NBCUniversal Unscripted Exec Rod Aissa Exits After 11 Years

Joe Otterson TV Reporter ESPN Films is working on a docuseries about the legendary Gracie family, Variety has learned exclusively. Titled “Gracie,” the series will delve deep into the family’s history and dissect how they became the founders of Brazilian jiu jitsu, which serves as a major cornerstone of modern mixed martial arts (MMA). The official description of the series states: “Featuring larger-than-life personalities, triumphs and tragedies, deep loyalties, passionate loves and deadly feuds, ‘Gracie’ will explore the essence of family, honor, legacy, and humanity’s innate desire to fight. Told through the eyes of key Gracie family members, the series will dive deep into an epic family saga that takes audiences from Scotland and Japan, to Brazil and America.”

We’re sorry to hear reports are saying Heather Locklear has fallen off the wagon.

Julia Fox is dabbling in the Canadian film industry.

Karen Horne, who led led Warner Bros. Discovery Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for North America, is leaving the company amid a raft of layoffs and major restructuring since the merger. Executive said Horne’s departure was not part of the broader staff retrenchment but a rethinking of the DEI division.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Patrick Corcoran is stepping down from the National Association of Theatre Owners, ending a 24-year run that most recently saw him serve as vice president and chief communications officer of the exhibition industry lobbying organization. It’s a time of transition at NATO, with Michael O’Leary taking over as president and CEO from John Fithian, who ran the organization for decades. Corcoran worked closely with Fithian, helping to manage the group’s public relations outreach. His tenure overlapped with tectonic changes in the theatrical landscape, from consolidation of major chains to the rise of streaming to a public health crisis in COVID that led to the closure of cinemas for months. Through it all, Corcoran, a wry, unflappable presence labored to argue that movie theaters were not in a death spiral and would continue to attract customers, just as they had for more than a century. He also had to deal with fractious theater owners, all while helping to launch NATO’s annual exhibition business conference, CinemaCon.

The National Association of Theatre Owners VP & Chief Communications Officer Patrick Corcoran is departing after 24-plus years.

EXCLUSIVE: Rob Crabbe, who has served as exec producer on The Late Late Show with James Corden for eight years, is moving from late-night into daytime.

Naman Ramachandran Julia Fox, breakout star of “Uncut Gems” has signed on as executive producer for Luis De Filippis’ debut feature “Something You Said Last Night.” The Canadian-Swiss project bowed at Toronto in 2022 and won the Shawn Mendes Change Maker Award there and went on to win major awards at San Sebastian, Cairo and Rotterdam. It stars emerging performer Carmen Madonia, Ramona Milano (“Due South”), Paige Evans (“Trapped With My Husband”) and Joey Parro (“Nikita”). The trans themed story follows 20-something aspiring writer Ren (Madonia) and her younger sister Siena (Evans) as they reluctantly accompany their parents on a family vacation.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Eye Eye Pictures, the banner recently launched by the producers of Joachim Trier’s Oscar-nominated “The Worst Person in the World,” has started filming “Armand,” a feature film starring Cannes prizewinning actor Renate Reinsve. Charades has come on board to handle international sales on the film. “Armand” marks the feature debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, whose short film “Fanny” was nominated for an Amanda Award, Norway’s equivalent to the Oscars, in 2017. The story follows a 6-year-old boy, Armand, who is accused of crossing boundaries against his best friend at elementary school. While no one knows what actually happened between the two boys, the incident triggers a series of events, forcing parents and school staff into a captivating battle of redemption where madness, desire and obsession arise.

Parents have welcomed a miracle baby after turning to GoFundMe to help pay for a third round of expensive IVF treatment.

women entrepreneurs. Filmed throughout the United States, India and Canada, the documentary will discuss the ways women are often hampered in the business world. According to a Harvard Business Review study, less than 2% of women receive funds for venture start-ups.Gless will also be featured in the documentary, alongside being an EP.

Well, this is gross. While the boy was meeting the world, the girl was meeting the much grosser parts of Hollywood.

