
What nickname does Maeve’s mother call her in “Sex Education” (2019-)? (Email [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company, city and time zone. Unofficial rules: a limit of four answers per time zone.)

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ACCOUNT DIRECTOR
FUTURE TODAY
CHICAGO
Represent Future Today, selling an expansive portfolio of O&O CTV apps, inclusive of HappyKids, Fawesome, The LEGO Channel, FilmRise, Blippi. 5+years selling linear/streaming/OLV exp req.Biz dev position inclusive of direct, pmp/pg.Solid relationships; agency & client. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE DIRECT RESPONSE >>
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TV ONE
NYC, Hybrid, Remote
Communicate the value & brand strength of Urban One Networks to advertisers & agencies. Create compelling presentations that convey the benefits & features of our programming and the viewing audiences. Proactively keep clients informed of pertinent account and network information. Min. 4+ yrs national advertising sales or equivalent sales exp. Full info HERE

VP/HEAD OF ADVERTISING SALES
FREEBEE
FL/NYC Remote
Lead, manage, develop, and grow Ad Sales teams. Attract and retain the best talent. Work with leadership team to set, achieve, and grow revenue targets across OOH, Digital and Experiential. Instrumental in driving the team to exceed all expectations and goals. 15+ years’ experience in advertising, media, and relevant sales management roles. Full info HERE

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
FREEBEE
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Achieve revenue and growth targets across linear and digital. Identify and execute strategies which result in exceeding revenue targets. Develop and execute effective sales strategies that showcase as well as maximize overall revenues for the overarching National Sales division. 7-10 yrs exp. in advertising, media & relevant sales management roles. Full info HERE

SENIOR AUDIO/VIDEO PROMOTION PRODUCER >>
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DIGITAL DIRECTOR, NEWS >>
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SENIOR DIRECTOR, DIGITAL CONTENT LICENSING
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ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE
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Represent FETV & FMC to media community via ongoing communications & relationship building. Maintain & develop strong working relationships w/both agencies & internal departments in support of sales efforts. Work w/sales management, pricing & planning to achieve quarterly revenue goals. 5+ yrs media sales exp. preferably in cable TV- agency exp. +. Full info HERE

SENIOR DESIGNER, MOTION GRAPHICS & DIGITAL >>
REELZ/ALBUQUERQUE, NM: Strong graphic design foundation including – typography, color, composition & concepts & stays up to date with motion design trends & visual effects. Expert level experience w/After Effects, Photoshop & Illustrator is req. Knowledge of InDesign & 3D design software is a +. Exp. in greenscreen keying, tracking & rotoscoping techniques are also a +. Full info HERE

BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS AND DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE >>
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SENIOR MANAGER, AD SALES MARKETING
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Manage the pre-sale client facing pitch process and post-sale activation of cross-platform television, streaming, digital & social media integrated marketing programs. Write & create compelling sales presentations, one-sheets & cross-platform sponsorship opportunities. 5+ yrs exp. with ad sales marketing, integrated marketing, brand advertising. Full info HERE

DIRECTOR, MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
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Manage messaging, vision and strategy in the marketplace and internally. Responsible for helping to build, execute and enhance ad sales brand reputation and to raise awareness of the organization both internally and externally. 10+ years’ related media experience and experience with an ad sales organization. Full info HERE

HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR >>
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DIRECTOR, MEDIA SUPPLY CHAIN OPERATIONS >>
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BRAND ASSISTANT >>
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TALENT ASSISTANT >>
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER FOR NATIONAL POLITICAL SHOW >>
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EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF NEWS/ENTERTAINMENT >>
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SR. DIRECTOR, PRODUCT MANAGEMENT >>
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SENIOR CONTENT PRODUCER
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Oversee video/creative production team thru ideation, production planning, crew/talent hiring, & budget/project management. Shepherd campaigns from development, pre-production, & production thru editing & delivery. Help w/shoots as well as postproduction team. 5+ yrs exp. spanning editorial, design, advertising agency, film, branded entertainment. Full info HERE

CREATIVE DIRECTOR
INTERACTIVE ONE
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Respond to both RFPs and direct-to-client assignments from brands and agencies. Examine client brief and lead ideation or adapt pre-existing creative. Identify innovative storytelling and emerging video formats. Minimum of 7 yrs exp. producing compelling video, television and digital media content across multiple channels and platforms. Full info HERE

AD SALES PLANNER >>
SINCLAIR BROADCASTING GROUP/NYC, Hybrid: Responsible for creating, analyzing & communicating sales proposals to the Sales team for presentation to advertising agencies and/or clients. Collaborate w/all media platforms & departments to create proposals, execute campaigns, manage stewardship & pacing of linear & digital deals. Point of contact post sale & provide excellent client services. Full info HERE

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NYC: Determine best news stories for the program and create daily rundown. Work with show host in program preparation and execution. Identify compelling news stories. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to producers, associate producers, and casting producers. 3+ years executive producing experience or overseeing newscast production. Full info HERE

STAGE MANAGER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/WASHINGTON DC: Works with Production management to maintains cast and crew lists and manages local rehearsal and show calendar. Oversee daily technical run-throughs directly prior to shows. Willing and able to work shifts between 12noon to 11pm and occasional Weekends and some longer hours during election and special events. Full info HERE

BROADCAST ENGINEER >>
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PRODUCER >>
NEWSMAX MEDIA INC/NEW YORK: Generate story ideas through research of news reports, social media, websites & contacts. Strong understanding of Newsmax brand & talent. Identify impactful news stories that result in provocative, compelling television. Delegate responsibilities as appropriate to associate producers, assignment editors & video editors. Bachelor’s degree preferred. Full info HERE

MANAGER OF ENTERPRISE CONTENT, WTKR
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Collaborates w/other newsroom managers to leverage the Scripps content strategy as the foundation for market-specific local content strategy. Leading a team of people to regularly & reliably produce targeted enterprise & investigative stories of impact & importance to our community. 3 yrs of exp. in digital media, journalism, broadcast preferred. Full info HERE

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 21
ABC: Generation Gap [f], The Prank Panel [f], Shark Tank
CBS: Big Brother, Buddy Games, The Challenge: USA
CW: Fight to Survive, FBoy Island
FOX: MLB Baseball
NBC: Password, American Ninja Warrior
PBS: This Old House, Ask This Old House, Professor T, Unforgotten on Masterpiece
Telemundo: Los 50, Secretos de Sangre
Univision: Eternamente Amándonos, Tierra de Esperanza, Minas de Pasión

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