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Anyone flipping past a cable channel late at night in the back half of the 1990s and early aughts probably had ads for “Girls Gone Wild” seared into their brains. The instantly recognizable infomercials projected purposefully pixelated footage of young women pulling up their shirts to flash the cameras between shots at a college town bar, or in the fog of spring break in Miami. The “Girls Gone Wild” logo strategically covered any explicit nudity, while an announcer with all the subtlety of a foghorn hocked VHS tapes and eventually DVDs full of the unobstructed footage “too hot to show on TV.” All of it was pitched as a chance to see the good girl next door go bad — for a low price, plus shipping and handling.

For most people, the heyday of “Girls Gone Wild,” the brainchild of Joe Francis, feels like it happened a lifetime ago. Francis’ close...

Exclusive: Media industry veteran Karolina Waclawiak has been appointed to serve as Head of Documentary at BuzzFeed Studios.

She comes to the role after serving as Editor in Chief and Executive Editor of Culture at BuzzFeed News for more than seven years and will now oversee the development and production of docuseries and documentary features on behalf of BuzzFeed Studios, advancing the creation of impactful nonfiction narratives that align with the company’s commitment to investigative journalism.

As part of her new role, Waclawiak will also oversee both scripted and documentary development for the BuzzFeed News archive, HuffPost, and other company properties. Currently, she’s in production on a multi-part investigation based on original reporting from BuzzFeed and HuffPost with Maxine Productions, which produced the Emmy-nominated Quiet on Set.

Stated BuzzFeed Studios President Richard Alan Reid on the appointment, “BuzzFeed Studios is thrilled to welcome Karolina Waclawiak as Head of Documentary,...

Peacock has set a release date and trailer for “Once Upon a Time in Londongrad,” its 6-part documentary about Russian oligarchs and the reaches of Vladimir Putin beyond Russia.

The series, from Buzzfeed Studios and Rise Films, is set to premiere on Nov. 15 on the streaming platform.

“Once Upon a Time in Londongrad” is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jed Rothstein (“WeWork”).

It follows BuzzFeed News investigative reporter Heidi Blake as she follows a tip about the death of a multi-millionaire property tycoon, which leads her to dig into a tangled web that ensnares Russian oligarchs, the U.K. government and Washington D.C and takes in the shocking poisoning of Russian defector and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, the suspicious death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was found dead at his ex-wife’s house in Ascot, and the attempted assignation of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.

“Set across Vladimir Putin’s two decades in power,...

Exclusive: In a competitive situation, Peacock has landed for development What She Said, an hourlong series from Erika Green Swafford (New Amsterdam) and Good Girls creator Jenna Bans. The project hails from Universal Television and BuzzFeed Studios and stems from Green Swafford and Bans’ overall deals and BuzzFeed’s first-look pact with the studio, part of Universal Content Studios.

Written and executive produced by Green Swafford, What She Said is inspired by Bim Adewunmi’s 2018 BuzzFeed News story “Meet the Women Who Are Building a Better Romance Industry”. It explores self-love, society’s beauty standards, and challenges the old, predominantly white narratives of who gets to fall in love. With romance novels at its spine, this series will lean into the wish fulfillment and sexiness that are the hallmarks of the romance industry and highlight the awkwardness, emotionality, and psychology of finding the courage to embrace your full self out in the real world.

Buzzfeed has inked a first-look TV deal with Universal Television, the studio announced Tuesday.

The deal will see the studio produce scripted content based on stories and original reporting published by the media company, beginning with a Buzzfeed News story titled “Meet the Women Who Are Building a Better Romance Industry” by Bim Adewunmi.

Published in 2018, the story focuses on the Kensington Publishing Corporation and author Alyssa Cole’s Black women-centric “Loyal League” trilogy of romance novels. The series adaptation, which will be executive produced by “Good Girls” creator Jenna Bans and written by Erika Green, will tell the story “about Black women trying to change the romance industry from the inside by challenging the old, predominantly white narratives of who gets to fall in love.”

BuzzFeed’s Richard Alan Reid will serve as executive producer alongside co-ep Karolina Waclawiak as co-ep. Charlotte Simms, TV development manager for Buzzfeed, will produce.

Buzzfeed is making an expanded push into television, signing a first-look deal with Universal TV, in which the studio will produce scripted content based on stories and original reporting published by the tech-powered media company.

The two entities have set their first project under the pact, with Jenna Bans, creator/executive producer of NBC/Uni TV’s Good Girls and writer Erika Green.

Written by Green, the project is inspired by Bim Adewunmi’s 2018 BuzzFeed News story “Meet the Women Who Are Building a Better Romance Industry”. It focuses on Black women who are trying to change the romance industry from the inside by challenging the old, predominantly white narratives of who gets to fall in love.

Bans executive produces with BuzzFeed’s Richard Alan Reid. Karolina Waclawiak as co-executive producer and Charlotte Simms serves as producer.

“Not only is BuzzFeed the go-to source for pop culture information, their reporting...

Universal Television and Buzzfeed are getting into business.

The two entities have signed a first-look deal, which will see the NBCU studio produce scripted content based on stories and reporting published by Buzzfeed.

As part of this new deal, the companies have already set their first project together in the form of a series based on the 2018 article “Meet the Women Who Are Building a Better Romance Industry” by Bim Adewunmi. The project will be executive produced by “Good Girls” creator Jenna Bans and written by Erika Green, whose previous credits include “New Amsterdam” and “How to Get Away With Murder.”

The article in question was about Black women trying to change the romance industry from the inside by challenging the old, predominantly white narratives of who gets to fall in love.

“Not only is BuzzFeed the go-to source for pop culture information, their reporting on a wide array of...