“The View” has had plenty of chaos break out on the show over the years, but we don’t think it’s ever had a surprise water balloon attack happen on air — at least, not until Thursday’s episode. The victim? Executive producer Brian Teta.The moment came at the end of the show, as the hosts of the ABC talk show were doing their “Favorite Things Under $50” segment.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International BBC drama “Informer,” which originally starred Paddy Considine, Bel Powley and Nabhaan Rizwan, is getting a German adaptation. Production has begun in Hamburg, Germany, on “Informant,” an adaptation of the All3Media International scripted format, which was BAFTA-nominated. The BBC One show was executive produced by Sam Mendes, who produced via his production outfit Neal Street Productions. The six-part German thriller is being produced by filmpool fiction (part of All3Media Deutschland) for NDR, ARD Degeto, ARTE and NRK (Norway). The show is expected to debut in fall 2024.

Naman Ramachandran Actor and producer Jonathan Lipnicki has joined production, post-production and distribution company Buffalo 8 as an executive producer. Lipnicki made a mark with his performance alongside Tom Cruise in “Jerry Maguire,” before becoming the lead in the family franchise “Stuart Little.” He will soon be seen in the upcoming TBS show “The Joe Schmo Show,” Peter Pardini’s film “Man Goes on Rant” and Britt Robertson-led film “The Re-Education of Molly Singer.” Lipnicki will play a key role in packaging and project development within Buffalo 8’s EP services division, identifying storytelling opportunities and bringing together top-tier talent based on his extensive relationships spanning Hollywood studio films through to the independent sector.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone have boarded “Relighting Candles: The Tim Sullivan Story” as executive producers. The documentary short, co-directed by Zeberiah Newman (“Unexpected”) and Michiel Thomas (“Game Face”), is a portrait of West Hollywood candlemaker Tim Sullivan. It chronicles the 82-year-old Bronx native’s journey coming out as a gay man, how he got sober more than 40 years ago and his tradition of hiring homeless and newly sober people at his company, Timothy Jay Candles. McCarthy and Falcone tell me in a statement, “Once we heard the lovely story of Tim Sullivan and began to understand how many people he’s helped in his life through the making of beautiful candles, we realized these filmmakers were telling exactly the kind of story we want to help get out into the world.”

Britney Spears has shared in an Instagram post that she has recently been spending some quality time with family, including her estranged younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. In an Instagram video showing off her dance moves on a boat with husband, Sam Asghari, the singer shared that she recently visited Jamie Lynn on the set of the Paramount+ film reboot Zoey 102, penning a lengthy caption which included: "It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!! I’ve missed you guys so much !!! Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family !!!" Although Britney chose not to share the details of their meeting, it has been reported that their mother, Lynne Spears, recently approached Britney urging her to reconcile with her younger sister.

Naman Ramachandran Lila Rawlings, head of creative: film and TV at “Roma” filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron’s U.K.-based outfit Esperanto Filmoj, is joining British independent production company Motive Pictures as an executive producer. Rawlings’ remit at Motive will encompass both TV and film projects as the company scales its team in the wake of its first wave of productions, including the Ruth Wilson drama “The Woman in the Wall” for BBC and Showtime. At Esperanto, Rawlings oversaw a slate of projects with Sarah Solemani, Jack Thorne and Charlize Theron and served as executive producer on “The Shepherd,” one in a series of films financed by Disney, directed by Iain Softley and starring John Travolta. Previously, Rawlings was executive producer at Left Bank Pictures where she was responsible for several projects, including “Sitting in Limbo,” a BAFTA- winning drama for BBC One and “Electric Dreams” for Amazon, Sony TV and Channel 4.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Rod Aissa, the executive VP, unscripted content at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, is departing the company after 11 years. Aissa oversaw all unscripted lifestyle and documentary programming across NBCU’s broadcast, cable and streaming platforms: NBC, Bravo, E!, Oxygen True Crime, Syfy, Universal Kids, USA Network and Peacock. Rachel Smith will take on the interim role of leading the unscripted lifestyle and docuseries group, which reports to Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. NBCU said it would “be doing a broad search to fill the role.”

Rod Aissa is leaving NBCUniversal after 11 years, most recently serving as EVP, Entertainment Unscripted Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. He just informed his staff of his departure.