Francie Calfo Promoted To Chairman of Imagine Television Group
Francie Calfo has been promoted to Chairman of Imagine Television Group, the growing television operation of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s now-independent Imagine Entertainment.
Francie Calfo, who will oversee Imagine Television production and Imagine Television Studios, has served as Imagine Television President since joining the company in 2010. She is an executive producer on Empire on Fox, now in its fourth season on Fox, and Genius, renewed by NatGeo for a second cycle to star Antonio Banderas.
“Francie’s knowledge, exquisite taste and execution skills give life to the most important and narrative content. It’s these traits that she has embodied that, in my opinion, are the most valuable commodity in storytelling,” said Grazer.
Added Howard, “Francie’s exceptional creative judgement combined with her leadership skills and true love of the medium of television, make her an absolute pleasure to work with.”
Other series Calfo has executive produced for Imagine Television include Fox’s Shots Fired and Gang Related , NBC’s The Playboy Club; FX’s The Bastard Executioner, created by Kurt Sutter; A&E’s Those Who Kill; and ABC’s How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life).
Prior to joining Imagine, Calfo was an ABC Television Studios-based producer. Before that, she served as EVP of Development and Current Programming for ABC, overseeing all scripted comedy and drama development, as well as current programming for the network. Series that she and her team developed and shepherded include Desperate Housewives, Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Ugly Betty and Brothers & Sisters.
Calfo previously served as drama executive for Touchstone Television, VP and hen SVP, overseeing such series as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Alias.” After that, she did her first stint as a producer, executive producing the series Life As We ]π-Know It.
Imagine’s TV expansion comes on the heels of Imagine Television recently entering into a TV co-financing venture with Hong Kong based TVB Ventures, with TVB Ventures committed to investing $100 million to develop and produce Imagine Television projects. Imagine TV also recently inked a four-year co-financing, first-look agreement with CBS Corp. for scripted and unscripted television and long-form digital programming.
In building a talent roster, Imagine TV just signed a premium script deal with Marc Cherry for his next TV series, and also inked a two-year first-look deal with Oscar-winning Beautiful Mind writer Akiva Goldsman. Earlier this year, Imagine received 16 Emmy nominations for its programs Empire, Genius and The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years on Hulu.
Related stories
Marc Cherry Inks Deal With Imagine Television For New Series
Imagine Enters Co-Financing First-Look Deal With CBS Corp. For TV Programming
Imagine Announces $100M TV Production Venture With China's TVB
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