LOS ANGELES, Jan. 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Stephen David
Entertainment (SDE – a Banijay Group company) and Playboy's Alta
Loma Entertainment will co-produce a mini-series on the life of
Playboy founder and American icon Hugh
Hefner and his legendary company, one of the world's most
recognizable brands. AMERICAN PLAYBOY: The Hugh Hefner
Story will begin production in 2016. Stephen David will Executive Produce the project
with Alta Loma executives
Peter Jaysen and Dick Rosenzweig. The production partners
are currently entertaining offers.
AMERICAN PLAYBOY: The Hugh Hefner Story will benefit from
unprecedented access to Mr. Hefner's vast video and photographic
archives, which have documented the daily life of the mercurial
Editor In Chief from 1953 to today. In addition, Playboy
Enterprises will open its archives, which include more than 60
years of the pages of its iconic magazine, as well as previously
unpublished material.
Told in the groundbreaking "hybrid" docudrama style of other SDE
productions, AMERICAN PLAYBOY spans over six decades of
American history, telling the dual narrative of Hefner's personal
life, intertwined with the evolution of the country he sought to
change. What started in December 1953
with a nude centerfold of Marilyn
Monroe, transformed into Hefner's personal vision of what
America could be – Playboy became a high-minded, egalitarian
magazine, placing Hefner on the frontlines of the country's
greatest struggles. Not merely a sexual revolutionary, Hefner
fought for free speech, civil rights, nuclear disarmament, women's
rights and more. From publishing blacklisted writers to
freeing prisoners of repressive sexual legislation, to battling
with J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI and
Jerry Falwell, Hefner used his media
empire and public persona to espouse a progressive philosophy far
ahead of his time.
"When I started Playboy magazine in 1953, I couldn't
imagine the incredible journey that was to follow and that Playboy
would have such a significant voice in the discussion of our
ever-changing culture," said Playboy Founder, Hugh Hefner. "I'm pleased that this docu-series
will help serve as a reminder of where we've been and how we've
evolved as a society, but more importantly my hope is that it will
inspire others to pursue their dreams."
As the force behind the EMMY award-winning series THE MEN WHO
BUILT AMERICA, the EMMY-nominated THE WORLD WARS and
THE MAKING OF THE MOB: NEW
YORK, SDE has a proven track record producing successful
hybrid-genre programs that use a combination of traditional
documentary techniques integrated with scripted storytelling
elements. Production on AMERICAN PLAYBOY will begin early this
year. SDE is currently in production of THE WEST and the
second season of THE MAKING OF THE MOB for AMC.
"Hugh Hefner is a fascinating,
enigmatic personality and I couldn't be more excited to partner
with Alta Loma and Banijay to
bring his story to life," said Stephen
David. "As a brand, Playboy has unparalleled international
recognition, and we look forward to reaching audiences around the
world."
"Time and time again, Hugh Hefner
went up against very powerful forces in our society to fight for
those who could not speak for themselves," said Scott Flanders, Chief Executive Officer of
Playboy Enterprises. "Now, with the help of this incredible
team, the rest of the world will know just what a catalyst Hef was
for positive social change in the United
States and around the world."
Alta Loma Entertainment is currently in production of the
television series YOU ME HER starring Greg Poehler, Rachel
Blanchard, and Priscilla Faia
for Direct TV and Eone Television which is slated to premiere on
March 8, 2016.
About Stephen David Entertainment
Stephen David
Entertainment (SDE) – a Banijay Group Company – is an Emmy®
Award-winning, New York-based
production company with its own in-house post-facility. SDE counts
The Men Who Built America, The World Wars and The Making of the
Mob: New York among its popular,
hybrid documentary series. In the five years since its inception,
SDE has developed numerous docudrama mini-series and select
scripted projects, utilizing high-end production techniques and
cutting-edge VFX. In 2014 and 2015, SDE was named to Realscreen's
Global 100 list of top production companies.
About Alta Loma Entertainment
Alta Loma Entertainment
is a wholly owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., a media
and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range
of media properties and licensing initiatives. Playboy is one
of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the
world. The company publishes Playboy magazine in
the United States and licenses
foreign editions of Playboy around the world; operates
Playboy.com, a leading men's lifestyle and entertainment site; and
creates content for distribution via feature films, television
networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through
licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of
consumer products in more than 180 countries, as well as retail
stores and entertainment venues. For more information about
Playboy Enterprises, please visit www.PlayboyEnterprises.com.
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160112/321350
Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151109/285391LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/stephen-david-entertainment-and-alta-loma-entertainment-pact-to-produce-american-playboy-the-hugh-hefner-story-mini-series-based-on-the-life-of-playboys-founder-300203040.html
SOURCE Playboy Enterprises, Inc.