LOS ANGELES – September 7, 2016 – Global independent studio Entertainment One (eOne) announced today that it has entered into a first-look deal for unscripted programming with renowned filmmaker, producer and show creator Datari Turner under his Datari Turner Productions banner. The deal builds upon the existing partnership between eOne and Turner, having successfully joined forces on the highly-rated WE tv series Growing Up Hip Hop (currently in production on Season 2, which will premiere in October), and will accelerate the co-development and production of further original premium content from the two parties. The announcement was made today by Tara Long, Executive Vice President of U.S. Alternative Programming, eOne Television.
 
“Datari has been an incredible partner and friend, and we have always admired his exceptional creativity and ability to connect with talent to produce outstanding content. We are pleased to expand our relationship through this deal, and we are eager to ramp up our collaboration to produce an amplified slate of innovative, engaging series," said Long.
 
"I couldn't be more excited to be able to expand and continue the successful partnership Datari Turner Productions has had with Entertainment One,” said Turner.  “John Morayniss, Tara, and the eOne team have been a joy to work with and are amazing partners. Through our new deal, I look forward to being able to increase our slate of programing and to produce more ground breaking and captivating content.”
 
With over 15 years of experience, Turner has worked alongside some of the biggest names in entertainment including Sean "Diddy" Combs, Jay-Z, Ethan Hawke, Common, James Franco, Bruce Webber, and the late Herb Ritts. Turner is a widely esteemed television producer, having produced over 50 hours of original programming for networks WE tv, BET, TV One, Starz, and the Oxygen network. His most recent television credits include Love Thy Sister and Growing Up Hip Hop on WE tv.
 
Since 2010, Turner has produced a total of 20 feature films, which combined have been nominated for 98 Film Festival Awards, making him one of the most prolific independent producers working today. Turner also made waves by becoming the first African American producer to have four films including ANTOHER HAPPY DAY, SALVATION BOULEVARD, LUV, and TEN THOUSAND SAINTS premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. Over his career, Turner has worked with four Academy Award® Winners and Twelve Academy Award Nominees.
 
Turner joins an admired group of producers focused on alternative programming who hold first-look deals with eOne Television, including Cleve Keller and Dave Noll’s Keller/Noll (Chopped), Mark Ford and Kevin Lopez’s Creature Films (Behind the Music), Chris Deaux’s Two Fifteen West Entertainment (Atlanta Plastic, Rods N’ Wheels), and Riaz Patel (How Do I Look?). eOne also has a multi-year deal with esteemed producers Matt Anderson and Nate Green’s Purveyors of Pop (Married to Medicine, Real Housewives of Miami) to develop and co-produce premium unscripted content across multiple platforms.
 
Since eOne Television’s U.S. Alternative Programming division launched, Long and her team have rapidly expanded its business, having developed and produced an impressive and successful slate of programs including Growing Up Hip Hop and Mary Mary  for WE tv; Nellyville, It’s A Mann’s World, The Sheards, and About the Business for BET; David Spade’s comedy prank show Fameless for truTV; SWV: Sisters With Voices for WE tv which was the highest rated freshman premiere in the network’s history; the three-part docuseries Streets of Compton for A&E; Nicole & Jionni’s Shore Flip for FYI; sports competition show Ball Up: Search For The Next for Fox Sports Net; psychological game show Race to Escape for Science Channel; documentary Born Without Limbs for TLC; and a series of specials of Big Surprise for E! featuring stars such as Nick Cannon and Macklemore.
 
Turner is represented by CAA and attorney Ryan Nord of Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof + Fishman.
 
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About Entertainment One
Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises 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; 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 companies Renegade 83, Paperny Entertainment and Force Four Entertainment; 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.
 
www.entertainmentone.com  
 
For more information:
Paul Pflug / Eva Lu
Principal Communications Group
paul@pcommgroup.com / eva@pcommgroup.com
(323) 658-1555