Ovation to Also Curate Episodes with Footage From The Actors Studio Archives
LOS ANGELES: Ovation TV, America’s only arts network, has completed an agreement with the Actors Studio to produce and air future episodes of Inside The Actors Studio, the award-winning interview series about the art of acting. As part of the agreement, the network will also curate content from the series’ extensive library for additional episodes.
Ovation will premiere the new Inside The Actors Studio in the Fall of 2019. James Lipton, the series’ creator, original host and executive producer, will turn the microphone over to a number of rotating guest hosts, who are in consideration now by the network and The Actors Studio.
“It’s very gratifying to see the legacy of Inside The Actors Studio being carried forward for a new generation to appreciate and enjoy,” said James Lipton. “I made a vow early on that we would not deal in gossip — only in craft, and Ovation, as a network dedicated to the arts, will continue that tradition with the next seasons of the series. I’m excited to see the new hosts engage with the guests and students and continue to entertain viewers in the U.S. and around the world.”
“Inside The Actors Studio is a series that fits perfectly with Ovation’s mission to provide viewers with diverse arts programming, and we’re doing it from the heart of New York City with the support of our partners at AT&T/DIRECTV, Comcast, Charter, Verizon FiOS and independent cable operators across the country,” said Charles Segars, CEO, Ovation.
Inside The Actors Studio began and will continue to be a televised craft seminar for the students of The Actors Studio MFA program at Pace University. Paul Newman, a former Actors Studio president, was the show’s first televised guest. The series has gone on to host a veritable “Who’s Who” of award-winning actors and directors over the past two decades, over 200 in all, including Sally Field, Ellen Burstyn, Alec Baldwin, Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt, Sidney Pollack, Carol Burnett, Jessica Lange, Julia Roberts, Willem Dafoe, Billy Crystal, Shirley MacLaine, Meryl Streep, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, Jeremy Irons, Barbra Streisand, Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, and scores of others. The series has received 20 Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Informational Series or Special category. The series received an Emmy in this category in 2013. James Lipton also won the Critics Choice award for Best Host in 2015.
“Ovation is dedicated to supporting The Actors Studio’s commitment to providing the best educational resources for its students. In so doing, we will uphold the high standard set by James Lipton for excellence in producing programming that is multicultural, informational, enlightening and entertaining,” said Scott Woodward, EVP of Programming and Production, Ovation TV. “We look forward to introducing a whole new generation to the craft of acting through vibrant new hosts and guests that we will begin to announce in the coming months.”
“Over the years this series has had a profound impact on the Studio’s MFA program at Pace University,” said Ellen Burstyn. “I know my co-presidents, Alec Baldwin and Al Pacino, and our Board of Directors, share my enthusiasm that Ovation has come on board to continue this enduring legacy.”
The series is filmed at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University’s New York City campus. Ovation will continue filming at this venue.
In addition to having exclusive linear and digital rights in the U.S. to new episodes of Inside The Actors Studio, Ovation will also control all international rights to such episodes.
Gray Coleman of Davis Wright Tremaine and Michael Kagan of ICM Partners represented The Actors Studio, and Rob Rader, General Counsel, negotiated on behalf of Ovation.