‘Ghostwriter’ Producer Mark Blutman Developing TV Adaptation Of Stacy Padula’s YA Drama Series ‘Gripped’

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Blutman, a Daytime Emmy-winning producer for Ghostwriter, will develop a television adaptation of Stacy Padula’s YA series Gripped.

From Padula, David Gunning and Rick Fitzpatrick’s BLE Pictures, Gripped is based off of Padula’s Boston-set five-book series, which chronicles the lives of a group of young adults whose world revolves around their passion for football, their drive to make it to the NFL, and sadly the gripping epidemic of Opioid addiction.

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Blutman, who also received Emmy nominations as a producer for Girl Meets World, will pen the pilot and serve as executive producer. Gunning will produce the project.

“I’ve always looked for ways to affect young adults with a positive message in my work and so the opportunity to take the world Stacy created, a world showing how good kids can easily fall into life threatening drug addiction and eventually put the pieces of their lives back together, was an opportunity and challenge I was excited to bring to the small screen,” he said. “It has a Friday Night Lights meets Euphoria vibe and the vulnerable flaws in the characters Stacy has created really resonated with me.”

Padula’s debut book The Right Person hit shelves in 2010, followed by four additional YA novels (When Darkness Tries to Hide, The Aftermath, The Battle for Innocence, and The Forces Within) to complete the Montgomery Lake High series. She also wrote the children’s book, On The Right Path.

Brad Small of Rosenfeld, Meyer & Susman brokered the deal for Blutman, who is repped by Buchwald. Gunning is repped by Brandie Ilsen and Jessie Blackhall of Aperture Talent, Tom Lawless of Vox, and Terry McNeal of Del Corral & Associates. Padula’s publishing company is Briley & Baxter Publications LLC.

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