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David Ozer, president of Strong Studios, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding investors in TV productions.

Ozer, who remains free on $25,000 bond, was charged in two separate criminal cases. He’s pleaded guilty in both to two counts of wire fraud.

Over a one year period starting in February 2023, federal prosecutors alleged that Ozer embezzled over $210,000 meant for Safehaven, an upcoming supernatural thriller backed by Ravenwood Productions. To create the impression that the funds were spent on legitimate production costs, he created fraudulent accounting records, including falsified invoices, and forged a letter from his accountant.

After pleading guilty in that case, additional victims came forward over a TV series Ozer said he was developing called Endangered. In a separate scheme, he stole over $200,000 from investors, some of whom were told they’d get an executive producer credit on the series.

Ozer is an “experienced businessman in the entertainment industry,...

David Ozer, a veteran entertainment executive, was sentenced Tuesday to 18 months in prison for defrauding investors in the TV shows “Safehaven” and “Endangered.”

Ozer, 59, pleaded guilty last year to embezzling $214,000 from an investor in “Safehaven” by creating false invoices and a forged letter from his accountant. After the plea, additional victims came forward alleging a separate scheme in connection with the development of “Endangered.” Ozer pleaded guilty to a second wire fraud charge in January.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Stanley Blumenfeld ordered Ozer to pay $399,000 in restitution on Tuesday. Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 33 months in prison, while his defense argued he should only face one year.

“Defendant is an experienced businessman in the entertainment industry,” prosecutors said in a sentencing memo. “He knew it was wrong to embezzle funds from his company’s principal financial backer, and he knew it was wrong to misappropriate funds from individual investors.

Warner Bros Discovery Lands Gisele Pelicot Doc

Warner Bros Discovery (Wbd) has struck a major agreement for ITN Productions’ fast turnaround doc The Pelicot Rape Case: A Town on Trial. In a competitive situation, Wbd landed rights to the 90-minute film, which was for the 5 network in the UK, for 90 countries across Europe and Africa in a deal with distributor Orange Smarty. The doc includes an on-camera interview with one of the alleged rapists of Gisele Pelicot, the French woman whose husband, Dominique Pelicot, was jailed for multiple counts of drugging and raping her over a nine-year period. Numerous men from Avignon, where the Pelicots lived, were convicted of sex crimes committed while Gisele Pelicot was drugged and unconscious. The doc was part of Orange Smarty’s London TV Screenings slate last month, along with South Shore Productions’ two-part documentary Eat Smart: Secrets of the Glucose Goddess, which has sold to Sbs in Australia,...

Photo: Jordan Litz, Ginna Claire Mason

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Eric Zachanowich

A new, original musical rom-com is coming to Hallmark Channel with A Carol For Two starring Ginna Claire Mason, Jordan Litz and Charlotte D’Amboise.

The movie brings a touch of Broadway to the small screen, along with some fun Wicked references, as part of the network’s Countdown to Christmas 2024. Read on to learn more about the movie and its cast and see fun images taken on the film set.

A Carol For Two heads to Broadway on Hallmark Channel Photo: Stephanie Sy

Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Steve Ackerman

According to the official synopsis, A Carol For Two tells the story of talented singer, Violette Wagner (Mason), who is new to New York City and is determined to make it on Broadway. However, she needs to pay her rent because she is not currently in a production. Violette...

David Ozer, the president of Strong Studios, has agreed to plead guilty to defrauding an investor in the TV show “Safehaven” out of $214,486.

Ozer has admitted to defrauding Ravenwood Productions by creating false invoices and a forged letter purportedly from his accountant in an effort to make expenditures appear legitimate, according to the plea agreement.

“In reality, Ozer’s accountant did not write the letter, the contents of the letter were false, and Ozer used his accountant’s name without his accountant’s authorization,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles stated in a release.

Under the plea agreement, Ozer agreed not to appeal if his prison sentence is less than 27 months.

Ozer previously worked at Sony, Starz and as president of Idw Entertainment. Ravenwood sued him in April for siphoning funds from the show to pay his personal expenses, including his mortgage.

The lawsuit also named several other defendants,...

The producer of “Safehaven,” an unreleased TV show, has been accused in a lawsuit of siphoning funds from the show’s budget to pay his personal expenses, including payments to keep his house out of foreclosure.

David Ozer, the president of Strong Studios, is alleged in the complaint to have fabricated invoices and created fake vendors in order to hide the theft.

The plaintiff, Kevin V. Duncan, is a producer and investor in the series. The pair earlier produced the Nicolas Cage horror film “Willy’s Wonderland.”

Ozer is a veteran entertainment executive, having previously worked at Sony, Starz and as president of Idw Entertainment.

According to the complaint, Duncan and Ozer sought to produce “Safehaven” as a 10-episode supernatural series for Crackle, the free ad-supported streaming service. The show is based on a 2017 graphic novel by James Seale.

Duncan alleges that the show ran into financial difficulty as production was...

Strong Global Entertainment has acquired branded short form content company Unbounded Media Corporation, which will now operate as a part of Strong Studios. Under the deal, Strong Studios is aiming to get into the production services business in addition to its work developing content for film and TV.

Umc develops, creates and produces film, advertising, and branded content for a broad range of clients; according to its website, that has included Draft Kings, Reebok, Maestro Dobel Tequila, NBA All World and Ibm.

Umc was founded by Peter Odiorne, Larry Swets and Hassan Baqar; the company has been acquired in an all-stock transaction. Sge said its deal for Umc is part of a “broader strategy to acquire a portfolio of multi-disciplined content and services companies.”

Under the deal, Swets will oversee acquisitions for the combined company as chairman of the studio and production division. Odiorne will serve as chief content officer...

Exclusive: Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone and Stephen Moyer have just wrapped production on Shtf (Sh*t Hits the Fan), a sci-fi thriller directed by Drew Mylrea from a script by Josh Janowicz. Shooting just finished in Butte, Mt.

The pic is set in the aftermath of an apocalyptic event that forces people into extreme isolation. A father (Moyer) and son (Van Acker), who have been living off grid for 20 years, encounter an outsider (Silverstone) who threatens to destroy the utopia they’ve built.

Sunil Perkash, Colin Bates, Akaash Yadav and Michael Jefferson are producing. Van Acker, Wes Hull and Daniel Brandt are executive producers.

For Pretty Little Liars alum Van Acker, the movie marks a reteam with Mylrea after the actor starred in the director’s Spy Intervention last year opposite Poppy Delevingne. He also plays Aqualad on DC Universe’s Titans and is repped by ICM Partners and Luber/Roklin.