Starz and Electus planning on new series

Pay-cable channel Starz is looking at broadening the width of its range. A few of the shows it is working on are about Marco Polo and William the Conqueror with Ben Silverman’s production company Electus. These shows are going to be accompanied by ‘Magic City,” Boss,” and “Le Morte d’Arthur.” On February 25^th the program is going to preview its first episode of the drama “Camelot” in hopes of challenging competitors Showtime and HBO with original programs. The dark magic and by issues of monarchy filled series is going to be Chief Executive and President Chris Albrecht’s first since he left HBO.

Mr. Albrecht explains it is essential for shows to look and feel different to what is offered by regular TV channels. Only this added benefit is going to make them pay the approximate $15 more each month instead of sticking with other cable providers. Camelot, to him, is a larger-than-life epic. It will not focus on the extensive battle scenes but instead ensure its costumes, landscapes and main actress Morgan Le Fay is going to make up for anything that might sound missing. "Those epic battle scenes of thousands of warriors moving together, that never pays off when you actually make it," said Craig Cegielski, executive producer and president of production house GK-TV, "We don't have the magic of a 40-foot screen."

Click here to view the original article on Ben Silverman and Starz.

DumbDumb and Energy BBDO take home Golden Pencil

It is only the beginning of the awards season but already producers have taken home their first trophies. Energy BBDO, and Will Arnett and Jason Bateman from DumbDumb won Gold at One Show Entertainment with its “Dirty Shorts” campaign for Orbit. The Gold Pencil at the One Show Entertainment Awards ceremony took place in the beginning of the week in Los Angeles and honored the best merger between entertainment and brands. “Dirty Shorts” was created in a partnership between Energy BBDO and DumbDumb, a digital production and content studio, backed by Ben Silverman's digital entertainment studio, Electus.

The series is a compilation of original branded short films with “the Dancer” and “The Prom Date” being the highlights. In “The Dancer” Bateman dresses up as a drag queen that hands out Orbit in order to clean up dirty minds of the strip club’s customers and attendants. Since its initial introduction the Orbit films have received 2.7 million views. Dan Fietsam, chief creative officer at Energy BBDO, spoke about his perception of the honor at the festival. "We see this honor as a testament to innovative energy, creative ambition and lots of "what's possible thinking," he said.

Click here to view the original article on the Gold Pencil and DumbDumb.