BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Feb.
5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- STARZ announced today the official
greenlight of "Survivor's Remorse," a half-hour scripted
comedy series from LeBron James,
Tom Werner, Mike O'Malley, Maverick Carter and Paul Wachter. Mike
O'Malley, who in addition to being a consulting producer and
writer on "Shameless" is also an Emmy®-nominated actor
for his role on "Glee," will serve as executive producer and
writer. The series was fast-tracked in development and will
debut its six-episode first season in the fall of 2014 on
STARZ.
(Logo:
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080522/LATH063LOGO-b)
"Survivors Remorse" is set in the world of professional
basketball and explores the comedy and drama of an experience that
everyone reads about, but few understand – what truly happens when
you make it out.
"Ever since I got cut from the freshman hoop team at Bishop
Guertin High School in 1980, I've
wanted to write about my love and hatred of basketball," said
Mike O'Malley. "Starz has
given us great freedom to explore an authentic world inspired by
Maverick and LeBron. Tom's legendary TV career and his
experiences as a professional sports owner combined with Paul's
wealth of business and entertainment industry relationships have
given this team a truly strong foundation to build a successful
series."
"Mike has infused the world of 'Survivor's Remorse' with humor
and heart," said Chris Albrecht,
Starz CEO. "Along with LeBron, Maverick, Tom and Paul, we
feel we really have an all-star team to capture the complexity and
comedy inherent to this series."
The story follows Cam Calloway, a
basketball phenom in his early 20's who is suddenly thrust into the
limelight after signing a multi-million dollar contract with a
professional basketball team in Atlanta. Cam, along with his cousin and
confidant Reggie Vaughn, move to
Georgia to start Cam's journey to
success. The two confront the challenges of carrying opportunistic
family members and their strong ties to the impoverished community
that they come from. Cam, Reggie and an unforgettable group
of characters wrestle with the rewards and pitfalls of stardom,
love and loyalty.
Mike O'Malley is a Boston native, with an extensive career in
film, television and theater both on and off the screen. He
starred in the hit CBS comedy "Yes, Dear," has appeared in
"Justified," "Parks and Recreation," and "Parenthood," and received
a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for his role in "Glee." He
has written several plays as well as the screenplay for the film
Certainty that won multiple awards during its premiere at
the Boston Film Festival in
2011.
LeBron James will serve as an
Executive Producer along with Tom
Werner, currently Chairman of the Boston Red Sox.
James, a nine-time NBA All-Star and Olympic Gold medalist, recently
led the Miami Heat to a second straight NBA Championship win and
captured his fourth straight MVP trophy. As co-founder of The
Carsey-Werner Company, Werner has produced some of the best
half-hour comedies in television, including "The Cosby Show,"
"Roseanne," "3rd Rock from the Sun," and "That '70s
Show." Werner's shows have garnered 24 Emmy Awards, and 18 NAACP
Image Awards. Werner has also been inducted into the
Television Academy Hall of Fame.
LeBron James and Maverick Carter
have been in business with Tom
Werner since 2011, when they partnered with Fenway Sports
Group (FSG), one of the largest sports, media and entertainment
companies in the world. Werner is Chairman of FSG, which owns
soccer's Liverpool Football Club in partnership with James and
Carter as well as baseball's Boston Red Sox. Paul Wachter, a prominent Los Angeles-based financial advisor to the
sports and media industry, has been partners with James and Carter
since 2004 and with Werner since he sold the Padres as Werner's
investment advisor in 1995.
Since taking over LeBron's business portfolio ten years ago,
Maverick Carter, LeBron's longtime friend and manager, has become
one of the most important figures in sports business. Along
with his management firm, LRMR, Maverick has built one of the most
dynamic, successful athlete business models for LeBron James and recently signed Heisman Trophy
winner Johnny Manziel. Carter
also served as executive producer on the documentary "More Than A
Game," and on the upcoming film "Ballers," starring Kevin Hart.
Paul Wachter is the founder and
Chief Executive Officer of Main Street Advisors, one of the most
important and influential investment advisory firms in Los Angeles. Wachter leads investment
strategies, negotiations, and business enterprises for prominent
athletes, entertainers, and business executives and serves on a
number of prominent boards including Time Warner, Beats Electronics
LLC and Beats Music LLC.
Mike O'Malley is represented by
CAA, KLWGN and Jonathan Shikora of
Lichter Grossman Nichols Adler. Tom
Werner is represented by CAA and Jim
Jackoway of Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris.
The series will shoot in Atlanta,
Georgia.
Starz will retain all domestic and international multiplatform
rights including television, home entertainment, and digital.
About Starz
Starz (NASDAQ: STRZA, STRZB) is a leading
integrated global media and entertainment company with operating
units that provide premium subscription video programming on
domestic U.S. pay television channels (Starz Networks), global
content distribution (Starz Distribution) and animated television
and movie production (Starz Animation), www.starz.com.
Starz Networks is a leading provider of premium subscription
video programming through the flagship STARZ® and ENCORE® pay TV
networks which showcase premium original programming and movies to
U.S. multichannel video distributors, including cable operators,
satellite television providers, and telecommunications
companies. As of September 30,
2013, STARZ and ENCORE serve a combined 57.0 million
subscribers, including 22.0 million at STARZ, and 35.0 million at
ENCORE, making them the largest pair of premium flagship channels
in the U.S. STARZ® and ENCORE®, along with Starz Networks'
third network MOVIEPLEX®, air more than 1,000 movies monthly across
17 linear networks, complemented by On Demand and authenticated
online offerings through STARZ PLAY, ENCORE PLAY, and MOVIEPLEX
PLAY. Starz Distribution develops, produces and acquires
entertainment content, distributing it to consumers globally on
DVD, digital formats and traditional television. Starz
Distribution's home video, digital media and worldwide distribution
business units distribute original programming content produced by
Starz, as well as entertainment content for itself and third
parties. Starz Animation produces animated TV and movie
content for studios, networks, distributors and audiences
worldwide.
Contacts:
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Theano
Apostolou
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Shannon
Buck
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Starz
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Starz
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(424)
204-4052
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(424)
204-4173
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theano@starz.com
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shannon.buck@starz.com
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SOURCE Starz