EW Critic Kristen Baldwin wrote of the series: “[Scientology and the Aftermath] also represents the infinite possibilities of what TV can do, both as a medium for storytelling and as a vehicle for truth. This decade has been a boon for documentary series like Making a Murderer, 30 for 30, and Surviving R. Kelly, but for me the most fascinating and fiercely original docuseries this decade was Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. 

Read more via Entertainment Weekly

The awards, which recognize the best in unscripted and non-fiction programming from around the world, will be presented during a ceremony held at the Sheraton New Orleans on Tuesday, January 28, as part of the 2020 Realscreen Summit.

Read more via Realscreen

HBO has ordered We’re Here, a six-part unscripted series that recruits small-town residents across America to participate in a one-night-only drag show, from Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram and Industrial Media’s The Intellectual Property Corporation. 

In each episode, renowned drag queens Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Shangela Laquifa Wadley will inspire and teach their own “drag daughters” to step outside their comfort zone for a night of no-holds-barred, full-on drag, according to HBO.

Read more via – Deadline – HBO

Two IPC series, Netflix’s Living Undocumented, and A&E’s Kids Behind Bars: Life Or Parole were nominated for IDA (International Documentary Association) Awards in 2019 in the category of Best Episodic Series. The 35th annual IDA Documentary Awards will be presented Dec. 7 at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

Read more via The Hollywood Reporter

Shay Mitchell filmed her labor and delivery for the Almost Ready finale, released on Monday, October 21. 

The episode opens with a fresh-faced Mitchell realizing her water is breaking. When she arrives at the hospital, she’s in pain and nervous until they check the baby’s heartbeat. Fast forward to 13 hours of labor and she’s having steady contractions. Matte Babel is by her side, snacking away, which makes the actress jealous. “I would’ve jammed [snacks] down before I realized I could only have clear foods,” she says.

Read more via: People

Selena Gomez had a roundtable discussion with three young people who are featured in Living Undocumented about what their lives have been like since filming stopped. All three teenagers expressed a common feeling of fear and uncertainty about their own futures in the United States, unsure of what’s still to come.

Watch via Buzzfeed News

John Cena was “slaughtering stale competition” in his WWE entrance theme “My Time Is Now.” And now, he’s eating stale sandwiches out of the garbage can.

Welcome to Nickelodeon’s hidden-camera prank show “The Substitute.”

In the wrestler-turned-actor’s episode, which serves as the series premiere, the former Doctor of Thuganomics plays tricks on and treats kids at the Boys & Girls Club of the Foothills in Monrovia, California. He’s totally undercover the whole time.

Watch the clip via The Wrap

Living Undocumented recieved glowing coverage from a variety of press outlets. 

Decider: “Living Undocumented” is a powerful, necessary watch, especially after years of seeing these storylines unfold in fiction. This Netflix series is the most 2019 show on TV, and that’s the devastating truth.”  (Read more)

The Guardian: “The expert commentary gives the series the effect of an adapted longform article – personal narrative journey illuminating baffling bureaucracy.”  (Read more)

Mashable: “Living Undocumented is a fantastic, simultaneously educational and emotional learning experience. The series debunks myths, communicates vital narratives, and resoundingly expresses that the deportations and detentions of innocent people are unfair, oppressive, and the result of overwhelmingly complicated bureaucratic processes.” (Read more)

Bustle: “Ultimately, Living Undocumented exceeds its modest aim, capturing not only the America we’re already living in, but the parts of it that we’re perhaps failing to see.”  (Read more)

CNN: “A passionate piece of advocacy filmmaking.” (Read more)

Associated Press:  “‘Living Undocumented’ probes plight of migrants.” (Read more)

Esquire spoke to Living Undocumented co-directors Aaron Saidman and Anna Chai about the philosophy behind making this series, its genesis, what we hope it will accomplish, and more.

“We debate these people and we talk about these people and we reference these people as statistics, but what we almost rarely do is hear directly from these people and understand what they’re going through on a daily basis,” Saidman said. “And so this series was designed to both bring the deeply personal stories to the fore as well as illuminating the incredibly complex immigration system.”

Read more via Esquire

The hunt for “America’s Most Musical Family” is officially on, with Nickelodeon announcing the premiere date for its new competition series on Wednesday.

