Jason Beekman and Ryan Miller launch Wise Child Studios, reveal development plan, including Sam Pollard’s ‘Up The River’ document

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran entertainment attorney and business strategist Jason Beekman has left his role as VP and Head of Business and Legal Strategy at RadicalMedia to co-found new production company Wise Child Studios with director and former Imagine Documentaries showrunner Ryan Miller.

Wise Child seeks to combine the robust legal and business acumen of a larger studio with the distinctive creative vision and filmmaker-focused attention of a boutique shop. Wise Child will partner with the best in the industry to exchange ideas, from award winners to emerging talent. challenging and character driven stories. The company develops most of its projects from scratch and also handles post-production and distribution of its titles.

Wise Child’s projects in development already include an extensive slate of scripted and nonfiction series, feature films and podcasts, including an investigative series with AMC; the working document On the river about a concert at Sing Sing Prison in 1972, with BB King, with RadicalMedia and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sam Pollard (MLK/FBI); The doctor Color bars about the life of black journalism pioneer Max Robinson with CNN’s Victor Blackwell and Emmy-nominated director James Adolphus; a true crime podcast with Campside Media; a scripted film about the “Father of Country Music,” Jimmie Rodgers; and a scripted series about journalist and early AIDS activist Randy Shilts.

New hires at the company’s launch include Unscripted executive producer Constantina Konugres and Scripted executive producer Miatta Lebilé.

Discussing the market conditions that will help Wise Child succeed, Beekman explains, “The industry is ready for disruption and a different kind of production company, and that’s what we’re building from the ground up.” We offer support as a kind of creative incubator, adding significant value without incurring excessive overhead. We are adaptable and scalable depending on the project.”

“During my time in the industry,” adds Miller, “I’ve seen too many great ideas from other creatives get sidelined because of a business-as-usual approach, which ultimately leads to the suppression of potential become valuable intellectual property and meaningful.” Missed opportunities arise. We are excited to do things differently at Wise Child to advance these types of projects, leveraging unique opportunities and partnerships.”

Before co-founding Wise Child Studios, Beekman championed creative operations by brokering groundbreaking deals on scripted and unscripted projects across film, television and digital platforms, as well as immersive experiences and live events. He is currently responsible for the packaging, development, financing, production, delivery, sales and distribution of award-winning productions and content to virtually all linear networks and streaming services.

Beekman’s work has won Oscars and Grammys, among others Summer of the soul director: Questlove, Lil NasHBO’s Spring blossoms And American utopiapeacock Shadowland And Rainn Wilson and the Geography of BlissNetflix’s Conversations with a murderer And crime scene Director: Joe Berlinger, Production: Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry The me you can’t see on Apple TV+, AMCs Sherman’s Showcase from the John Legend and History EP Lincoln And Roosevelt.

Miller comes to the studio with nearly two decades of experience as an executive producer, showrunner and director of documentaries. Before we show the upcoming Disney+ series Choir and Netflix’s true crime hit Crime Scene: The Disappearance at the Cecil HotelHe has directed high-profile series, including the Emmy-nominated series Chasing Life with Sanjay Gupta and produced by Alex Gibney Stories from Death Row. Miller was previously a director at CNN Parts Unknown: Anthony Bourdain, from Amazon The New Yorker presentsand as a senior producer at National Geographic Researcher.

Wise Child Studios is represented by CAA.