ENTERTAINMENT ONE INKS MULTI–YEAR PARTNERSHIP WITH EXECUTIVE PRODUCER VANESSA PIAZZA
Projects include adaptation of Gail Simone’s comic series Crosswind; anthology series Masked with Joseph Mallozzi attached as showrunner; and development deal with celebrated novelist, Zoe Whittall
TORONTO, OCTOBER 17 2017 – Entertainment One (eOne) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a producing partnership with executive producer Vanessa Piazza (Lost Girl, Dark Matter) through her production company Piazza Entertainment.
The partnership encompasses Piazza’s television projects, where eOne will serve as the studio and will control worldwide rights.
“I’m thrilled to announce this exciting new partnership. With the recent launch of my company, the partnership with eOne will only strengthen my ability to continue to do what I love, fostering relationships and working with top tier creatives. As a heavy hitter in the international marketplace, eOne’s global footprint will help launch my slate of standout programming for worldwide audiences,” said Piazza.
“With a keen eye for talent Vanessa is a ground-breaking producer that has set herself apart by developing series with strong female leading characters and original stories,” said Jocelyn Hamilton, President, Canada, eOne Television. “Her growing slate is well positioned to capture audiences around the world and we are thrilled to work on these exciting projects.”
Named by The Hollywood Reporter as one of the “20 Young Canadian Stars on the Rise in Hollywood”, Piazza developed and executive produced the international hit supernatural series Lost Girl and served as executive producer of season 1 and 2 of Dark Matter, currently airing worldwide.
Piazza’s current projects include the adaptation of the comic series Crosswind (Image Comics). Created by writer Gail Simone (Batgirl, Wonder Woman) and artist Cat Staggs (Orphan Black, Wonder Woman ’77), the multi-issue comic series follows a slick and ruthless Chicago hitman and a smart but downtrodden Seattle housewife, whose bodies, souls, and lives are switched when an inexplicable event strikes the two random strangers. Ari Lubet (3Arts Entertainment) is attached as an executive producer with the series pilot being penned by Simone who will also serve as an executive producer, along with Staggs serving as a consulting producer.
Piazza is also developing Masked, based on the original super-hero fiction anthology edited by Lou Anders, who will also be involved in the series adaptation. Notable comic and graphic novel writers, including Lilah Sturges, Paul Cornell, and Gail Simone whose short stories appear in the book, will contribute to the anthology series, working with Piazza and executive producer and showrunner Joseph Mallozzi (Stargate SG-1, Dark Matter).
Additionally, Piazza Entertainment has a development deal with celebrated Canadian novelist, Zoe Whittall. Whittall's latest novel “The Best Kind Of People” was a 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist, Indigo Best Book of the Year, and was recently optioned by Sarah Polley to adapt for film. Whittall's previous novel, “Holding Still for as Long as Possible” received a Lambda Literary Award and was an American Library Association Stonewall Honor Book. In television, Whittall has most recently been a writer on The Baroness Von Sketch Show and Crawford.
With over 500 hours of compelling new content delivered last year, eOne’s current lineup of original and acquired content now features 42 series and long-form programs commissioned by over 20 different broadcast and cable networks including mega-hit The Walking Dead, companion series Fear the Walking Dead and other major AMC and SundanceTV scripted series, as well as Designated Survivor from eOne’s The Mark Gordon Company; and eOne-produced original series ICE, You Me Her and Rogue for DirecTV; the upcoming Sharp Objects, from director Jean-Marc Vallée and starring Amy Adams for HBO; Mary Kills People for Global and Lifetime; Ransom from executive producer Frank Spotnitz for CBS, Global; Gap Year for E4 and Hulu; Cardinal starring Billy Campbell for CTV and Hulu; and currently in production on their debut seasons, The Detail starring Shenae Grimes-Beech, Angela Griffin and Joanne Kelly for CTV and ION, Burden of Proof starring Kristin Kreuk for CBC, and Let’s Get Physical starring Matt Jones, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Seymour and AnnaLynne McCord for Pop.
Gail Simone and Cat Staggs are represented by 3Arts Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush & Kaller.
###
About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company’s diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales, family programming, merchandising and licensing, and digital content. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world.
Entertainment One’s robust network includes film and television studio The Mark Gordon Company; newly-launched MAKEREADY with Brad Weston; content creation venture Amblin Partners with Steven Spielberg, DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; leading feature film production and global sales company Sierra Pictures; unscripted television production company Renegade 83; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning digital agency Secret Location.
The Company’s rights library is exploited across all media formats and includes more than 100,000 hours of film and television content and approximately 40,000 music tracks.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Owen McCorquodale
Entertainment One
416-309-7000
Piazza Entertainment
www.piazzaentertainment.com