or


[09/14/11 - 06:05 PM]
Nigel Lythgoe Announces New Production Company First Slate of Development Deals Already in Place
Said company is behind "CMT's Next Superstar," which returns for its second season in June.

[via press release from Nigel Lythgoe Productions]

NIGEL LYTHGOE ANNOUNCES NEW PRODUCTION COMPANY FIRST SLATE OF DEVELOPMENT DEALS ALREADY IN PLACE

Los Angeles, CA - September 2011 - Nigel Lythgoe, Executive Producer of "American Idol" and Co-creator, Judge and Executive Producer of "So You Think You Can Dance," announced today that he has changed the name of his production company to Nigel Lythgoe Productions (NLP). NLP is the successor to his previous production entity, Big Red 2 Entertainment, whose credits include "CMT's Next Superstar" and "Carrie Underwood: An All-Star Holiday Special."

A joint venture with 19 Entertainment, NLP already has a slate of unscripted and scripted projects in place, with two presentations at E!, negotiations ongoing at numerous networks including truTV, and a pilot at CBS called "Secret Fortune," which is an American version of the popular U.K. format and features iconic entertainer Donny Osmond as host. NLP has a family-centered competition show, "We Are Family," at The CW, in conjunction with Dick Clark Prods. The company is also developing multiple unscripted projects, including with heavy metal icon Alice Cooper, as well as Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin and executive producer Kim Kardashian, and leading sex and relationship expert Dr. Laura Berman. "CMT's Next Superstar," a co-production with Legacy Prods., has been picked up for a second season, set to air in June 2012.

"I feel incredibly fortunate to be doing what I love to do. Developing quality content that is honest and compelling has always been paramount for me. Those qualities are the foundation of shows like "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" and will continue to be at the root of everything by NLP", said Lythgoe. "While technology advances at a ferocious pace, my challenge as a television producer is to deliver relevant projects to audiences while maintaining the integrity of a storyline. Audiences want to feel emotionally invested in what they are watching in the purest sense and NLP will cater to that desire."

Lythgoe has long been a driving force in the world of performing arts as the executive producer of FOX's TV juggernaut "American Idol," which has been nominated for nearly 60 Emmy Awards, and "Idol Gives Back," which raised more than $140 million for charity and in 2007 received the prestigious Governors Award, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' highest honor. Lythgoe is also the executive producer, co-creator and judge of FOX's multiple Emmy-winning series "So You Think You Can Dance," which received nine Emmy nominations for Season 7, including for Outstanding Reality Competition Series, and can be seen in more than 70 countries around the world.

It was recently announced that Lythgoe will receive the prestigious 2011 International Emmy Founders Award at the International Emmy Awards ceremony in New York on Nov. 21, joining the ranks of such entertainment luminaries as Steven Spielberg and Sir David Frost. He is also set to receive the Rolex Dance Award at Career Transitions for Dancers' annual gala in October, and in December he will host Ovation's annual "Battle of the Nutcrackers."

Lythgoe is supported at NLP by industry veterans Kary McHoul, who joined the company in April and serves as president, and newly appointed vice president of production George David Monas.

In his new role at NLP, Monas will spearhead all of the company's production efforts.

With more than 25 years experience in alternative and unscripted television programming, Monas has worked as executive in charge of production on hundreds of hours of television shows, from performance shows, docusoaps, lifestyle and elimination shows to comedy, game, hidden camera, talk and magazine shows.

Most recently, Monas served as vice president of production for BBC Worldwide Productions, where he worked closely with the BBC Development team to create and execute production plans supporting the BBC's pilots, series, and presentations.

Prior to the BBC, Monas enjoyed a fruitful freelance career as an executive in charge of production and line producer for a variety of independent production companies and television networks. The shows he has produced have aired on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, MTV, VH1, ESPN, Showtime, Comedy Central, GSN, TLC, Discovery Health, and other shows seen in national syndication.

"With his wealth of experience with shows of all genres, George is uniquely suited to oversee our production department. He brings a level of thoughtfulness and responsibility that will help ensure that our projects are creatively sound and come in on budget," Lythgoe said. "I'm delighted to have him on our team as we expand our development slate."

NLP is represented by Greg Lipstone at ICM.





