At the 2015 Winter TCA press tour today, Participant Media’s Pivot unveiled three productions in development including: “Shrink” (working title), a 30-minute scripted comedy based on the New York Television Festival award-winning selection being written for Pivot by Chuck Martin (“Arrested Development”), Ted Tremper (“Break-ups: The Series”) and Tim Baltz (“Veep”) and produced by Jean Doumanian and Patrick Daly for Jean Doumanian Productions; a 30-minute untitled investigative sports series with former NFL star Chris Kluwe and produced by T Group Productions; and an untitled news magazine series with award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Knappenberger (Internet’s Own Boy).
The announcements were made today by Belisa Balaban, head of Original Programming for Pivot. “As we continue our mission to produce entertainment that showcases unique stories that inspire those watching to learn more and take action, we’re excited to be in development on projects that do just that with Chuck Martin, Brian Knappenberger, and Chris Kluwe.”
Pivot, which launched in 2013, focuses on socially relevant entertainment that engages audiences who are interested in making a difference. Over the past year, through its critically acclaimed programming, Pivot has addressed issues ranging from environmental sustainability (“Human Resources”), arts education (“Freestyle Love Supreme”), mental health (“Please Like Me”), and economic opportunity (“Welcome to Fairfax”).
Pivot announced the following in development:
SCRIPTED
“Shrink” (working title)
Writer/Executive Producer: Chuck Martin; Writer/Producers: Ted Tremper and Tim Baltz; Executive Producers: Jean Doumanian and Patrick Daly/Jean Doumanian Productions
(:30 Comedy)
“Shrink” is based on the New York Television Festival award-winning selection (for Best Comedy Pilot and the Critics’ Choice Award) developed by Tremper and Baltz – both recently named by Complex Magazine, "Funny People Who Should Get Their Own TV Shows” – and is being written for Pivot by Chuck Martin, Tremper and Baltz. In “Shrink,” when a recent medical school graduate fails to match with a residency program, he uses his temporary medical license, Craigslist, and his parents' garage to perform the 1,750 hours of free therapy needed to become a clinical therapist in hopes of fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a real doctor.
About Jean Doumanian Productions
An Academy Award® and Golden Globe® nominated, and Tony Award® winning film, television and theatrical production company. Films include the upcoming Galveston (dir. Janus Metz and written by Nic Pizzolatto, creator of HBO’s True Detective) as well as August: Osage County (dir. John Wells, two 2014 Academy Award nominations), The Ox (dir. Sven Nykvist); The Spanish Prisoner (dir. David Mamet); All the Real Girls (dir. David Gordon Green); Wild Man Blues (dir. Barbara Kopple) and Woody Allen’s Bullets Over Broadway,Don’t Drink the Water, Mighty Aphrodite, Everyone Says I Love You, Deconstructing Harry, Celebrity, Sweet and Lowdown and Small Time Crooks. Upcoming adaptations include Blackbird by David Harrower (dir. Benedict Andrews, starring Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn); and the mini-series Galway Bay, based on the novel of the same name, to be directed by 6 time Oscar® nominee Jim Sheridan. Jean Doumanian Productions has produced over 25 theatrical productions, including the recent hits Chimerica (5 Olivier Awards including Best New Play), The Mountaintop in London (Olivier Award: Best New Play) and on Broadway starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, August: Osage County (5 Tony Awards including Best Play, 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama), The Book of Mormon (4 Olivier Awards including Best New Musical, 9 Tony Awards® including Best Musical), and the 2012 revival of Death of a Salesman (2 Tony Awards® including Best Revival of a Play).
UNSCRIPTED
Untitled Brian Knappenberger Project
Producers: Luminant Media
(:30 News Magazine)
From award-winning documentary filmmaker Brian Knappenberger, this innovative series takes a fresh spin on the traditional news magazine format and spotlights the untold stories of people who defend human rights and call out institutional failures. With bold and in-the-moment storytelling, the show is driven by firsthand accounts from on-the-ground reporters and verité coverage of the people closest to the stories jumping right to personal accounts that reveal the big picture.
Luminant Media
Luminant Media is a Los Angeles-based production company that has created award-winning investigative documentaries and feature films for PBS, FRONTLINE/World, National Geographic, Bloomberg Television and the Discovery Channel. The company produced the films We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists, which explored the online "hacktivist" non-group Anonymous and the recent film The Internet’s Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Untitled Chris Kluwe Project
Producers: T Group Productions
(:30 Docu-series)
An immersive, irreverent and no-holds-barred investigative series led by outspoken former NFL player Chris Kluwe that will take viewers into the space where sports and society intersect. Kluwe will use his David vs. Goliath attitude, along with a team of seasoned and opinionated journalists, to expose the social and political topics that people are talking about today, and will be talking about in the future.
About T Group Productions
Based in Santa Monica and led by Jenny Daly, T Group Productions develops, sells and produces across all genres for broadcast and cable networks, both domestically and internationally. Since its launch in 2010, T Group Productions has produced series such as Storage Hunters (truTV), Invention USA (History), Mystery Diners (Food Network), Container Wars (truTV), Private Chefs of Beverly Hills (Food Network), House of Food (MTV), Celebrities Undercover (Oxygen) and Museum Men (H2).
