Endeavor Content, Jeff Friday Media, POV Entertainment to Prioritize BIPOC TV Creators
Endeavor Content, Jeff Friday Media and Layne Eskridge’s POV Entertainment will partner to develop and produce premium scripted television series by Black and brown creators, accelerating exposure and opportunity for BIPOC writers and producers. To expand the range of television from creatives of color in the current marketplace, the three companies will be collaborating closely with the American Black Film Festival to tap into its industry talent pipeline.
“We are taking a 360 approach to platform the Black and Brown creators who will produce the next wave of shows audiences truly crave. By giving access to the Endeavor Content ecosystem and providing the forum to develop ideas in a thoughtful way we will spur more diversity on and off camera in the television space,” said POV Entertainment president Eskridge. “I’m excited to work with my fellow Howard University alum Jeff Friday on this, and I’m confident we will be able to fill a void in an entertaining way.”
More from Variety
The announcement comes shortly after Eskridge, former creative executive at Apple TV Plus and Netflix, signed an overall deal with Endeavor Content in January. She oversaw the production of “Ozark,” “She’s Gotta Have It,” “Seconds,” “Dead to Me,” “When They See Us,” “Top Boy,” “Messiah” and “Self-Made,” as well as several upcoming Apple originals.
“Jeff and Layne are incredible collaborators and we hope to activate and amplify creators and storytellers who are doing it on their own,” added Endeavor Content co-presidents Graham Taylor and Chris Rice.
Jeff Friday Media and the ABFF have a longstanding partnership with Endeavor Content, including its sponsorship of the inaugural Social Justice Now Film Festival. Endeavor Content, a division of Endeavor, has produced TV series such as “See,” “Truth Be Told” and “Severance” on Apple TV Plus and the upcoming “Nine Perfect Strangers” for Hulu and “Tokyo Vice” for HBO Max.
“This relationship with Endeavor Content and Layne’s POV Entertainment will serve as fuel to ignite the spark of Black and Brown voices and bring them into meaningful television projects,” Jeff Friday Media president Friday said.
Some Jeff Friday productions to date include the TNT and BET televised awards special “ABFF Honors” and the HBO feature documentary “Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn,” in partnership with Lightbox. The company recently announced a first-look motion picture deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment and launched ABFF Play, a live and on-demand streaming service featuring free and pay-per-view content.
(Pictured: Jeff Friday and Layne Eskridge)
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
