Oprah’s Harpo Films, HBO Strike Development Deal
Harpo leaves broadcast behind in favor of pay cable network
By Alex Weprin -- Broadcasting & Cable, 12/16/2008 10:11:00 AM
Oprah Winfrey’s Harpo Films and HBO have inked a multiyear deal to develop and produce scripted programming for the pay cable network.
Potential projects include series, miniseries, movies and documentaries, though executives declined to comment on any current projects.
The deal with HBO also marks the end of Harpo’s development deal with ABC, which expires at the end of the year. ABC was looking to extend the deal, according to Harpo Films president Kate Forte, but Harpo felt that the move to HBO would be a “natural progression” for the production outfit.
“ABC was always incredibly supportive of us, it is much more about the opportunity HBO affords us,” Forte says. “There are natural limitations to network television, including being ratings driven and commercial sponsorships, which obviously HBO does not have to deal with.”
Oprah Winfrey is just the latest household name to sign a deal with HBO, which has been aggressively building its programming portfolio following the conclusion of The Sopranos. Among the talent that have signed deals with HBO are former Sex and The City star Sarah Jessica Parker and funnyman Will Ferrell.
“We generally don’t have a lot of overall deals with producers with whom don’t have current shows,” said HBO programming group president Michael Lombardo. “I can count on half of one hand the number of deals we have.”
Harpo is also collaborating with Discovery Communications on a new cable channel, OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network. That company will be run independently, and with its focus on nonscripted programming is unlikely to affect the HBO deal.
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I KNOW IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR AN OUTSIDER TO GET ANY HELP FROM PEOPLE, BUT I'M BEGGING YOU TO JUST READ MY BOOK,"LIFE LOVE AND DEATH," BY MARY F TUCKER. IT IS A TRUE STORY ABOUT MY MOTHERS UNTHINKABLE HARD LIFE. SHE FOUGHT ALL OF HER LIFE ,FIRST FOR HER LITTLE BROTHER, AND THEN AFTER SHE MARRIED MY FATHER, SHE HAD TO FIGHT EVEN HARDER TO SURVIVE HIS DRINKING AND ABUSE TO HER AND THEN HER CHILDREN, WHO HE THREATENED TO KILL EVERY WEEK WHEN HE DRANK AND GAMBLED HTS PAY AWAY, AND NEVER GAVE A THOUGHT TO FEEDING HIS FAMILY. TI'S A STORY YOU HAVE TO READ TO EVEN KNOW PART OF WHAT SHE[VINA] FRAN IN THE BOOK, WENT THROUGH TO SAVE HER CHILDREN. I PROMISE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT IF YOU BUY THESE BOOKS. "LIFE LOVE AND DEATH,"AND "FARTHER ALONG,"MORE ON LIFE LOVE AND DEATH," WILL SELL AS ONE BOOK, BECAUSE I THINK YOU NEED BOTH BOOKS. ASKING ONE MORE TIME FOR HELP ,BECAUSE MY HEALTH IS GETTING WORSE, AND I NEED ANY HELP I CAN GET. MARY F. TUCKER 229 532 4785
MARY F. TUCKER - 10/23/2011 11:10:42 PM EDT -
I WROTE," LIFE LOVE AND DEATH,"AND ," FARTHER ALONG,"BY MARY F. TUCKER, IN HONOR OF MY MOTHER'S TERRIBLE LIFE SHE ENDURED FROM THE DAY SHE WAS BORN UNTIL THE DAY SHE DIED. I'M TRYING TO FIND A PRODUCER TO TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT THEM. I KNOW IN MY HEART THIS IS THE KIND OF STORIES, THAT GREAT MOVIES ARE MADE OF. ALL I'M ASKING IS FOR A CHANCE, AND I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD BE SORRY AFTER READING THE BOOK. THE LAST PART OF ,"FARTHER ALONG," IS ABOUT WHEN I WAS BATTLEING CANCER, AND YOU DON'T NEED THAT PART, I DON'T THINK. I'M LETTING BOTH BOOKS GO AS ONE, BECAUSE THIS WAS TO HONOR MY MOTHER. PLEASE GO TO ,"XLIBRIS.COM, AND THEN GO TO ,"LIFE LOVE AND DEATH, BY MARY F. TUCKER. YOU WILL SEE THE BOOKS AND A LOT OF INFO ABOUT THEM. I WILL BE HAPPY TO SEND A COPY OF BOTH BOOKS, AND THE WRITE UPS ABOUT THEM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MARY TUCKER.
MARY F. TUCKER - 9/14/2011 10:49:50 PM EDT -
who cares about Oprah? shes a narcissistic attention whore
Meow - 12/17/2008 9:17:00 AM EST
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