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OZY has signed a talent deal with Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, producer
Jody Watley. The powerhouse artist will work with OZY to develop a scripted biopic following her illustrious multifaceted career and astonishing life.
For the awarded OZY Studios, this deal marks the first celebrity talent deal coming on the heels of the major partnership with the A + E Networks and past relationships with Hulu, OWN, PBS and more. Torn From Her Arms, OZY’s first scripted feature length film airs on Lifetime this fall.
“When I heard Jody’s story one of overcoming the odds, of the power of positivity of defying expectations I knew it was one we had to share,” says Chris Rantamaki, executive director of OZY Studios. “Fans will be surprised that Jody has overcome so many formidable challenges in her life that she has never revealed publicly. She is now ready to break her silence and we are honored she trusts us to tell her story.”
Top L-R: Matthew Vafiadis, Allison Simmons, Brett Webster. Bottom L-R: Lindsay Rodger, Aaron Lorick, Sasha Fuller
LA-based multimedia and entertainment company OZY Media has hired former executives from BET Networks and Discovery and four new producers for its production arm OZY Studios.
Allison Simmons, who was previously an exec at BET Networks and Releve Entertainment, joins OZY Studios as senior executive of development, while former Discovery and World of Wonder exec Matthew Vafiadis joins as senior executive of current and branded.
The new exec producer for scripted and development is Lindsay Rodger (Netflix’s Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Hulu’s Becoming Bond), while Brett Webster (NBC’s Last Call with Carson Daly, NBC’s New Year’s Eve) and Sasha Fuller (ABC’s Tamron Hall, Sony’s The Dr Oz Show) are joining the team as exec producers on YouTube interview series The Carlos Watson Show. Aaron Lorick takes up the role of associate producer.