“America’s Most Musical Family” will debut on the network on Friday, Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. The premiere episode will simulcast across MTV, MTV2, BET, VH1, TV Land, Paramount Network, Nicktoons and TeenNick at 7 p.m. (ET/PT), with new episodes airing every Friday night on Nickelodeon.

Read more via – The Wrap

The Guardian gave a rare 5/5 star review to Living Undocumented.

“The tears, the separation, the kid clutching a toy dinosaur as a puffed-up official decides his fate … this heartbreaking six-parter captures the agony caused by US immigration policy.”

Read more via The Guardian

In an op-ed for Time Magazine, Selena Gomez spoke about the immigration crisis and Living Undocumented.

“In 2017, I was approached about getting involved in a new documentary series called Living Undocumented that would shine a light on eight immigrant families in the U.S. from different countries and backgrounds, all facing possible deportation. I watched footage outlining their deeply personal journeys and I cried. It captured the shame, uncertainty, and fear I saw my own family struggle with. But it also captured the hope, optimism, and patriotism so many undocumented immigrants still hold in their hearts despite the hell they go through.”

Read more via – Time

Netflix has given a green light to Living Undocumented, a timely new docuseries from Emmy-winning producers Aaron Saidman and Eli Holzman and executive produced by Selena Gomez. It’s set to premiere globally October 2 on the internet TV network.

Living Undocumented follows eight undocumented families who took the extraordinary risk of allowing film crews to chronicle their lives as they faced potential deportation. Ranging from harrowing to hopeful, their journeys illuminate and humanize the complex U.S. immigration system. Living Undocumented depicts the struggles many must endure in their quest to pursue the American dream.

Read more via — Deadline —  The Wrap

UTA-backed indie production group Industrial Media has hired veteran TV executive and four-time Emmy-nominee Devon Hammonds as its Senior Vice President, Development & Current Programming – East Coast to lead the company’s New York and Atlanta production hubs.

In her new role, Hammonds will provide day-to-day support for all production companies based at Industrial Media’s New York and Atlanta production hubs, including Matthew Galkin’s Fairhaven Films and Christina Douglas’ Momentum Content. Hammonds will report to Eli Holzman, Industrial Media’s CEO, and Aaron Saidman, the company’s president, who made the announcement Thursday.

“Devon has been our trusted colleague in this industry for years and we are thrilled that she will be joining the team leading our East Coast outposts,” said Holzman and Saidman in a joint statement. “She is an incredibly talented executive and leader with invaluable creative instincts. We are excited to continue our partnership with her in this new capacity.”

Read more via – Deadline – Variety – The Hollywood Reporter – TBI Vision – C21 – Worldscreen

Hidden camera prank show “The Substitute” features stars who are transformed by a team of Hollywood special effects artists to go undercover as professionals in various fields, surprising unsuspecting kids in schools, camps and other locations. During the reveal at the end of the day, each organization receives a $25,000 donation.

Read more via — Variety — Realscreen — The Hollywood Reporter

For the series finale of Scientology and the Aftermath, Leah Remini sat down with two of Danny Masterson’s rape accusers, who spoke out for the first time publicly in an in-depth interview about the actor and their life in the Church.

Read coverage and interviews via – The Hollywood Reporter – The Daily Beast – EW – USA Today

In overwhelmingly positive reviews, Free Meek was favorably covered by a wide range of outlets, critics and reporters.  

Read more via: The Atlantic – Thrillist – Decider – ReadySteadyCut – Bustle – ABC News Radio – Fast Company – Complex – Newsweek – The Washington Post – Esquire – Vice – Billboard – Variety

In a glowing review, Time’s Judy Berman writes: “As it traces Meek’s case and career, the doc illuminates several of the broader but less publicized issues his story exemplifies. Like Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, it draws attention to the extreme challenges faced by the 4.5 million Americans caught in the probation system, demonstrating how one relatively minor conviction can lead to a lifetime of cycling in and out of prison.”

Read full article via Time

Nickelodeon has lined up the judges and host for its upcoming competition show America’s Most Musical Family.

