Dawn Ostroff’s Conde Nast Entertainment banner has set a first-look pact for scripted series with 20th Century Fox TV.
Deal calls for Conde Nast to bring projects for network and cable outlets to the studio and its Fox 21 cable unit.
Ostroff (pictured), the former programming chief of Lifetime, UPN and the CW, has headed Conde Nast Entertainment since 2011. The deal with 20th TV gives the studio a pipeline to developing projects that tap the editorial resources of Conde Nast magazines, which include Vanity Fair, the New Yorker, Vogue and Details. The studio partnership brings Conde Nast access to top-tier creatives and the infrastructure needed to produce and fund scripted development.
At present, Conde Nast Entertainment has three unscripted series ordered for cable: Investigation Discovery’s “Vanity Fair Confidential”; Ovation’s “The Fashion Fund”; and Syfy’s quiz show “Geeks Who Drink.”
The principals in the deal emphasized that they have long known one another through industry circles. Dana Walden, CEO of 20th TV, called Ostroff “a close friend.”
“Creating a business opportunity together now that she’s at Condé Nast– a brand we’ve long admired– was a huge priority for us both. We think this partnership has incredible potential,” Walden said.
The agreement calls for Ostroff and her team to work closely with Jonnie Davis, 20th TV president of creative affairs, and Fox 21 topper Bert Salke. Gina Marcheschi, Conde Nast’s VP of scripted, will manage the overall relationship.
“Twentieth Century Fox Television and Fox 21 have a true commitment to quality storytelling that has resulted in some of the most popular and acclaimed television today,” Ostroff said. “Pairing that with (Conde Nast’s) incredible archive of rich storytelling and iconic brands as source material is a powerful combination.”
