SAG and AFTRA are scheduled to send out strike authorization ballots to union rank and file on March 7. SAG and AFTRA members will be asked to give their negotiating team the authority to call a strike against the advertising industry if ongoing talks for a new commercials contract fail to produce an agreement. Formal talks between the unions and the Joint Policy Committee of the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers began on Feb. 14 in New York. The current spot contract for actors expires March 31….Bicoastal film production and development company Basecamp Entertainment Group has named Bryan Farhy executive producer of its commercial division. The spot operation has a directorial roster that includes stateside residents Leonardo Ricagni, David Nutter and the directorial duo Untamed Cinema. Additionally, select U.K. directors from London-based production house Great Guns are being repped for the first time in the U.S. ad market, including the directing team known as Who? Great Guns managing director Laura Gregory is a founding partner in Basecamp Entertainment….Errol Morris was nominated by the Directors Guild of America (DGA) for outstanding directorial achievement in documentaries on the strength of his Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred Leuchter, Jr. This is the first DGA Award nomination for Morris, who’s repped for spots via bicoastal/international @radical. media….Actor/director Scott Baio has signed for exclusive spot directorial representation with 30 Second Films, Santa Monica. The former Happy Days star has TV series helming experience, including episodes of Malcolm and Eddie, Guys Like Us and The Jamie Foxx Show….Pat Weaver, former executive producer at Santa Monica-based AdMusic, has been named to serve in the same role at Musikvergnuegen, the Hollywood music house founded by composer Walter Werzowa….
HBO Inks Two-Year First-Look Deal With Sharon Horgan and Her Production Company Merman
HBO has signed a two-year first-look television deal with BAFTA-winning and Emmy®-nominated actor, writer, and producer Sharon Horgan (“Bad Sisters,” “Catastrophe”) and her multi award-winning production company Merman. HBO has also given a straight-to-series order for a new original comedy series, the first project under this deal, from Horgan and produced by Merman, with Horgan serving as writer, star, and executive producer.
This comedy series follows a 50-year-old divorcee’s search for sex and love while juggling caring for her ailing parents and parenting her should-be grown up son.
Amy Gravitt, executive VP, HBO & Max Comedy Programming, said, “We’re thrilled to be reunited with Sharon. Her willingness to offer up her own experiences through the characters she creates makes us all feel a little less lonely, that is what sets her comedy apart so brilliantly. She also has such a sharp eye for material and a strong desire to shepherd other people’s stories, we’re looking forward to the new talent she will bring into the fold.”
Horgan said, “I’m so happy to once again be working with Casey [Bloys], Amy, Francesca [Orsi] and the team at HBO, and really excited that Merman get to continue to tell stories for a company that’s been home to some of the most iconic television shows ever created.”
Horgan has created and starred in such series as “Pulling,” “Catastrophe,” “Motherland,” “Amandaland” and BAFTA and Peabody winning series “Bad Sisters,” which recently released its second season. She received Emmy® nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series (“Catastrophe”), Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (“Bad... Read More