Nick Lachey will host the series, in which 30 families compete for a recording contract with Republic Records and a $250,000 cash prize. Ciara, Debbie Gibson and YouTube personality David Dobrik will serve as judges. Ciara also is an executive producer alongside Republic Records and Nickelodeon’s Rob Bagshaw and Paul J Medford. Production on the 12-episode series is set to begin in Los Angeles this week for a fall premiere.

The show aims to find the “best family bands in the country,” featuring a variety of families consisting of two or more relatives who perform together. Acts will include a father-daughter duo, sibling groups and a 12-member multigenerational brass ensemble.

Read more via – The Hollywood Reporter – Deadline – Variety – Newsday – Billboard

Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell is an incredibly private person. Though she’s been in a serious relationship with her boyfriend (and now father to her baby) for years, she’s kept things out of the public as much as possible — rarely, if ever, sharing photos on social media. But now, Mitchell is letting fans into her life as she prepares to welcome her first child in a new YouTube series called Almost Ready. The show airs every other Wednesday and will also document Shay Mitchell and Matte Babel’s relationship for the first time.

Because the series is jumping right into Mitchell and Babel’s current day-to-day life, Bustle takes a moment to look back at how this all started in the first place.

Read more via – Bustle

After winning the Emmy for Outstanding Informational Series or Special in 2017, Scientology and the Aftermath has been nominated for the third year in the row. 

Nominees in the category for 2019 include:

Leah Remini: Scientology And The Aftermath – A&E
Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown – CNN
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee – Netflix
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman – Netflix
Surviving R. Kelly  –  Lifetime

The 2019 Emmy Awards will air Sept. 22 on Fox.

Read more via – Variety – Television Academy

IPC’s new Oxygen series examines cases involving wrongful accusations, unjust sentences and similar issues. Grace says her goal for the series is to lend a voice to victims whose cases never got the attention they deserved.

“There’s a lot of high-profile cases that get all the spotlight and all the attention, and that’s really not fair. Lady justice is blind for a reason. She doesn’t look at the celebrity, or the education, or the wealth of a particular victim or defendant… They are cases that just stuck with me, where an injustice was done. I really believe that these victims have the right to be heard.”

Read more via – The Wrap – Fox News – Deadline

Actress and YouTuber Shay Mitchell revealed on social media Friday that she is six months pregnant with her first child with boyfriend Matte Babel — and her “pregnancy journey” will be documented in an original series on YouTube. The biweekly YouTube original series “Almost Ready” will premiere every other Wednesday starting July 17 on Mitchell’s YouTube channel and will be free to view (it’s not part of YouTube Premium). The show will follow her as she eats for two, continues the endless hunt for non-alcoholic wine and lathers herself in every oil known to humanity on her journey to motherhood.

“Almost Ready” will be executive produced by Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman for Industrial Media’s Intellectual Property Corp. (IPC), alongside Shay Mitchell and Matte Babel and executive producer and showrunner Tracy Wares.

Read more via – Variety

Over a year ago, it was announced that Meek Mill was working on an Amazon Prime Video documentary series about his legal journey. Earlier this year, Amazon unveiled the first Free Meek teaser, and now they have shared the first trailer.

Mill previously said of the series, “Not only will this documentary give viewers an unprecedented look at my life, but it will also allow me to use my public platform to highlight the need for criminal justice reform.”

Executive producer Eli Holzman also said previously, “Every day of Meek’s adult life has been lived under the threat of incarceration, if not actually behind bars. With our partners at Roc Nation and the incredible team at Amazon Studios, we are privileged to take on the responsibility of crafting the definitive documentary on Meek’s story, the corrupt system he continues to navigate to ensure his freedom, and the larger issue of long-tail probation in our country. Hopefully Meek and the millions like him won’t have to wait for justice much longer.”

Read more via – UpRoxx – Deadline – Rolling Stone – Vulture – Complex – Pitchfork – The Source

TV Critic Mark Perigard says “It’s almost an unwritten commandment that summer TV should be escapist — but there’s at least one docuseries worth your attention: A&E’s “Kids Behind Bars: Life or Parole,” and notes “It never ever loses sight of the victims or the horrific nature of the crimes these inmates committed.”

Read the full review via – The Boston Herald

As previously announced, each episode of the investigative series will follow former felony prosecutor and television journalist Nancy Grace as she takes viewers through past cases in which justice may have been miscarried, including instances of unclear motives, botched investigations, wrongful accusations, unjust sentencing and suppressed evidence. Injustice with Nancy Grace will utilize first-hand interviews and archival footage in its attempt to uncover true crime stories with vindication.

