Issa Rae’s Hoorae Strikes Unscripted Partnership With Jennifer O’Connell & Rebecca Quinn’s Velvet Hammer Media

EXCLUSIVE: When Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn oversaw the then-titled HBO Max’s unscripted pipeline, the pair worked with Issa Rae and her production company Hoorae on series including Sweet Life: Los Angeles, which ran for two seasons and the reboot of Project Greenlight.

The trio are now getting the band back together after Rae’s Hoorae has struck a production partnership with O’Connell & Quinn’s Velvet Hammer Media.

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The deal will see the two companies co-develop a range of unscripted series across genres including dating, social experiments and competition.

Velvet Hammer Media, which was founded last year, is behind series including The Big Bakeover for The CW and Empty Nest Refresh for Roku. The pair also introduced its Inside Access Program, which ensures there’s a line item in every production budget to hire exceptional BIPOC talent behind the camera and help them grow.

Hoorae, which was founded by the Insecure star, as Issa Rae Productions, in 2011, is behind series including The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, Insecure, A Black Lady Sketch Show and Rap Sh!t.

Hoorae President of Film & TV Montrel McKay said, “Our shared vision and commitment to impactful storytelling make this partnership with VHM a perfect match. We look forward to pushing boundaries, exploring new narratives and delivering content that reflects our world and captivates, inspires and resonates with audiences.”

“We have such a successful history and great working relationship with Issa, Montrel and Nichole, and everyone at Hoorae. That backdrop definitely set the stage, but it’s our collective love for messy, gripping high-stakes reality shows that sealed the deal on this new partnership,” added O’Connell and Quinn.

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