Tag Archives: Dawn Olmstead

Tanya Saracho to Make Film Directorial Debut with Adaptation of Her Off Broadway Play “Mala Hierba”

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Tanya Saracho is in the (bad) weeds…

The Mexican-American actress, playwright, dramaturge, screenwriter and Vida creator is bringing her 2014 Off Broadway play Mala Hierba to the big screen, and she’ll be directing the film adaptation of her acclaimed project.

Tanya Saracho

In her film directorial debut, Saracho has teamed up with Anonymous Content to adapt the Texas border town set drama.

The film version of Mala Hierba  will be produced by AC Studios, with Dawn Olmstead, David Levine, and Whitney Dibo overseeing the project for outfit.

Former Vida EP Stephanie Langhoff, and Christine Davila, head of development and production at Saracho’s Ojala Productions, will serve as producers on Mala Hierba.

Originally opening at Second Stage Uptown nearly six years ago, the play unravels the coiffured life of a Lone Star State trophy wife who begins to see the cracks in her life of wealth and privilege as her first and perhaps true love reappears. The possibility of a renewed life together for the two women forces the Liliana character to make a searing decision about what she wants and who she is.

The stage production of Mala Hierba was directed by Jerry Ruiz and starred Marta Milans, Sandra Marquez, and Ana Nogueira in the primary roles.

The union with Anonymous comes just over a couple of weeks after the active Saracho launched the Ojalá Ignition Lab in conjunction with UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Part of the acclaimed playwright and filmmaker’s 2020 inked development deal with the studio, the incubator program for Latinx voices will provide five writers and their own proposed projects with mentoring from experienced showrunners and EPs, including self-described “den mother” Saracho and an extended network to draw on for the future.

Since Vida, which won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, finished its three-season stint on Starz in May 2020, Saracho stayed in Britain during the pandemic to work with musician and Lovesick actor Johnny Flynn for an upcoming project.

Gloria Calderón Kellett Appointed to Television Academy’s Executive Committee

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Gloria Calderón Kellett is joining the Television Academy’s executive committee…

The 45-year-old Latina television writer, creator and One Day at a Time executive producer is among the six new appointees to organization’s executive committee, as chosen by the organization’s chairman and CEO, Frank Scherma.

Gloria Calderón Kellett

Calderón Kellett is joined by Issa Rae, Rob Mills, Anonymous Content’s Dawn Olmstead, Amazon Studios’ Vernon Sanders and Apple TV Plus’ Zack Van Amburg.

“We are thrilled to be able to leverage the collective expertise of this talented group of Television innovators as we navigate this extraordinary time in the history of our industry,” Scherma said. “Their leadership provides invaluable insight that will allow the Academy to play an integral role in shaping the evolution of the medium.”

The six appointees will work closely with the Television Academy’s officers and board of governors to develop and guide the direction of the Academy for the 2021 term, the organization said.

Here’s more on Scherma’s new executive committee members:

Gloria Calderón Kellett: Executive producer, co-creator, co-showrunner, director and actress on One Day at a Time. Other credits as a writer/producer include Devious Maids, Rules of Engagement and How I Met Your Mother. She also directed episodes of Mr. Iglesias, Merry Happy Whatever, United We Fall and the Mad About You revival; and recently sold her first feature film, We Were There Too.

Robert Mills: Senior vice president, alternative series, specials and late-night programming, ABC Entertainment. Mills oversees development, current production and specials for ABC, with shows such as “American Idol,” “Shark Tank,” “The Bachelor” franchise, “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.” He also handles late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and the “Fun & Games” programming block.

 

Dawn Olmstead: Recently named CEO and partner of Anonymous Content. Prior to that, she served as president of Universal Content Productions, overseeing all creative and business operations of scripted and non-scripted content for the studio.

Issa Rae: Actress, writer and producer. She created and stars in HBO’s “Insecure,” for which she has received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. Rae’s film credits include “The Hate U Give,” “The Lovebirds” and “Coastal Elites.”

Vernon Sanders: Co-Head of Television at Amazon Studios. Sanders oversees scripted and unscripted original programming produced for Prime Video and IMDb TV alongside Albert Cheng, including “Fleabag,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” and “The Boys.” Prior to Amazon, Sanders served as executive vice president, current programming for NBC.

Zack Van Amburg: Chief content officer and head of worldwide video for Apple TV Plus. Van Amburg oversees all aspects of strategy for video programming globally including the launch of the platform. Prior to Apple, he served as president of Sony Pictures Television.

Meanwhile also elected to the Academy’s board of governors as representatives on the executive committee for the 2021 term: Eva Basler, daytime programming; Kim Coleman, casting directors; Nicole Marostica, public relations; and Lois Vossen, documentary programming.

Cris Abrego, Chairman of the Americas, Banijay, and President and CEO, Endemol Shine Holdings, who was recently elected to serve a two-year term as the Television Academy foundation chair, will also serve on the Television Academy’s executive committee.