Michael Stevens‘ return to YouTube Red will consist of dramatic science experiments. The man behind the Vsauce YouTube channel has shared a trailer for the second season of Mind Field, which will premiere on YouTube’s $9.99-per-month subscription platform on December 6. 

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Showtime’s documentary series Active Shooter stands in opposition to the entertainment industry’s avoidance of an increasingly urgent subject.

A little under six weeks ago, a new eight-part docuseries debuted on Showtime. Titled Active Shooter: America Under Fire, the show—executive produced by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman—explores the subject of mass shootings in the U.S., with each episode dedicated to a different tragedy. The goal, Saidman told me, wasn’t to advocate for any particular policy changes, but rather to “spark a healthier, more productive national conversation” about something he describes as “an epidemic.” Rather than focus on the perpetrators, Active Shooter gives space to the survivors, the family members, and the first responders who’ve endured mass shootings to speak about what it’s like. 

Two days after the first episode aired, a gunman in a hotel room in Las Vegas killed 58 people and injured more than 500, in the worst disaster of its kind in American history. Two days after the sixth episode aired, a gunman in a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killed 26 people, including a 5-year-old, and wounded 20. “As producers of nonfiction content,” Saidman said, “we try to make programs that get people thinking about topics that are in the news.” It’s hard, in other words, for documentaries to be too timely. But in this case, he wondered if Active Shooter actually was. Holzman, his partner, described the confluence of news and subject as “a terrible confirmation of our thesis that there’s an urgent need to make some changes. Because it’s getting worse.”

Read full article at The Atlantic

Excerpt from the article: 

As a veteran nonfiction storyteller, Saidman sees it as his job to reflect what’s happening in society, but even he knows “Active Shooter” is difficult to watch.”We’re asking people to process these incredibly gripping but painful stories while new ones are unfolding in front of our eyes and on the front pages of newspapers,” he said. “That’s really difficult in some ways, but we think that’s what makes this series all that more important for people to see.”

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas shooting, Showtime pulled a repeat of “Active Shooter” from its schedule. Saidman said producers supported the move, but remain committed to starting a conversation.

Inaction, he said, is “obviously not working.”

“The idea that we’ve accepted these incidents as a normal part of American life is regrettable, but, more importantly, it’s tragic,” he said.

This week’s installment, about the shooting at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, is scheduled to air as planned, according to Showtime.  

Read full article via CNN

Chef Daniel Holzman of New York’s The Meatball Shop, along with his Emmy-winning brother Eli, has launched a new food app that gives you the chance to become a master chef.

Project Foodie is an interactive video app with more than 100 videos featuring step-by-step instructions on how to create a masterful meal. The app currently includes video recipes hosted by Daniel that can produce around 30 full meals, but there are plans to add more recipes from chefs across the country in the coming months. The idea for the app sprouted from older brother Eli’s lack of cooking know-how and a little video Daniel recorded, walking Eli through the steps of making salmon. 

Read the full article via: Food and Wine

The Santa Monica Daily Press and The Santa Monica Observer both wrote articles about the IPC/Showtime series episode, which features the first responders and survivors of the 2013 Santa Monica College Shooting. airs Friday, November 3, 2017 at 7 pm. 

Read more via The Santa Monica Daily Press — The Santa Monica Observer

What happens when two brothers grow up to become a television producer and a chef? They team up to create a new interactive video app that purports to teach anyone to become a master chef.

Eli Holzman, the Emmy-winning producer behind Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, and his younger brother Daniel Holzman, the founder of New York’s The Meatball Shop, have launched cooking app Foodie Project with over 100 step-by-step videos.

The venture — which was developed by Eli’s production company, The Intellectual Property Corp. — was born out of the elder brother’s lack of cooking prowess despite Daniel’s years of classical training at such restaurants as Le Bernardin and Aqua. “I’m great at doing dishes,” Eli says with a laugh. The Holzmans first struck on the idea after Eli asked Daniel to record a video teaching him how to make salmon. 

Project Foodie (a play on Eli’s first big hit, Project Runway) launched Wednesday for iOS devices. It contains around 100 video recipes hosted by Daniel that, combined, can create about 30 full meals, including Pop’s Chicken Parmesan, The Meatball Dinner and Chicken Adobo. The app is free to download but full access to all the recipes requires a $3-per-month subscription. More recipes from chefs around the country will be added in the coming months. 

Read the full article via – The Hollywood Reporter

Excerpt from the article: 

Showtime’s docu-series Active Shooter has been a good way to put a bad thing into perspective. The eight-part series, which finishes Friday at 9 p.m. ET, has examined eight of America’s mass shootings by focusing on the good guys: the victims, the police, the first responders, the civilian heroes, the trauma surgeons. It also directly addressed, with a certain poignant irony, the issue of whether we should minimize the attention that the media gives to perpetrators.