Oxygen has renewed “Injustice With Nancy Grace” for a second season and picked up three new true-crime projects, the cable network announced Wednesday.

Hosted by legal analyst and former Hln anchor Nancy Grace, the first season of “Injustice” ran for eight episodes last summer, exploring stories involving “unclear motives, botched investigations, wrongful accusations, unjust sentencing and suppressed evidence.” Grace will return as host for Season 2.

The show is produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation in conjunction with KT Studios and Tap Inc., with Eli Holzman, Aaron Saidman, Nancy Grace, John Terenzio, Stephanie Lydecker and showrunner Haylee Vance serving as executive producers.

Also Read: Oxygen's 'The Witnesses' Isn't About a Religion's Secrets, It's About a 'Public Safety Issue,' Investigator Says

The first of the three new projects is “Exhumed,” a series examining murder cases in which unearthing a victim’s body plays an instrumental role in solving the case. It...

Oxygen remains on a true-crime spree. The cable network said today that it has ordered one new series, Exhumed, and specials The Jane Doe Murders and The Case Died With Her and renewed Injustice with Nancy Grace for Season 2. Read details of the shows below.

Each episode of Exhumed, whose producers include spouses Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, follows a murder case in which unearthing a victim’s body is the vehicle in solving the twisted crime.

“As diehard true-crime fans, we are thrilled to be partnering with Oxygen on Exhumed, Ripa and Consuelos said. “We cannot wait to dig into these fascinating cases and showcase how exhumations have been crucial in solving crimes and bringing closure to families across America.”

The Jane Doe Murders examines murder cases of bodies without names and loved ones never returned to their families, and The Case Died with Her follows the story of Emilie Morris,...

Movie Collective, the crowdfunding venture launched by producer Cassian Elwes and filmmaker Marcus Markou, has hit its first investment target, clearing the way for Anjelica Huston picture “Utopia Road” to enter production.

The new venture set out to raise an initial £500,000 and hit that target this week ahead of the June 20 deadline. The first-round investors, 458 in all, hold 15.17% in Elwes and Markou’s Movie Collective. The company said they will get dividends and a share in profits. The founders do not get a dividend until the investors have recouped half of what they put in.

Backers buy into the Movie Collective slate rather than specific projects, which is the usual crowdfunding model for indie projects. The company’s stated aim is to “get indie films financed in a landscape dominated by big-budget studio fare.”

“Utopia Road” is the first Movie Collective picture out of the gate. Huston (“The Addams Family...

Fast-rising South African helmer Sibs Shongwe-La Mer has been tapped to direct “Meridian,” produced by Cassian Elwes and Susan Carter Hall.

Based on an original screenplay by Henderson Hall and Karolina Waclawiak, it’s the story of a priceless Picasso that goes missing from a Nazi bunker after WWII, only to resurface decades later in the small American town of Meridian.

Shongwe-La Mer describes the film as “a beautiful ode to cinema” and “classic Hollywood.” “That Hollywood is the Hollywood that made me fall in love with films,” he says.

Shongwe-La Mer says he met Elwes in L.A. after the AFI Fest screening of his acclaimed debut, “Necktie Youth,” which premiered at the Berlinale in 2015. “Cassian Elwes is a true hero of mine,” he says. “From ‘Blue Valentine’ to ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ these are pictures that move me to the point that they remind me why I want to make films.

Exclusive: Movie Collective, the crowdfunding film venture set up by Mudbound producer Cassian Elwes and Papadopoulos & Sons director Marcus Markou, has raised £100,000 ahead of its Crowdcube equity drive.

The pair have raised the initial amount from private investors ahead of the launch of the Crowdcube campaign on May 1. They are looking to raise an initial £500,000. Elwes and Markou say that the scheme is different from other crowdfunding offerings rather than giving investors the opportunity to back one single project and receive perks, Movie Collective has a slate of projects at various stages of development, and investors will receive equity in the production company itself. It is the intention of the company to pay prospective profits as a dividend to equity stakeholders, with remaining profits used to help finance other projects on the slate.

The first Movie Collective project is the feature film Utopia Road, with Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family...

Indie film producer Cassian Elwes has launched Movie Collective, a new crowdfunding film venture which invites fans to invests in a slate of upcoming film projects via equity on social platform Crowdcube.com. The joint venture is being done with another indie filmmaker, Marcus Markou.

“The exciting part of this is to try to find alternative financing for film,” Elwes told Deadline. “It’s really difficult right now to get financing for anything other than superhero films. I do think there is an audience of smart, adult people out there who want to see quality films. I’m searching for ways to continue to bring those kinds of movies to them.”

The first Movie Collective project is the feature film Utopia Road, with Anjelica Huston (The Addams Family), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound) and Rebecca Hall (Iron Man 3). It is expected to shoot this summer. The film will be directed by Rosson Crow,...

The debut feature from writer/director Deb Shoval, “Awol” is an arresting love story between two women whose relationship is influenced as much by their environmental circumstances as it is by their sexuality. Lola Kirke plays the sly, charming Joey, who falls hard for local siren Rayna (Breeda Wool, also excellent in Lifetime’s “UnREAL”). Shoval, who co-wrote the script with novelist and writer Karolina Waclawiak, captures the blind recklessness of first love, in a lesbian love story that’s only partially about the characters’ queerness. Read More: The 22 Most Anticipated Films Of The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival Rayna and Joey’s sexuality are enormous influences in their lives and the decisions they make, but it’s not the only thing that defines who they are as individuals. Joey’s a smirking tomboy, as talented with a car engine as she is with a guitar. She’s close with her mother and siblings,...