EXCLUSIVE: Curiosity Entertainment has named former CBS exec Laurie Seidman as its TV and film chief, as the production house and its publishing subsidiary, Storyteller Media, unveiled a debut page-to-screen slate.
Seidman’s title is Head of Film & Television, handing her control of Curiosity’s slate. The long-serving CBS exec exited her post as SVP Current Programming at Paramount’s CBS Entertainment in December last year, having overseen the likes of The Talk and Bull. She also produced NBC’s drama Medium.
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She will now be in charge of a slate that includes 2008 financial crisis-inspired feature dramedy Goodman, and manage series Kaidro: The Awakening and YA fantasy Witches of Calabasas among others. Read on for the full slate, at Curiosity and Storyteller, both of which were co-founded by producer Adhrucia Apana and screenwriter and author Charles Allen in a bid to build a business model based around publishing and screen adaptations.
“As Curiosity enters its next phase of growth, we wanted a leader who understands both creative development and production,” said Apana. “Laurie has built an exceptional career championing talent, developing successful programming, and bringing projects to the screen. Her experience and leadership make her an outstanding addition to our team.”
“I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside Adhrucia and Charles and see firsthand the company they’re building,” Seidman said. “They’re creating a place where original stories and creators are truly valued. I’m excited to help grow the slate and bring these projects to audiences.”
Also joining Curiosity is veteran media exec John Maatta, former COO of The CW and current partner at Frost LLP, who will serve as board chair. “Curiosity is building its business around one of the entertainment industry’s most valuable assets — original intellectual property,” said Maatta. “By bringing publishing and screen development together, the company is creating opportunities for creators while positioning stories for long-term growth.”
Curiosity and Storyteller, whose books are distributed globally by Macmillan, operate by sigining books that are actively pushed as TV, film, gaming and digital platform adaptations. Apana is known as exec producer on the likes of HBO’s The Survivor, feature film Capone and John Ridley’s Needle in a Timestack, while Allen is a screenwriter, author, co-author and editor who previously ran an author and screenwriter IP incubator spanning literary and film.
Their plan is for Storyteller to publish 20-30 titles annually across children’s, young adult, adult fiction, fantasy, memoir and graphic novels. Each is selected for its publishing potential while also being developed for expansion in film, television, gaming and other entertainment platforms.
Headlining the slate are a trio of projects. Goodman is billed as a “David-and-Goliath dramedy inspired by true events during the 2008 financial crisis,” with Apana and Allen co-writers and casting director Robert Ulrich (The Boys, Grey’s Anatomy) producing. Jason and Jamie Neese (The Umbrella Academy) are attached to direct. Production begins this fall.
Kaidro: The Awakening, developed in partnership with Gadget-Bot Productions, is a manga franchise that will be distributed globally through Macmillan. Witches of Calabasas is a YA fantasy series from Emmy-nominated journalist Frank Elaridi.
Additional titles include You Don’t Know Dick by Kristina Denton; Pay to Play, a political thriller inspired by true events; and The Traveling Audience, the debut novel from Jason Neese, who produced of The Umbrella Academy.
“We’re betting on what technology cannot replace – authentic connections, community and real-life experiences,” said Apana. “Great stories don’t belong in just one medium anymore. We built Curiosity and Storyteller together because we saw an opportunity to bridge publishing and entertainment in a way that gives creators more opportunities while building lasting audiences around original IP.”
“What we’re really doing is putting the artist back at the center of the deal,” added Allen. “Publishing should be the beginning of the journey, not the finish line. Our goal is to help creators build stories that can grow across multiple platforms while keeping them connected to the readers and audiences who discover them.”
Last year, Deadline reported that Storyteller had struck a deal with L.A. publishing house Gungnir for a slate of page-to-screen titles including Gina Din’s autobiography Daughter of Africa.
Allen founded Storyteller as the publishing arm of Curiosity is collaboration with Apana and Gungnir’s publisher Matthew Medney.
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