That began in the first episode, which revisited the 2012 shooting at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater during a showing of The Dark Knight. It featured Caren and Tom Teves, parents of Alex Teves, one of the dozen people who died.

The Teveses founded and promote the “No Notoriety” movement, which argues that perpetrators commit these murders to become famous and extensive media attention in effect grants that wish, while making it more likely that other disturbed people will see mass killings as their own ticket to fame in the future. 

Read full article at TV Worth Watching

The International Documentary Association announced nominees for the 2017 IDA Documentary Awards. Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath was nominated for “Best Episodic Series.” The 33rd annual event will take place December 9 at the Paramount Theatre in Los Angeles. 

Read more via – Deadline

From the article:

The men behind IPC are breaking ground for docuseries television with “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” on A&E. The series premiere was not only the cabler’s highest rated launch in more than two years, but it also shot up to the No.1 trending topic on Twitter and garnered attention from the TV Academy with two Emmy nominations. The series is airing its second season now, diving even deeper into the harrowing stories of ex-members of the Church of Scientology. 

To read the full article and see the complete list click here

IPC recieved its first Emmy Award for the hit A&E series at the Microsoft Theater on September 9th, 2017. On stage, Leah Remini dedicated the award to the brave contributors of the series, who helped make the show “despite ongoing risk and repercussions.” Also nominated in the category was Part Unknown, VICE, Inside the Actors Studio, and Star Talk with Neil DeGrasse Tyson. The complete list of recipients includes: 

Eli Holzman, Executive Producer
Aaron Saidman, Executive Producer
Leah Remini, Executive Producer
Alex Weresow, Executive Producer
Devon Graham Hammonds, Executive Producer
Erin Gamble, Co-Executive Producer
Rachelle Mendez, Co-Executive Producer
Jeana Dill, Supervising Producer 

Read more via Deadline – Hollywood Reporter – People – Huffington Post – Inquistr – TV Line – Entertainment Weekly – AV Club

Active Shooter: America Under Fire is an eight-part docuseries premiering Friday, Sept. 29 that will offer an in-depth exploration of mass shootings and their devastating consequences. From the first-hand perspective of survivors, families of the victims, witnesses and heroic first responders, the project goes beyond the sensationalistic coverage of the tragic moments to offer a comprehensive report on the events. Each of the episodes focuses on one of the numerous shooting incidents that have occurred in the U.S. to provide a thoughtful and comprehensive examination of one of the most important issues of our time. Making a careful study of the attacks at Aurora, Colo.; San Bernardino, Calif.; Charleston, S.C.; the Washington D.C. Navy Yard; Santa Monica, Calif.; Oak Creek, Wisc.; Orlando, Fla.; and the incident that proved a fundamental turning point for the country, Columbine, Colo., Active Shooter analyzes the full arc of each incident. The doc will strive to create a forum for understanding, discussion and debate, keeping the lives and loss of the victims paramount amid the need to confront this grave pandemic. Active Shooter is executive produced by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman, as well as Star Price (Penn & Teller: Bullshit!), who also serves as the docuseries’ showrunner. 

Read more via – The Hollywood Reporter – Deadline –  Variety –  C21Media – Broadway World 

IPC’s YouTube Red series Mind Field has been nominated for a Streamy Award. The Streamy Awards, which is produced by dick clark productions, will take place at 9:30PM ET/6:30PM PT on September 26 at the Beverly Hilton. The event honors the best in online video and the creators behind it. The annual event brings together the biggest names in YouTube and online video for a night of celebration, discovery, and meaningful recognition. This year marks the first ever installment of “The Purpose Awards,” an annual event recognizing individuals and organizations making a difference in their communities and positively impacting humankind, which will take place during Streamy week on Sept. 25.  

See the complete list of nominees here – Read more via Deadline

Docuseries “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath” took home the evening’s initial award, and the A&E show’s titular star struck a very serious tone in her acceptance speech.  Remini dedicated her award to those who stand up to bullies. She then thanked the critics for proving Scientology wrong, in terms of the church’s declaration that the former “King of Queens” star would be nothing in Hollywood after defecting. 

Read more via Deadline – The Wrap – Just Jared – Decider

“Empires of New York” (working title) is a docu-drama series that interweaves the stories of New York City’s most powerful icons over the course of the 1980s – revealing how their actions reshaped the city, defined the decade, and forever changed the culture of America as a whole. 

