Serial Box, In Its First Film and TV Deals, Sets Pacts for ‘The Co-Founder’ and ‘First Street’ Adaptations
Audio entertainment and ebook company Serial Box landed its first deals to bring the company’s original fiction serials to film and television.
Serial Box is announcing two separate pacts: “The Co-Founder” is being developed as a feature film by MWM Studios and Matador Content, while drama “First Street” is being developed into a series by 2929 Entertainment.
Serial Box’s approach is to team with top writers to create original stories in serialized chapters, which “is a format that can easily move to television and film,” said co-founder and CEO Molly Barton.
The original Serial Box story of “The Co-Founder,” slated to be available on the platform early 2020, was written by Alexis Wilkinson, whose credits include “Veep” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” The story centers on two female entrepreneurs who pitch their brilliant idea for a startup to a slew of Silicon Valley investors, none of whom take them seriously. They decide to hire a struggling actor to pose as their male co-founder, whereupon they land funding immediately. Ecstatic, they thank the hired actor and send him on his way — but when he refuses to leave, the women realize they need to find another way to get rid of him.
The film adaptation of “The Co-Founder” will be produced by MWM CEO Gigi Pritzker and chief creative officer Rachel Shane with COO Adrian Alperovich serving as an executive producer and Stacy Calabrese, SVP of development and production, overseeing the project. The feature will be produced by Jack Turner, Todd Lubin and Jay Peterson at Matador Content. Stacey Harman (“Cobra Kai,” “The Goldbergs”) is adapting the screenplay.
The “First Street” series is based on the upcoming Serial Box series by the same name co-written by Jasmine Guillory (author of “The Wedding Date”), Catherine McKenzie (“The Good Liar”), Randy Susan Meyers (“The Widow of Wall Street”) Shawn Klomparens (“Jessica Z.,” “Two Years, No Rain”), Elyssa Friedland (“The Intermission,” “Love and Miss Communication”), and Kermit Roosevelt III, a U. of Pennsylvania law professor, author and former Supreme Court clerk.
“First Street” offers a glimpse into the most secretive branch of government following four recent law graduates as they embark as clerks for the U.S. Supreme Court. Though still finding their footing in D.C., the clerks will influence some of the biggest issues facing the nation while navigating new friendships, relationships and rivalries. Haley Jones, head of 2929 Productions, will oversee the project for 2929 Entertainment.
“Serial Box’s ability to rapidly deploy and pilot premium quality content written by award-winning novelists and backed by consumer data makes them an ideal creative partner,” 2929 Entertainment CEO Todd Wagner said in a statement. “In ‘First Street,’ Serial Box has crafted a dynamic, timely and refreshed look at the highest court in the land.”
MWM’s Rachel Shane commented, “We at MWM Studios are thrilled to be working with Molly and her team, along with Matador Content to explore the world of female tech entrepreneurs.”
New York-based Serial Box was founded in 2015. The company releases new chapters of its serialized stories weekly in “seasons” that typically run 10-16 weeks. The first chapter is free; subsequent episodes cost $1.99 each or are available through a season pass for an average price of $13.99. Serial Box’s best-selling titles include “Ninth Step Station,” “Orphan Black: The Next Chapter” and “The Vela.”
