FOX TELEVISION STUDIOS BECOMES THE ENTERTAINMENT STUDIO FOR HARPERCOLLINS PUBLISHERS
FtvS to Develop Series Based on Books by Celebrated Novelist Lisa Scottoline
Studio Also Options �The Reading Group�
Los Angeles, CA � May 25, 2006 - Fox Television Studios today announced it will serve as the entertainment studio for HarperCollins Publishers, developing original content based on its existing library, as well as new HarperCollins titles � initially in the mystery and romance categories. Content will be developed and distributed across multiple platforms worldwide, including television, DVD, and digital media including Internet, mobile/wireless and emerging applications. The announcement was made by Fox Television Studios President Angela Shapiro-Mathes.
The first deal resulting from the partnership is for TV series development based on the popular legal suspense novels by international best-selling author Lisa Scottoline, which center around a group of female partners in the fictional, prestigious �Rosato� law firm. Scottoline�s first novel in this nine-volume series of thrillers, �Legal Tender,� was published by HarperCollins in 1997. To date, she has written 13 novels � all of them appearing on bestseller lists, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Entertainment Weekly, and Publishers Weekly. Scottoline presently has 10 million copies in print in the United States and is published in 23 countries.
Additionally, Fox Television Studios has optioned �The Reading Group� by Elizabeth Noble. Noble�s novel chronicles a year in the life of a group of women who form a book club, only to see their own personal stories, trials and tribulations mirrored in the literary works they discuss.
�I�m thrilled to be working with HarperCollins in a venture that connects our two worlds in this way,� said Shapiro-Mathes. �This collaboration gives us unprecedented access to an untapped resource of talented writers � new voices for the TV and digital space. It also allows FtvS to pursue publishing opportunities for the original programming we develop and produce.�
To facilitate projects and serve as liaison between FtvS and HarperCollins, Fox TV Studios has retained veteran television producer Karen Glass to work out of HarperCollins� New York City offices. An experienced executive producer, show-runner and development executive, Glass has developed numerous award-winning shows for broadcast, cable and syndication.
Jane Friedman, HarperCollins President and CEO Worldwide, said, �This is a unique partnership that offers endless possibilities. We will now have a professional eye to evaluate our incredible publishing lists � both new titles and our unparalleled backlist � to discover books that are worthy of dramatic portrayal. This is another example of HarperCollins� continuing effort to create additional opportunities for our authors by introducing them to new audiences.�
David Madden, executive vice president, scripted programming, Fox Television Studios, commented, �We are delighted to be working with such a wonderful stable of talented authors. And it's especially thrilling to get a chance to be in business with Lisa Scottoline. The admirers of her work are worldwide and extremely devoted, and we look forward to developing her �Rosato law firm� novels for screens everywhere, from living rooms to mobile phones and anyplace where thriller fans can watch Lisa's characters come to life.�
Fox Television Studios is a program supplier to the major U.S. and international broadcast and cable networks. Current series include the late-night �Talk Show with Spike Feresten,� starring Emmy award-winning writer Spike Feresten (Seinfeld, David Letterman); �Duets,� the first show produced by FtvS under its deal with Simon Cowell; and �Wedding Album� (a co-production with Twentieth Century Fox Television) for Fox; �The Shield� for FX; �The Girls Next Door� for E! Entertainment Television; and �Inked� for A&E. Through Regency Television (a partnership with New Regency) productions include �Windfall� for NBC and �Help Me Help You,� starring Ted Danson, for ABC. The studio�s award-winning made-for-TV movies include the record-breaking �Flight 93� for A&E; as well as �A Little Thing Called Murder,� starring Judy Davis, for Lifetime. Internationally, FtvS currently has 25 shows in production in Europe and Latin America, and maintains production studios in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. Fox Television Studios� series and TV movies have garnered numerous Emmy, Golden Globe, Peabody and Humanitas awards.
HarperCollins is one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and is a subsidiary of News Corporation (NYSE: NWS, NWS.A; ASX: NCP, NCPDP). Headquartered in New York, the company has publishing groups in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australasia. Its publishing groups include the HarperCollins General Books Group, HarperCollins Children�s Books Group, Zondervan, HarperCollins UK, HarperCollins Canada, HarperCollins Australia/New Zealand and HarperCollins India. You can visit HarperCollins Publishers on the Internet at http://www.harpercollins.com.
Lisa Scottoline is represented by Lou Pitt of The Pitt Group.
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