Premium TV and brand-led content label Supercollider, part of Zinc Media, is joining with Idris Elba’s GreenDoor Pictures and Sabrina Elba’s Pink Towel to make PAID IN FULL: The Battle for Payback(w/t) for public broadcasters CBC and BBC. The new series, produced in association with Catalyst, examinesthe systematic exploitation ofBlack artists by the music industry and explores what it would look like for Black artists to receive reparations.
The series is commissioned by CBC and the BBC, and funded and co-produced by a partnership between Abacus Media Rights (AMR) and Media Musketeers Studios, with AMR distributing internationally.
PAID IN FULL: The Battle for Payback(w/t)(3 x 60 mins) documents the extent of the historic injustice suffered by the music industry’s Black artists, including the disparity of profits received by them, despite having created the records that have driven the fabric and culture of popular music. Joining the dots between earlier decades in the story of the music industry, from jazz and rock and roll to soul and rap, the series will also look at racial inequality in the music industry both today and in the past. PAID IN FULL: The Battle for Payback (w/t) will bring viewers all the way up to the present day, documenting the current state of play and will spotlight those who are fighting for change.
The series features contributions from MK Asante Jr, bestselling author, rapper, award-winning filmmaker and professor. Raised in Philadelphia, Asante is the author of the multi-year Washington Post Bestseller Buck and critically-acclaimed It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop, a bold look at the post-hip hop generation. Asante is a Sundance™ Feature Film Fellow for the movie adaptation of Buck and also directed the prize-winning Starz TV documentary The Black Candle and wrote/produced 500 Years Later, winner of five international film festival awards. Also contributing to the series is Lawrence Lartey, Director of Innovation, Industry and Enterprise at Ravensbourne University London. For six years, Lartey has worked with Obama’s Foundation on their My Brother’s Keeper initiative. He has produced and consulted on documentaries for BBC 4, BBC Radio 1, and Channel 4, including How Hip Hop Changed the World with Idris and MK Asante.
Tanya Shaw, Managing Director, Zinc Television, says: “Far from being a straight music documentary, this series will explore the music industry within a racial context and reflect the history of exploitation within the industry. It will also major in on conversations of structural racism and those who have worked so hard to expose them.
“Whether it is getting exclusive access to legendary music venues like Berlin’s Hansa Studios or talent such as New Order, the team at Supercollider is second-to-none in creating programming that truly understands the music industry. We are thrilled to be working with Idris and Sabrina Elba and the team at Green Door to help bring this important subject to light.”
Idris Elba, CEO, Green Door adds: “Thisis a story that touches all of us. It's about the people who created the soundtracks of our lives in popular music and the pain of their exploitation. It's also about bringing the music industry to account for the injustice inflicted on generations of musical talents who have been deprived of their rightful rewards both financially and in terms of status and respect. At the heart of it is the need to make amends - granting acknowledgement and paying back what is due."
Jonathan Ford, Managing Director, Abacus Media Rights, comments: “Funding and co-producing series such as this is an important part of AMR and Amcomri Entertainment’s remit, and highlights our commitment to getting strong projects greenlit. We were extremely keen to be part of this incredible production, which will bring much-needed focus to a topic that requires attention from the industry and the public. We’re certain the excellent teams at Supercollider, Green Door and Catalyst will combine to do the subject justice.”
Sebastien Janin, Managing Partner, Media Musketeers Studios, adds: “We are thrilled to be co-financing and co-producing this landmark project. The subject matter is hugely important and deserves to be in the spotlight. Working with such a talented production and distribution team will ensure the series reaches the widest possible audience.”
Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content, CBC, adds: “We look forward to sharing this important series with audiences in Canada, offering a necessary and in-depth exploration of the structural racism inherent in the music industry and its impact over the decades.”
Supercollider’s work seamlessly moves between premium documentaries, high-budget short-form films for brands, event television and stadium and arena-size live events. The label is led by Emmy-nominated Creative Director Mike Christie, whose music projects include event work on Live 8 and The Brits, and documentaries including: the Grierson-shortlisted Sky Arts feature Hansa Studios: By The Wall 1976-90; Two Tone Britain for Channel 4; and Suede: The Insatiable Ones and New Order: Decades, both for Sky.
PAID IN FULL: The Battle for Payback (w/t) was commissioned for BBC Two and BBC iPlayer by Jonathan Rothery, Head of Pop Music, TV and Rachel Davies is the Commissioning Editor, and was commissioned for CBC and CBC Gem by Sally Catto, General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports, and by Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director, Unscripted Content.Michelle McCree is Executive in Charge of Production, CBC Docs. It is Executive Produced by Greg Sanderson for Supercollider, Idris Elba for Green Door Pictures, Sabrina Elba for Pink Toweland Julie Bristow for Catalyst. The showrunner is David Upshal. The series is being distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights.