Read more via Deadline – C21Media

A&E Network has set a return date for the Emmy-nominated series Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath: Season 2 will kick off Tuesday, August 15 at 9 PM ET/PT. The second season will include 10 hour-long episodes that will further explore accounts of former Scientology members whose lives have been significantly impacted by the Church’s practices. The new season will continue to follow Remini, along with former high ranking Scientology employees and Church members, as they delve into stories of abuse and heartbreak. This season stories will include losing loved ones to suicide, growing up in the Church’s paramilitary organization (The Sea Organization), and Oscar-winning filmmaker Paul Haggis’ own harrowing personal journey. 

Read more via – Deadline – Variety – TV Line – Metro – Cynopsis

IPC’s Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath has earned two 2017 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Informational Series or Special and Outstanding Sound Editing For A Nonfiction Program. The 2017 Emmys will broadcast Sept. 17 on CBS with host Stephen Colbert. For the full list of nominees, click here. 

Read more via – Hollywood Reporter – Entertainment Weekly – Deadline – People – E! Online –  ABC News – LA Times  

This season, Michael dives deep into the amazingly intertwined worlds of psychology and neuroscience as no one has ever before. Working with the world’s top scientists and research labs, Michael will conduct groundbreaking demonstrations that are even bigger, deeper, and more astonishing than before and offers us a revealing look inside our own minds that we will never forget. The series is Executive Produced by Michael Stevens and by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC). David Wechter serves as showrunner and Executive Producer. 

Read more via BGR – Deadline – Bleeding Cool 

The Television Critics Association has nominated Leah Remini: Scientology and The Aftermath for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming. Winners will be announced on Saturday, August 5th. 

Read more via Variety – The Hollywood Reporter – Mashable – TV Line –  Just Jared – TCA

A&E Network will premiere a new two-hour stand-alone special episode of the breakout limited series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. The special, Merchants of Fear, will air Monday, May 29 from 9 to 11 PM ET/PT. In the two-hour special, Leah Remini and Mike Rinder explore the historical relationship between the Church of Scientology and its often vocal critics. A series of special guests candidly describe their personal experiences investigating controversial stories about the Church and how the Church has responded to their work. The special will also feature a sneak peak of the upcoming season two. 

Read more via: Deadline – The Daily Mail – The Hollywood Reporter – Broadcasting & Cable  

Scientology and the Aftermath Executive Producers Eli Holzman,  Aaron Saidman, and Leah Remini sat down with THR editorial director Matthew Belloni at a TV Academy Q&A that took the audience behind-the-scenes of the hit IPC series, with Leah memorably explaining what it would take to make the series: “I Said, ‘Don’t Be Pussies…” 

Read more via The Hollywood Reporter 

Announced as part of Oxygen’s expanded crime slate, “The Price of Duty” (Working title) delves into the most haunting cases of homicide detectives’ careers. Each episode takes viewers on an emotional rollercoaster ride to the front lines of the investigation, retracing their first steps on the crime scene to the final bust and the emotional aftermath that they still carry today. Since announcing the shift to becoming a crime destination for women, Oxygen has become the fastest growing cable entertainment network in total day (up 48% year over year) among total viewers, according to the network. 

Read more via Deadline – The Hollywood Reporter 

THR’s annual list hones its gaze on the forces who made the biggest impact on the ever-shifting landscape of unscripted television. 

Read about Eli, Aaron and IPC and see the full list via: The Hollywood Reporter 

A&E Network has renewed Scientology and the Aftermath for an additional 10-episode installment. The new season, says A&E, “will further explore accounts of former members whose lives have been significantly impacted by the Church’s practices.”  The IPC-produced  series is cable’s #1 new unscripted series with A25-54 and Total Viewers in Live+7 for 2016.   

Read more via  Deadline  —  The Hollywood Reporter  — Rolling Stone — Entertainment Weekly — Vulture — Entertainment Tonight — Huffington Post – Cinema Blend

According to a recent report from Variety and PactUS, IPC was ranked as the second most respected production company in an industry survey. Topping the list of “most respected” networks in the same survey was Scientology and the Aftermath’s A&E. 

Read about the report and more via Realscreen

Top unscripted news outlet reality blurred calls the show “a compelling and even vital series” and says “perhaps this series will have an effect; perhaps reality TV can do more good,” while praising Leah Remini, showrunner Alex Weresow, and IPC’s Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman.

Full article via reality blurred

Starring Michael Stevens, the genius behind YouTube’s hit channel Vsauce (with over 11 million subscribers), in each episode of Mind Field famous experiments are recreated and documented to illustrate classic findings in the field of psychology. Mind Field is IPC’s first full series for a digital platform.

To see the launch trailer click here.

The season one finale of Scientology and the Aftermath premieres tonight at 10/9c, with the second “Reddit Ask Me Anything” Special Episode to air on January 17th. Leah will get the chance to answer some of the unanswered questions asked by fans on the thread on the IPC-produced special episode.

To see the promo for the season one finale and the AMA special, click here.