A&E NETWORK COMMISSIONS ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY SERIES "CULTURESHOCK" PRODUCED BY MORGAN SPURLOCK'S WARRIOR POETS AND ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
SERIES FEATURES ACCLAIMED DIRECTORS' TAKE ON IMPACTFUL MOMENTS
IN POPULAR CULTURE INCLUDING THE RISE OF CHRIS ROCK, "FREAKS & GEEKS" AND
TABLOID TALK SHOWS
New York, NY - August 17, 2017 - A&E Network has joined forces with acclaimed filmmaker Morgan Spurlock and his company, Warrior Poets, and Time Inc.'s Entertainment Weekly to produce "Cultureshock," an eight-hour original documentary series that looks at the untold stories behind watershed moments in pop culture that have had a lasting impact on our culture, it was announced by Elaine Frontain Bryant, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming for A&E Network.
Each episode of 'Cultureshock' will shed light on the untold stories behind those big, unforgettable moments, helmed by an acclaimed director with the full participation of the key players in the story. "Cultureshock" will premiere in 2018. Initial episodes include:
Comedian W. Kamau Bell ("United Shades of America") steps behind the camera to direct a film about how Chris Rock changed the face of comedy with his seminal 1996 comedy special "Bring the Pain."
Brent Hodge ("I Am Chris Farley") directs a profile of the cult classic series, "Freaks and Geeks," which was cancelled after one season. Created by Paul Feig and Executive Produced by Judd Apatow, the series launched the careers of James Franco, Seth Rogan, Jason Segel and many other A-list actors.
And, Spurlock ("Morgan Spurlock Inside Man") directs a look at the rise of the raw and salacious real-life television theater of tabloid talk shows like "The Jerry Springer Show" and "Geraldo," which laid the groundwork for today's reality television shows.
"There are moments in pop culture that create a lot of buzz, but are largely forgotten. Then there are those moments that have a truly lasting impact on society. 'Cultureshock' will shed light on the untold stories behind those big, unforgettable moments. The stories are truly fascinating and we are excited to team with Morgan and Warrior Poets, Entertainment Weekly and the all-star directors Warrior Poets has assembled for the series," said Frontain Bryant.
"I couldn't be more excited to be making Culture Shock with A&E and Entertainment Weekly," said Morgan Spurlock. "This landmark documentary series will celebrate every facet of popular culture, and with so many amazing stories to tell & share, this first season is just the beginning!"
"With the "Cultureshock" documentary series, Entertainment Weekly, the premier storyteller in pop culture, brings to the screen the most important and memorable stories that shaped the world of entertainment," said Bruce Gersh, SVP, Strategy and Business Development, Time Inc. "We're thrilled to be partnering with Morgan Spurlock and A&E to showcase these remarkable untold stories through the lens of Entertainment Weekly."
"Cultureshock" is produced by Warrior Poets in association with Entertainment Weekly. Morgan Spurlock, Jeremy Chilnick and Matthew Galkin are Executive Producers for Warrior Poets. Jess Cagle, Henry Glodblatt, J.J. Miller and Ian Orefice are Executive Producers for Entertainment Weekly. Elaine Frontain Bryant, Shelly Tatro and Brad Abramson are Executive Producers for A&E.
About A&E Network
A&E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, thought provoking original programming with a unique point of view. Whether it's the network's distinctive brand of award-winning disruptive reality, groundbreaking documentary, or premium scripted drama, A&E always makes entertainment an art. The A&E website is located at aetv.com. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/aetv and Facebook at facebook.com/AETV.
About Warrior Poets
Warrior Poets is a New York-based production studio founded in 2004 by Academy Award(R) nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock. His first film, SUPER SIZE ME, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004, winning Best Directing honors. The film went on to win the inaugural Writers Guild of America Best Documentary Screenplay award as well as garner an Academy Award nomination for Best Feature Documentary. Since then he has directed, produced, and distributed multiple film and TV projects, including COMIC CON: EPISODE IV, THE GREATEST MOVIE EVER SOLD and WHERE IN THE WORLD IS OSAMA BIN LADEN? Spurlock and his partners, Jeremy Chilnick and Matthew Galkin, have produced multiple award winning films, digital series, and television programs, with recent credits including the Oscar shortlisted THE EAGLE HUNTRESS and IDA award-winning CNN series MORGAN SPURLOCK: INSIDE MAN and the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival World Premiere SUPER SIZE ME 2: HOLY CHICKEN!
Additional films under the Warrior Poets banner include the fly-on-the-wall documentary NO MAN'S LAND, Toronto International Film Festival Midnight Madness selection RATS, Sony Pictures' ONE DIRECTION: THIS IS US, and Magnolia Pictures' FREAKONOMICS. Television & digital projects include the award-winning FX series "30 Days", Showtime's "7 Deadly Sins", ESPN's "The Dotted Line", Emmy and Writer's Guild nominated THE SIMPSONS 20TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL IN 3D ON ICE!, Hulu's "A Day in the Life" and Yahoo's MANSOME.
Warrior Poets upcoming slate includes the Untitled Human Intelligence Project, a feature-length documentary following the pioneers working to unlock the greatest tool in history - the human brain, the untitled feature film about Hollywood Superagent Sue Mengers, based on Brian Kellow's bestselling bio Can I Go Now, the IVF documentary VEGAS BABY and a collaboration with Sarah Jessica Parker in partnership with Refinery29 on the TNT docu-series "Who Run The World?." http://warrior-poets.com/
About Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is your all-access pass to Hollywood's most creative minds and most fascinating stars. The magazine was launched by Time Inc. in 1990 and is America's leading consumer publication in the entertainment category, with a guaranteed circulation rate base of 1.5 million and a combined audience of almost 28 million loyal, engaged fans.
Each day, EW.com publishes a myriad of featured stories, blog posts, TV-recaps, original videos, film reviews and photo galleries. In April 2015, the PEOPLE/Entertainment Weekly Network reached #1 in its competitive set with 56.4 million unique visitors and during the same month, EW.com desktop, tablet and mobile growth hit an all-time high of 19.9 million combined unique visitors. Entertainment Weekly is the first to know about the best in entertainment. With sharp insight, unparalleled access and a trusted voice, EW keeps readers plugged into pop culture. This is where the buzz begins.
Entertainment Weekly is also available on the iPhone(R), iPad(R), Apple News App, NOOK Color(TM), HP Touchpad, Kindle Fire, Next Issue, and select Android(TM) devices. On social media, join the Entertainment Weekly community on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Google +.
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