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About Supercollider
Supercollider is a ‘genre-blending’ label that combines premium TV and brand-led content. Dedicated to making exhilarating documentaries, eye-popping short films, and outstanding multi-camera / live event broadcasts. Alongside an acclaimed body of documentaries, creative director Mike Christie has an unusually diverse specialisms: very few directors can claim to work quite so seamlessly in documentary, multi-camera events, live broadcast and branded short form. From London 2012 to Little Britain, Red Bull to Rooney, Sir Alex Ferguson to Dame Darcey Bussell, Christie has a long history of genre-fusing work. On stage, in stadiums, and on screens of every size, Supercollider specialises in truly innovative, quality television, events and short form film in music, sport, art and beyond. The label sits alongside Zinc Media Group’s award-winning and critically-acclaimed television production labels including:
- Atomic, the home of premium specialist factual content within the genres of history, science, adventure and documentary
- Brook Lapping, the home of exceptional current affairs, contemporary history and investigations
- Rex, the home of must-watch popular factual and documentaries for the broadest possible audiences
- Red Sauce, the home of factual entertainment and formats from London and the Regions
- Tern Television, the multi-award-winning Nations factual producer with production centres in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Belfast
The Group’s commercial content creation unit, Zinc Communicate, specialises in the creation of advertiser-funded programming, digital branded entertainment, podcast and radio programmes, corporate film, and publishing and advertising sales. Recent clients include Adobe, GlaxoSmithKline, Fuller’s, Universal Music Group, Nationwide, Nasdaq, E-On, RIBA, RNLI and Aegon. Zinc also recently acquired The Edge Picture Company, one of the largest brand film-making production companies in the UK. The Edge has won over 700 awards including - for 15 years running - New York Festivals TV & Film Awards’ Production Company of the Year Worldwide. Its clients span the globe and feature some of the world’s leading brands, businesses and charities, including multinational names such as Amazon, BT Group and FIFA – to name but a few.
About Green Door Pictures
Green Door Pictures was founded by award-winning actor, producer, director, and humanitarian Idris Elba, with the mission of developing new and established talent to champion inclusion, representation, and diverse storytelling in the film and TV industry.
Scripted television credits include the upcoming ‘Hijack’ for Apple TV+ written by George Kay and starring Idris Elba produced by 60Forty Films and Idiotlamp Productions in association with Green Door Pictures. Other television credits include award-winning Sky One comedy ‘In The Long Run’, created by and featuring Idris Elba in co-production with Sprout Pictures and Netflix comedy series ‘Turn Up Charlie’, a co-production with Brown Eyed Boy, co-created and starring Idris Elba with the title track ‘Luv’ co-created by him also. Other credits include: ‘The Idris Takeover’ and ‘5x5’ short-form series for BBC3 in collaboration with BBC Studios; and ‘Tree’, a theatre production with Manchester International Festival and the Young Vic.
Movie credits include ‘Concrete Cowboy’ in collaboration with Neighborhood Film Co, Tucker Tooley Entertainment and Lee Daniels Entertainment for Netflix and ‘A Diva’s Christmas Carol’ for VH1 starring Ashanti, Vivica A Fox, Robin Givens, Eva Marcille and Mel B.
Recent non-scripted television shows include ‘Idris Elba’s Fight School’, a four-part documentary series co-produced with Workerbee for the BBC. Others include the first UK commission for Quibi ‘Elba Vs Block’, the cinema documentary ‘Mandela, My Dad and Me’, and ‘Idris Elba: Fighter’ for Discovery International, all in partnership with Workerbee.
About Catalyst
Catalyst is the destination for women creators. A mission-driven, for-profit business dedicated to catalysing the creation of commercially viable content for an underserved global market by powering women creators and investing in their ideas. Catalyst partners with women creators and producers to advance their projects from inception through to full monetisation of content. The company invests strategic, business, and creative power in the best ideas, with the aim of ensuring they are realised.
About Abacus Media Rights
Abacus Media Rights (AMR) acquires and distributes a diverse slate of premium, multi-genre programming in the international market. At the same time, the company also works with producers to facilitate pre-sales and development finance as well as broadcaster commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos throughout, AMR focuses on building strong client relationships and generating positive solutions at every stage of the process, from initial financing to worldwide broadcast to successfully deliver scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts to a global audience. Abacus Media Rights is an Amcomri Entertainment company. Amcomri Entertainment Inc (NEO Exchange Canada: AMEN) (FRANKFURT: 25Y0) (New York OTC: AMNNF).Amcomri Entertainment is a global independent producer, distributor, sales agent, and financier of film and TV content - breaking down the barriers for independent filmmakers and taking their stories global.
Further details: www.abacusmediarights.com Twitter: @abacus_rights
About Amcomri Entertainment Inc
Amcomri Entertainment Inc (Cboe Canada :AMEN) (FRANKFURT 25Y0) (New York OTC:AMNNF) is a global independent producer, distributor, sales agent and financier of film and TV content. Working with over 200 independent content producers, Amcomri offers comprehensive services from script to screen, with over 3,000 films and 4,750 TV hours in its library. With an industry-leading team and decades of experience across the media landscape providing flexible funding options and a full-service production team, Amcomri can ensure each production is given the best opportunity to succeed in the global market. Amcomri Entertainment Inc includes; 101 Films, 101 Films International, Hollywood Classics International, Amcomri Productions and the documentary, drama and non-fiction series specialist Abacus Media Rights. www.amcomrient.com
About Media Musketeers Studios
Media Musketeers Studios was formed by Sebastien Janin, Andy Docherty, Chris Law, and Patrick Swiderski, primarily to develop and financially package, produce, and distribute premium international television projects and feature films. The company, which has a presence in the US, UK, France, and the Netherlands, creates compelling drama for international distribution by supporting the production and distribution community. https://www.media-musketeers.com
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