9:16:00 AM
.
[Culver City, CA – December 11, 2018]
– Issa Rae’s production company, ColorCreative, has signed a
multi-picture production deal with Columbia Pictures, and will source
and incubate emerging, diverse screenwriters. Selected participants, to
be announced in the Spring of 2019, will work with Rae and the studio to
develop and write features based on their original ideas
"Issa is
a force of nature, and a magnet for talented people," said Sanford
Panitch, President of Columbia Pictures. "We couldn’t be more excited to
join her in her mission to pave the way for fresh and authentic
voices."
"Working with Bryan Smiley and Columbia Pictures to
further the mission ColorCreative set out to achieve four years ago in
creating access for underrepresented writers, has been a dream come
true," said Issa Rae. "All of the projects we are working on are fresh
and promising and we can't wait to continue the work. We hope to set a
precedent and inspire the industry at large to invest in undiscovered
talent, original IP, and fresh stories and perspectives."
Bryan
Smiley, vice president, production, Columbia Pictures shepherded the
deal and will oversee production and development with ColorCreative for
the motion picture group. Sara Rastogi, recently appointed as Vice
President of Production for ColorCreative drives the company’s
partnership slate and will help oversee the deal with Columbia Pictures
along with Deniese Davis, COO of ColorCreative
"Sara's commitment
to discovering and elevating budding voices along with her
out-of-the-box thinking has made her a perfect and insightful addition
to our team," said Rae.
About ColorCreative
ColorCreative was founded to raise awareness for writers from diverse
backgrounds, and to provide a springboard for their careers by producing
and selling their work to digital, network and cable platforms. Since
2015, ColorCreative has partnered with Adaptive Studios, Sky Vision
& Talos Films, BET, Anonymous Content, and HBO to identify new
voices and fast track their scripts into development and/or production.
About Sony Pictures Entertainment:
Sony
Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Entertainment
Inc., which is a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's
global operations encompass motion picture production, acquisition, and
distribution; television production, acquisition, and distribution;
television networks; digital content creation and distribution;
operation of studio facilities; and development of new entertainment
products, services and technologies. SPE’s Motion Picture Group
production organizations include Columbia Pictures, Screen Gems, TriStar
Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Stage 6 Films, AFFIRM Films, and
Sony Pictures Classics. For additional information, visit http://www.sonypictures.com/corp/divisions.html.
Media Contacts:
ColorCreative
Vanessa Anderson
AM PR Group
anderson@amprgroup.com
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Tahra Grant
Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications
Tahra_Grant@spe.sony.com