Injustice with Nancy Grace is produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, an Industrial Media company, in conjunction with KT Studios and TAP Inc. Executive producers on the series include Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Nancy Grace, John Terenzio, Stephanie Lydecker and showrunner Steve Katz.

Premieres July 13 at 6 p.m. ET/PT on Oxygen. 

Read more via – Realscreen

Produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, an Industrial Media company, in conjunction with KT Studios and TAP INc., with Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Nancy Grace, John Terenzio, Stephanie Lydecker and showrunner Steve Katz serving as executive producers.

This standalone true crime series exposes riveting stories involving unclear motives, botched investigations, wrongful accusations, unjust sentencing and suppressed evidence that will keep viewers on bated breath until the final resolve. Through exclusive first-hand interviews, archival footage, and cinematic recreations, every episode will be told through the unique perspective of Nancy Grace, who spent a decade as a felony prosecutor and twenty years as a journalist, and whose fiancé was murdered when she was just 19 years old, giving her a personal and significant drive to seek justice.

Read more via Variety – Deadline – Hollywood Reporter – Realscreen

Nickelodeon’s new hit series, The Substitute, returns with guest star and multi-talented comedian Lilly Singh on Saturday, May 18, at 8:00 p.m. (ET/PT). The Substitute is a hidden-camera, prank show featuring celebrities who are transformed by a team of special effects artists to go undercover as substitute teachers, surprising classes of unsuspecting students.

Read more via Broadway World

Hotel heiress, early ’00s “It girl” and The Simple Life star Paris Hilton is getting her own YouTube documentary which is set to premiere in 2020. 

The yet-to-be-titled Parisl Hilton film will uncover the unfiltered side of the international icon and the as-yet-unheard story of Paris and her famous family, telling the real story behind all of the headlines as Paris speaks publicly for the first time about the heartbreaking moments in her life that forged who she is today. With unvarnished candor, Paris will open up about trying to make peace with her past while contending with the excitement and challenges of her current global endeavors. This deeply compelling portrait will reveal the woman behind the icon and shed new light on our view of fame, the power of social media, and our celebrity-obsessed culture.

Read more via Deadline – Realscreen

Nickelodeon’s new prank series The Substitute got off to a strong start in its April 1 series debut. The premiere episode drew four million total viewers across all four of its airings Monday, and scored big with kids 2-11 and 6-11. 

The Substitute, the first series to air from the network’s recently announced content slate, ranked as the top show with Kids 6-11 in its time period across all TV, and it scored year-over-year double and triple-digit increases with Kids 2-11 and Kids 6-11, respectively. It averaged a 1.9/454K with Kids 2-11–up 36% over last year; a 1.4/212K with Kids 6-11–up 100%; and 866K total viewers, up 14%. 

Read more via – Deadline

A&E Network is preparing a forthcoming docuseries about convicted child offenders in the American judicial system.

Produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, an Industrial Media company, the eight-part series Kids Behind Bars: Life or Parole tells the individual stories of eight previously convicted child offenders sentenced to mandatory life terms without parole. The forthcoming series chronicles the crimes as well as the emotional impact of the victims’ family and friends as they come face-to-face with the reality that these convicted offenders could be released back into their communities. The focus of the series will be divided between the facts of these heinous crimes when they were committed, along with new evidence; and real-time updates regarding potential release, parole hearings, and resentencing.   

Kids Behind Bars: Life Or Parole premieres on April 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on A&E.

Read more via — Realscreen

Nickelodeon is reviving the prank show format with their new unscripted series The Substitute — and Henry Danger star Jace Norman will star in the premiere episode on April 1 as a much older substitute teacher, who fools some unsuspecting students at Luther Burbank Middle School.

The hidden-camera show follows celebrities that are transformed by a team of special effects artists and go into schools to prank the kids. 

