‘Surviving R. Kelly’ Executive Producer Tamra Simmons Inks Development Deal With Blue Ant Studios

EXCLUSIVE: Tamra Simmons, an executive producer behind the Emmy-nominated docuseries Surviving R. Kelly, has signed a development deal with Blue And Studios to identify and develop a slate of unscripted projects.

The partnership builds on Blue Ant’s expanding U.S. production business and comes is the latest in the series of development initiatives that seek to champion women-led content. Under the new deal, the LA Productions executive producer and CEO of Atlanta-based firm The Tamra Simmons Brand Agency will work with Blue Ant to produce unscripted projects that explore a range of perspective sand experiences. Her credits include Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, Growing Up Hip Hop, Growing Up Hip Hop: Atlanta, Mary Mary and Words of Wisdom: Faith & Forgiveness.

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“The content we consume shapes our minds, drives our decisions and informs our outlook on the world. It is imperative that our content options provoke our thoughts and remove us from our homogeneous bubbles thereby giving us a true reflection of the world,” said Simmons. “I’m excited to partner with Blue Ant Studios because I’m confident that our synergy will do more than just give audiences something else that’s just like everything else to watch. We will produce diverse, intriguing and unique television that will leave a memorable and lasting imprint.”

Laura Michalchyshyn, co-president of Blue Ant Studios added: “Tamra’s work has so much heart, and her relationships with diverse talent and storytellers are impressive. We can’t wait to partner with her to produce projects that tell important, urgent, and entertaining stories about the world around us.”

Simmons, along with fellow Surviving R. Kelly producers Joel Karsberg, Dream Hampton, Jesse Daniels, Brie Miranda Bryant, Jessica Everleth and Maria Pepin, received a Primetime Emmy nomination in 2019 for outstanding informational series or special. The team of producer also nabbed an outstanding producer of non-fiction television nomination at the 2020 PGA Awards.

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