Sony Pictures Television International and Electric Farm Entertainment to Develop and Produce 'Woke Up Dead' and 'Gemini Division'
'Woke Up Dead' is a Multi-Platform Zombie Comedy
'Gemini Division' is a Multi-Platform Conspiracy Action Drama Starring
Rosario Dawson
SPTI Holds All International Rights to Both Series
NBC Universal Digital Studio Takes U.S.
CULVER CITY, Calif., April 17 -- Sony Pictures Television
International (SPTI) will jointly develop and produce Woke Up Dead, a
cross-platform scripted comedy series, and Gemini Division, a
cross-platform action drama starring Rosario Dawson (Seven Pounds, Sin
City), with Electric Farm Entertainment principals Stan Rogow (Lizzie
McGuire, All I Want for Christmas, Afterworld), Brent Friedman (Command &
Conquer: Tiberium Wars video game, Dark Skies, Mortal Kombat 2, Afterworld)
and Jeff Sagansky. As part of the agreement, SPTI will exclusively acquire
all international rights over all media to the projects including
television, theatrical and DVD releases, Internet, digital sell-through,
all gaming and mobile rights. NBC Universal Digital Studio has acquired
domestic distribution rights to both series. The announcement was made
today by Marie Jacobson, executive vice president, programming and
production, international networks, SPTI, Keith LeGoy, executive vice
president, distribution, SPTI, and Stan Rogow, CEO, Electric Farm.
"SPTI is leading the charge when it comes to sourcing and producing
A-list talent-driven multiplatform projects created for the worldwide
market," said Jacobson. "By getting involved with projects like Woke Up
Dead and Gemini Division at the concept stage, we can tailor the video,
web, mobile and gaming offerings to best suit our international TV, telco
and ISP outlets and further establish SPTI as a home for producers from
around the world to collaborate on distinctive cross-platform initiatives
with the upside of massive distribution across our family-owned stable of
networks and third-party partners."
"Andy Kaplan and his team have proven with Afterworld their incredible
ability to take original entertainment and sell it into virtually every
country on a multi-platform basis," said Rogow.
Woke Up Dead is a live-action sci-fi comedy thriller about Drex, a
twenty-something USC student. All in all, things were looking pretty good
for Drex until the morning he woke up dead! Scary, funny and compelling,
the project is a re-imagining of the zombie myth. Drex soon comes to
understand he is not alone and not yet dead.
Gemini Division is an action drama starring Rosario Dawson as a New
York City detective whose investigations into the murder of her husband
uncover a global conspiracy involving the creation and infiltration of
genetically fabricated life forms into everyday society. The series will
feature a combination of live-action and stop-motion animation elements.
Woke Up Dead and Gemini Division are SPTI's second and third
multi-platform series with Electric Farm. In a related announcement today,
both Woke Up Dead and Gemini Division became the first two projects to be
acquired for domestic digital distribution by NBC Universal Digital Studio,
the newly formed digital division of NBC Universal. Both series are slated
to debut on NBC.com later this year.
In 2007, SPTI acquired all international rights to Afterworld, a
multi-platform series which was nominated for the 2008 Global Mobile Award
"Best Mobile Video Service" and a 2008 Webby Award for Best Dramatic
Series. Afterworld has launched or is currently being deployed in Asia,
Europe, Canada, Australia and Latin America in multiplatform deals with
mobile operators, ISPs and broadcasters.
Internationally, the Woke Up Dead and Gemini Division packages will
include 50 x 3 minute episodes, fully immersive destination websites and
numerous made-for-mobile components, including downloadable and
subscription-based mobile games, which fulfill the 'dedicated content for
dedicated platforms' promise which drives all of SPTI's digital
acquisitions and commissions. The episodes will also be made available as
six broadcast half-hours, featuring new and original content designed to
drive broadcast consumption.
Demonstrating SPTI's continued commitment to interactive and immersive
entertainment, Woke Up Dead and Gemini Division will each have dedicated
web content including archived episodes, character blogs and journal
entries, wallpapers, online games and other emerging forms of digital and
interactive content.
About Sony Pictures Television International
Sony Pictures Television International (SPTI) is the division of Sony
Pictures Entertainment (SPE) responsible for all television business
outside of the United States. SPTI operates three complementary lines of
business: 1) distribution of SPE's feature films and television programming
to television, mobile and digital content delivery outlets around the
world, 2) local television production in key international markets, and 3)
international television networks. In addition to being a leader in the
distribution of current and classic U.S. and international films and
television product worldwide, SPTI produces high profile, locally produced
television in local languages. With dedicated offices in France, Germany,
Hong Kong, Italy, Miami (Latin America), the People's Republic of China,
Russia, Spain and the United Kingdom, SPTI currently oversees production in
nine regions of the world and is the leader in international television
production among all major Hollywood studios. SPTI's worldwide television
networks portfolio is a key strategy in the SPE's long-range commitment to
the global marketplace, with over 50 networks in more than 130 countries
reaching over 300 million viewers worldwide. SPTI is a Sony Pictures
Entertainment company.
About Electric Farm Entertainment
Electric Farm Entertainment is a digital studio for the development of
intellectual properties across multiple platforms. The company principals
are Stan Rogow, Brent Friedman and Jeff Sagansky, who together created the
revolutionary online series "Afterworld." Rogow has produced some of the
most successful series targeted at the youth audience, including The Disney
Channel's "Lizzie McGuire," Discovery/Kids' "Darcy's Wild Life" and "Flight
29 Down." The long list of credits also include NBC's "Shannon's Deal," the
critically acclaimed show that was nominated by the Television Critics
Association for the "best show of the year," the CBS series "Middle Ages"
and "South of Sunset" and the UPN series "Nowhere Man." Friedman wrote the
feature "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation" based on the best-selling video game
and his current projects include "Godzilla 3-D!," an original 3-D Imax
project and "Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars," a sci-fi/action
videogame. He also recently served as co-executive producer on 44 episodes
of the UPN drama series "The Twilight Zone" and created, wrote and/or
co-wrote 12 episodes and served as supervising producer of the sci-fi
series "Dark Skies" for Columbia Television, which aired for a full season
on NBC. Jeffrey Sagansky was recently named Co-Chairman of the Board of
Peace Arch Entertainment Group Inc. Jeffrey, who has been CEO, CBS
Entertainment; Co-President, Sony Pictures Entertainment; President,
TriStar Pictures; SVP/Programming, NBC; and CEO, Paxson Communications,
will serve on Peace Arch's Board along with the company's former Chairman
and now Co-Chairman, Drew Craig.
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