AMC Orders Unscripted Series

NEW YORK: Making its first moves into unscripted original programming, AMC has ordered the "docu-stories" Inside the DHS and The Pitch from reality producers Craig Piligian and Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert, respectively.

Inside the DHS, set to premiere in the fourth quarter, will take a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the Department of Homeland Security and its personnel. Piligian, executive producer for Pilgrim Films & Television, is working with AMC to cooperate with the department on protecting sensitive information that could be presented in the show. "We have incredible access, including working directly with Secretary Napolitano," said Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior VP. "We’re not looking to do an expose of the Department of Homeland Security, we actually want to go in and look into the day-to-day (workings) of the people and what they do to keep us safe."

The Pitch, executive produced by Holzman and Lambert from Studio Lambert, is eyed for a 2012 debut. The show is set in the world of advertising, with each episode following top creative ad agencies as they pitch a new account and goes behind the scenes as they prepare the campaigns and pitches. "What drew us to the series was the incredible place advertising holds in our culture," Stillerman said. "It is an incredibly rich topic, and The Pitch zeroes in on the most dramatic part of the process when the best creative people have to convince major brands to give them their business." Lambert added: "Eli and I are thrilled to be producing one of the first unscripted shows on AMC, which has established an outstanding reputation for high class original programming. The competition to win new business in advertising is intense high-stakes drama and we’re delighted that AMC has given us the opportunity to share it with their audience."

Inside DHS and The Pitch are part of AMC’s foray in the unscripted space, Stillerman explains. "The reason to go into unscripted is that we have a real appetite to expand our programming slate, and we think that there is an opportunity for us to redefine how it’s done in some ways." He continued: "Our vision for it is very similar to what we do in scripted: let’s start with where the best stories are. Where are the places that we find worlds that are inherently dramatic and culturally relevant?"

Stillerman added: "The plan is to continue in the arena and expand only when it makes sense. The best thing is that we never have a slot to fill."