Blue Ant Studios and Simmons, Executive Producer of the Emmy-Nominated Documentary Series Surviving R. Kelly, Will Team to Develop Three Genre-Spanning Unscripted Projects
(Los Angeles, CA – April 13, 2021) – Growing studio and production business Blue Ant Studios, a Blue Ant Media company, announced today a new development deal with Atlanta-based producer, writer, talent director and entrepreneur Tamra Simmons. Simmons will work with Blue Ant Studios to identify and develop three unscripted projects, with additional details to be announced in the coming months.
The partnership bolsters Blue Ant’s dynamic and rapidly expanding U.S. production business, and is its latest in a series of development initiatives that champion innovative and progressive women-led content. Under this new deal, Simmons, who has earned international accolades for her production work in the true crime, social justice, and entertainment space, will bring her creative expertise, powerful storytelling, and deep talent relationships to Blue Ant to produce unscripted projects that explore diverse perspectives and experiences. Her groundbreaking portfolio as a producer includes the record-breaking, Emmy-nominated documentary series Surviving R. Kelly, Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta and Growing Up Hip Hop: LA, and Mary Mary.
“The passion and expertise that Tamra brings to her exceptional work across so many arenas add value to any project she is a part of,” said Jennifer Harkness, Senior Vice President of Unscripted Content, Blue Ant Studios. “We couldn’t envision a better collaborator to bring her unique perspective to our slate as we continue to grow our unscripted business and develop creator-driven content that challenges, entertains, and amplifies a broad range of experiences.”
“The content we consume shapes our minds, drives our decisions and informs our outlook on the world. It is imperative that our content options provoke our thoughts and remove us from our homogeneous bubbles thereby giving us a true reflection of the world,” said Tamra Simmons, Executive Producer, LA Productions. “I’m excited to partner with Blue Ant Studios because I’m confident that our synergy will do more than just give audiences something else that’s just like everything else to watch. We will produce diverse, intriguing and unique television that will leave a memorable and lasting imprint.”
“Tamra’s work has so much heart, and her relationships with diverse talent and storytellers are impressive ” said Laura Michalchyshyn, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios. “We can’t wait to partner with her to produce projects that tell important, urgent, and entertaining stories about the world around us.”
Tamra Simmons is CEO of her Atlanta-based firm The Tamra Simmons Brand Agency, which specializes in talent partnerships, brand development, and television and film development for its clients internationally, working with talent across film and TV, literature, music, sports, and culture to bring their stories and projects to life. Her work as a producer has gained her global acclaim, with accolades including recognition from the Producers Guild of American (PGA) Awards, International Documentary Association (IDA) Awards, and the Critics Choice Real TV Awards.
Blue Ant Studios is a leading international studio and production business, based in Los Angeles with offices in New York and Toronto. Blue Ant Studios includes production companies in the US, Canada, Singapore and Tokyo, which produce content in multiple genres including Scripted, Documentary, Kids, Adult Animation, Factual Entertainment and Natural History. Current series and documentaries include Canada’s Drag Race (Crave for Bell Media), Daylight (FOX), The Healing Powers of Dude (Netflix), Ocean Village, Neopets, produced in partnership with JumpStart Games Inc., and Hotel Paranormal (Travel Channel and T+E). Blue Ant Studios works with all major international streaming, cable and broadcasting companies as well as regional players in the markets it operates in. Blue Ant Studios is a subsidiary of Blue Ant Media.
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