Longform Streaming
Project: The Beauty Queen Killer: 9 Days of Terror
Client: ABC News Studios / Hulu
Role: Director of Unscripted & Documentary Programming, 101 Studios
Result: Sold and produced documentary series and spin-off podcast to ABC News Studios / Hulu for $750K per episode.
The Brief
101 Studios is the production company behind scripted juggernauts including Yellowstone, Landman, and Tulsa King. When I was hired as the Director of Unscripted & Documentary Programming, the company had never produced an original unscripted project. My job was to build the department and the workflows that would allow us to achieve our ultimate goal: develop, sell, and produce original unscripted programming.
What We Built
With an internal budget of $25K, we produced a sizzle reel and pitch deck outlining the series premise, tone, style, and proprietary IP. We projected a series budget of $400K per episode.
We worked cross-departmentally to broaden the pitch across scripted and podcast formats simultaneously, creating a more robust value proposition both within 101 Studios and for our external partners.
The Outcome
We sold the unscripted project to ABC News Studios for $750K per episode (a 43% increase on projected revenue) and a spin-off podcast. The sale of the first original documentary project for 101 Studios unlocked the budget to hire a Head of Physical Production, expanding departmental capabilities and meeting the broader company goal of running physical production internally.