Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon Media Group Seal Unscripted Development Deal With A+E Global Media, With Multiple Series Already In the Works
Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon Media Group, which last year formed a joint venture to create and produce unscripted content, have sealed a multi-seres development deal with A+E Global Media (the company formerly known as A+E Networks).
A+E Global Media announced the partnership Wednesday during its upfront presentation to advertisers (where it also unveiled its new name). As art of the deal, Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon Media Group (run by chairman Steve Michaels) will develop unscripted fare across different genres and platforms for the Lifetime and A&E networks. The put deal already has several series ordered (but details so far are mum on those shows), with more in development.
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“Tyler Perry’s unique ability to craft stories that deeply connect with audiences is unparalleled,”
said Elaine Frontain Bryant, the exec VP and head of programming at A&E, Lifetime and LMN. “We are
thrilled to welcome Tyler Perry to the A+E family and cannot wait to see the incredible content
Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon will bring to A+E Global Media.”
A+E said development is currently underway on projects from Tyler Perry Studios and Pantheon, but didn’t share any details. Antoinetta Stallings, who’s the vice president of unscripted at Tyler Perry Studios, and LaNeé Griffin, the senior VP of development and programming at Pantheon, oversee development and production of projects now geared toward the A+E nets.
The news adds A+E to the list of outlets working with Perry as his studio continues to expand its busy output slate. Last year he struck a new multi-year deal with BET Media Group that included the renewal of eight of his shows for BET and its BET+ streamer. That pact came soon after Perry expanded his deal with Netflix, adding TV series to the mix.
As for Pantheon, which Endeavor invested in last year, the company is coming off a big year that included a rebrand from its previous name, Asylum Entertainment Group. Besides the partnership with Tyler Perry Studios, in 2024, Asylum/Pantheon acquired a stake in live media producers Done+Dusted; invested a minority stake in Ladywell Films, an independent production house founded by “Tinder Swindler” filmmakers Bernadette Higgins and Felicity Morris; and took a stake in a stake in London-based Dare Entertainment.
“A+E Global Media has long set the bar for exceptional nonfiction, and Tyler Perry Studios has mastered audience-driven narratives that resonate on a global scale,” Pantheon’s Michaels said. “Partnering with both allows us to push the boundaries of unscripted entertainment.”
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