Read more via – People

MindField has been nominated in the Outstanding Educational or Informational Series category for the Daytime Emmys, set to take place in May.  The nominees in this category include:

Mind Field

SciGirls

Weird But True

The Wildlife Docs

Xploration Awesome Planet

Read more via –  Deadline – Emmy Online – E! News

Nickelodeon is pulling the ultimate April Fools’ Day prank when its brand-new unscripted series The Substitute premieres on Monday, April 1, at 2:00 p.m. (ET/PT). From IPC comes a new hidden camera show featuring celebrities who are transformed by a team of special effects artists to go undercover as substitute teachers, surprising classes of unsuspecting students. 

The premiere episode guest stars Jace Norman (Henry Danger) as he goes undercover at Luther Burbank Middle School to prank students in a variety of subjects ranging from gym to science. Using full prosthetics and a fool-proof costume, a team of special effects artists transform Norman into a completely unrecognizable substitute teacher who is ready to give his students an unforgettable surprise. During the reveal, a $25,000 donation is made to the school. Additional episodes featuring different celebrities going undercover will be announced at a later date.

Read more via – The Futon Critic – Broadway World

Meek Mill revealed the first teaser for his upcoming docuseries Free Meek during the rapper’s sold-out performance at the Met in his native Philadelphia amid the “Meek Mill Weekend” celebrations. 

The forthcoming Amazon docuseries — executive produced by Jay-Z, Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman and Paul and Isaac Solotaroff — will follow the rapper’s fight against the criminal justice system as he attempts to clear his name following his incarceration for violating probation from a prior conviction in November 2017. 

The six-part docuseries, which was announced in May 2018, will premiere later this year. 

Read more via Rolling Stone – Billboard – Indiewire – MTV News – Uproxx – Vibe – The Source – Complex – Page Six

Nickelodeon has unveiled its 2019 content slate, including two IPC series.  

The Subsittute. In this new hidden camera prank show, celebrities are transformed by a team of special effects artists to go undercover as substitute teachers to surprise a class of unsuspecting students. A $25,000 donation will be made to each school. The Substitute is produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, and Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman (Undercover Boss), with Mike Harney serving as showrunner. 

America’s Most Musical Family (working title). This brand-new competition series, produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation, and Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman (So You Think You Can Dance), follows the nationwide search for the most talented family in America.

Read more via – Deadline – Business Wire – Bleeding Cool

HBO has put into development a new drama series from “Power” creator Courtney A. Kemp, IPC and Lionsgate about a group of dirty cops in New York City.  Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman will executive produce along with Jerry Ferrara and Chris Selak and Danielle De Jesus for End of Episode.

Titled “Dirty Thirty,” the present-day series is inspired by the true story of a gang of cops operating out of New York’s 30th Precinct in the 1990s. Per HBO, the series begins as a story of a cop family and ends as the story of a crime wave infecting the highest levels of municipal government, corrupting the justice system and defining a city. 

Read more via – Deadline – Variety – Hollywood Reporter – The Wrap

It’s one thing to bring your production company under the fold of a larger company. It’s another thing to be picked to lead that larger company.

That’s precisely what happened to Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC) co-founders Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman this summer, when Core Media Group extended the offer to the team to not only acquire IPC, but also to position Holzman and Saidman to lead a revamped version of the superindie under the new banner of Industrial Media, as CEO and president, respectively.

Read more at REALSCREEN

The International Documentary Association (IDA) has appointed two new members to its board of directors: Aaron Saidman and Vinnie Malhotra. “We are thrilled that Aaron Saidman and Vinnie Malhotra have joined the IDA board of directors,” said Simon Kilmurry, executive director of IDA, in a statement. “Their expertise and storied track records in documentary are incredible assets as we keep building IDA into the organization that supports a healthy and thriving documentary field.”

“There has never been a more exciting time in the non-fiction space, and so I look forward to helping the IDA advance and support this form of storytelling, and to advocate for the rights of documentary filmmakers all over the world,” added Saidman. 

Read more via – Realscreen 

The Producers Guild has unveiled nominations for its 30th annual PGA Awards, listing nominees for the year’s best-produced works in motion pictures, television and short-form categories. The awards will be presented January 19 at the Beverly Hilton. 

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath has been nominated in the category of The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television. The complete list of nominees in this category includes: 

30 for 30 (Season 9) 

Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (Season 11, Season 12) 

Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath (Season 3)

Queer Eye (Season 1, Season 2)

Wild Wild Country (Season 1) 

Read more via Deadline – PGA