Fox Dissolves SideCar Content Accelerator, Gail Berman Returns to Jackal Group Full-Time

Joe Otterson
·4 min read

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Fox Entertainment is putting an end to the SideCar content accelerator, the production venture the network formed last year with Gail Berman as chairperson.

As part of the decision, Berman will return to her company, The Jackal Group, as the full-time CEO. She will remain attached to any projects developed at SideCar as an executive producer.

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“One of the industry’s most respected executives, Gail has played a number of integral roles at Fox over the past two decades,” Fox Entertainment CEO Charlie Collier said in a note to staff. “She is the definition of professional and I value her guidance, advice and support.”

Read Collier’s full note below.

When SideCar was announced, the company was said to be working alongside Fox’s own development team to identify and develop scripted and unscripted programming for the network. According to sources, at least one SideCar staffer will be joining Fox but the fate of the rest of the company’s staff remains unclear.

There are currently 17 SideCar projects in development at Fox, all of which will remain in development at this time. Those include an untitled film reenactment project that was ordered to pilot prior to the COVID-19 production shutdown. Other projects include “The Texanist,” a country music drama, and the animated comedy “Saloon,” along with multiple unscripted projects.

SideCar was one of multiple production entities Fox has partnered with since becoming an independent network in the wake of the 21st Century Fox-Disney merger. Fox also purchased Bento Box Entertainment, the animation house behind the network’s hit series “Bob’s Burgers,” and operates an in-house unscripted studio overseen by the network’s unscripted head Rob Wade. Fox Corp. also purchased the streaming platform Tubi in a deal valued at $440 million.

Like all broadcast networks, Fox is grappling with programming while production remains shutdown due to the pandemic, including the loss of live sports. For the fall, Fox has scheduled the scripted shows “Filthy Rich” and “neXt,” with both of those shows originally set to debut at midseason this season. The network has also acquired the Spectrum original series “LA’s Finest” starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. Most of the network’s scripted shows — including hits like “9-1-1” and new shows like “Call Me Kat” — are being held for midseason 2021.

INTERNAL NOTE FROM CHARLIE COLLIER

I’m writing to tell you about organizational changes that will bring SideCar’s production and development capabilities more formally into the FOX scripted programming department. This is something Gail and I have been discussing and as a result of those conversations, we are retiring the SideCar name and Gail has decided to return full-time to her company, The Jackal Group.

One of the industry’s most respected executives, Gail has played a number of integral roles at FOX over the past two decades. She is the definition of professional and I value her guidance, advice and support.

Along with her team at SideCar, Gail has accomplished so much during our time together, setting up nearly 20 projects at FOX Entertainment alone, and also succeeding broadly across Hollywood, selling projects to Quibi (“Royalties”) and NBC (“Wellsville”), among others.

At The Jackal Group, Gail has a number of film and television projects in active development and production. I am certain we will collaborate on many ideas moving forward. It’s what Gail does and she does it very well.

I know I speak for us all when I wish Gail and everyone at SideCar only good in the days ahead.

Please reach out to your colleagues at SideCar. And please continue to take care of yourselves and your families.

Charlie

 

(Pictured: Gail Berman)

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