  [september 2011]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
    


· AMERICAN IDOL (ABC)
· CMT'S NEXT SUPERSTAR (CMT)
· SECRET FORTUNE (CBS)
· SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (FOX)
· WE ARE FAMILY (CW)





[07/03/25 - 02:33 PM]
ABC News Same-Day Primetime Special "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" Is No. 1 in Adults 18-49 and Adults 25-54
Versus the competition in the time period, "Verdict: The Diddy Trial" outperformed NBC by +40% in Adults 18-49 (212,000 vs. 151,000) and +22% in Adults 25-54.

[07/03/25 - 10:00 AM]
Video: "In the Lost Lands" - Official Trailer - Hulu
In the ghostly wilderness of the Lost Lands, a sorceress (Milla Jovovich) and mysterious drifter (Dave Bautista) must join together in order to survive against the supernatural forces which threaten their world.

[07/03/25 - 09:01 AM]
"Digman!" Season Two to Premiere Immediately After "South Park" Wednesday, July 23rd at 10:30PM ET/PT on Comedy Central
Season two will feature guest voice appearances from a wide array of fan-favorite talent.

[07/03/25 - 08:01 AM]
Nat Geo's Nine-Time Emmy Award-Winning Series "Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller" Returns with Powerful New Season Exploring the World's Deadliest Underground Markets
The new season kicks off with a groundbreaking look into the operations of Mexican cartels inside the United States.

[07/03/25 - 06:12 AM]
Video: "The Idaho Student Murders" - Official Trailer - Peacock Original
A feature documentary focuses its lens on the pre-trial case against Bryan Kohberger, a young criminology student accused of brutally stabbing to death four University of Idaho coeds.

[07/03/25 - 02:01 AM]
Video: "The Assassin" Sets Premiere Date in the UK and Ireland with Explosive New Trailer
Retired assassin Julie (Keeley Hawes) is reunited with her estranged son, Edward (Freddie Highmore), but her dangerous past begins to catch up with them.

[07/03/25 - 01:01 AM]
Video: "Catalog" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A recently widowed workaholic clumsily navigates life with his kids, guided by his late wife's online tips. Can he ace this crash course in parenthood?

[07/03/25 - 12:01 AM]
Video: "Diary of a Ditched Girl" - Meet the Cast - Netflix
Here they are: the boys of Malmö. Watch "Diary of a Ditched Girl" September 11 to see if she manages to get a second date with one of them.

[07/02/25 - 07:01 PM]
Video: "The Nice Guy" - Teaser Trailer - Disney+
Lee Dongwook is back and this time, it's romantic.

[07/02/25 - 06:44 PM]
Tyler Perry's "Divorced Sistas" Quickly Rises to Become BET+'s Most Watched Original Series in Platform History
Just halfway through the eight-episode season, existing subscribers and new fans of the show have boosted the drama series to the most-watched series premiere on BET+ in just three weeks.

[07/02/25 - 05:01 PM]
Video: "Wall to Wall" - Official Trailer - Netflix
A man who poured his life savings into a new apartment discovers its walls are full of disturbing noises, hostile neighbors and unsettling secrets.

[07/02/25 - 03:04 PM]
ABC News Announces "Verdict: The Diddy Trial," Airing Wednesday, July 2, at 10 P.M. on ABC, Streaming Next Day on Hulu
A verdict has been reached in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs, who has been found guilty on two of five counts.

[07/02/25 - 02:38 PM]
Hallmark Channel Earns #1 Most-Watched Network on Weekends Throughout June with "Passport to Love" Programming Event
"Passport to Love" helped elevate Hallmark Channel to be the #1 most-watched network on weekends throughout the month of June.

[07/02/25 - 01:30 PM]
"New Amsterdam" Creator David Schulner Joins Creative Team of New FOX Drama Series "Memory of a Killer" as an Executive Producer and Co-Showrunner
Schulner will be an executive producer of the series alongside Ed Whitmore, Tracey Malone, and Cathy Schulman.

[07/02/25 - 11:52 AM]
ESPN "Sunday Night Baseball Presented by Capital One" Schedule Update: American League Leading Detroit Tigers to Visit Texas Rangers on July 20
Through 14 games, "Sunday Night Baseball" is averaging 1,750,000 million viewers, up 11 percent from last year.