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[12/04/24 - 01:42 PM]
Universal Television Pre-Empts Rights to "Climbing in Heels," Darren Star and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas to Co-Write and Executive Produce
"Climbing in Heels" is a fictional tale following the rise of five ambitious secretaries navigating the glitzy world of 1980s Hollywood, while offering a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve.
[via press release from NBC]

UNIVERSAL TELEVISION PRE-EMPTS RIGHTS TO "CLIMBING IN HEELS," DARREN STAR AND ELAINE GOLDSMITH-THOMAS TO CO-WRITE AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE

· Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, today announced it has pre-empted the rights to Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas' debut novel, Climbing in Heels, publishing April 29, 2025 by St. Martin's Press. The drama series adaptation will be co-written and executive produced by Goldsmith-Thomas and Emmy(R) Award-winning creator Darren Star, who struck a multi-year overall deal with Universal Television in March 2024.

· Climbing in Heels is a fictional tale following the rise of five ambitious secretaries navigating the glitzy world of 1980s Hollywood, while offering a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve. It's a juicy story of friendship, betrayal, survival and ambition. It's also a cautionary tale about how some of those women became very much like the monsters they worked for.

· Goldsmith-Thomas says: "I am thrilled to be partnering with Darren Star and Universal Television to bring life to these complicated, colorful women who refused to be sidelined or silenced."

· Star adds: "I'm excited to team up with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas to bring Climbing in Heels - her addictive fictional account of Hollywood in the 1980s through a female lens - to the screen. It's the ballsy and bawdy love child of 'Mad Men' and 'Sex and the City.' I can't wait for audiences everywhere to meet this indomitable ensemble of female characters who broke all the rules to make their own."

· With a successful career that spans over three decades in the television industry, Darren Star has a reputation for creating massively successful commercial hits, including "Sex and the City," "Emily in Paris," "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Younger," "Melrose Place" and more. Under his overall deal with Universal Television, Star develops and produces new series projects exclusively with the studio through his company, Darren Star Productions, for a variety of broadcast and streaming platforms.

· Star is repped by UTA and attorney Sam Fischer at Ziffren Brittenham.

· Emerging from a male-dominated landscape in the 1980s entertainment industry, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas shattered barriers at the William Morris Agency to become a powerhouse agent, representing Hollywood luminaries like Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Spike Lee and Nicholas Cage, among others. In 2000, she made a bold career pivot, transitioning to a successful stint as a studio head, writer and producer, responsible for hits like "Maid in Manhattan," "Mona Lisa Smile," and "Hustlers." Today, as Producing Partner to Jennifer Lopez and President of Lopez's Nuyorican Productions, she continues to drive groundbreaking projects, spearheading a compelling array of television series and films, including one of the top 10 films ever to be streamed globally on Netflix, "The Mother." Prior to working with Lopez, Goldsmith-Thomas was a Senior Vice President of both The William Morris Agency and International Creative Management.

· Goldsmith-Thomas is repped by CAA and Hirsch Wallerstein Hayum Matlof Fishman.

· Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, is one of the largest and most successful television studios in the world. Led by President Erin Underhill, the studio is known for programming with broad appeal and cultural relevance. UTV currently produces over 40 primetime comedies and dramas across broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. Home to commercial hits such as Dick Wolf's enormously successful "Law & Order," "One Chicago" and "FBI"-branded series, UTV also produces celebrated premium series including the Emmy(R) Award-winning "Hacks" and "The Gilded Age," Emmy-nominated "Girls5eva," cultural phenomena "Bel-Air," "Never Have I Ever" and "The Best Man: The Final Chapters," as well as fan favorites including "The Equalizer," "Loot," "Harlem" and more. UTV's library comprises some of the greatest contemporary shows in television history, including "The Office," "Parks and Recreation," "The Good Place," "Will & Grace," "Friday Night Lights," "New Amsterdam" and more. 

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