Bryon Allen’s Entertainment Studios has acquired Freestyle Releasing, the company co-founded by Mark Borde and the late Susan Jackson. Freestyle currently has an output deal with Netflix, distributes 15 to 20 films per year with faith-based films that include God’s Not Dead and Woodlawn. The deal was reported to be in the high-eight figure range. Borde and his staff of about 25 will stay on board. God’s Not Dead grossed a stellar $60 million domestically. The just released Woodlawn has become one of only three the films to earn an A+ CinemaScore rating in the past two years. The Christian-themed inspirational drama has grossed $5 million.
America Ferrera has launched a production company titled Take Fountain Productions and signed an overall deal with ABC Studios. In her deal she will develop new projects for cable and broadcast. The actress has hired Gabrielle Neimand, former VP of Narrative Films at Participant Media to head development and production. Take Fountain has sold two projects, the comedy Plus One to ABC and drama Social Creatures to Freeform (previously known as ABC Family).
Actor-musician Common has signed a two-year first-look deal in television with HBO to develop and produce projects for the premium cable network through his Freedom Road Productions with manager/partner Derek Dudley and head of development and production Nicole Dow. Common just received his first scripted pilot order as a producer at Showtime for an untitled drama from writer Lena Waithe. On the feature side he will next be seen in the features Barbershop 3, Suicide Squad, Coco, Being Charlie and Hunter Killer.
Stuart Murphy is leaving his post as UK Sky’s Director of Entertainment Channels. Upon his exit he signed a deal to write and produce scripted projects for Sky Vision. “I’m delighted to have signed a production commitment with Sky Vision to write and develop comedy and drama projects, as this has been a private passion of mine for years, but I’m also very excited about exploring opportunities outside of TV”, he said. Murphy was previously the inaugural Controller of BBC Three before joining Sky in 2009 as Director of Programmes for Sky1.
Andrew Zimmern has launched Intuitive Content in Minneapolis and will be its Principal and Executive Producer. Intuitive Content will serve as a full-service production company dedicated to developing and producing original television series, broadcast specials, branded content series for both web and cable, and other digital content. Zimmern is the Co-Creator, Co-Executive Producer and Host of the TV series Bizarre Foods. Dusti Kugler has been named the VP of Operations at Intuitive Content in Minneapolis. He was previously the VP of Producer at Food Works, Inc. Dan O’Brien has been named the VP of Production & Development at Intuitive Content. He was previously the Producer, Executive Producer at Shovel Ready.
Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Productions has extended its overall feature deal with Paramount Pictures into 2019. He is currently developing features including The Devil In The White City with Leonardo DiCaprio, The Irishman with Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, as well as a Leonard Bernstein biopic. Paramount released Scorsese’s The Wolf Of Wall Street in 2013 through their previous deal. His next film under the deal is Silence, a 20-years-in-the-making passion project with Liam Neeson and Andrew Garfield set to star.