AMC Greenlights Pair of Unscripted Originals

NEW YORK: The unscripted series Secret Stash from executive producer Kevin Smith has been given the go-ahead by AMC, which has also greenlit JJK Security, about a family-owned private security company.

The 6×1-hour Secret Stash (working title) is executive produced by Smith (Clerks, Dogma, Chasing Amy), Charlie Corwin’s Original Media (LA Ink, Miami Ink, Storm Chasers, Swamp People) and Elyse Seiden (Red State). The show is set in Smith’s iconic comic shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. The series is scheduled for AMC’s Q1 2012 slate.

"Draper. Meth. Zombies. This show couldn’t be on a better network. AMC is to television what Miramax was to cinema back when I first got in the game: they’re the premier destination for any story-teller looking to spin an offbeat yarn that no other outlet has the stones to touch," said Smith. "And as if I didn’t love them enough, now they’re putting my friends on TV! I’m ecstatic, proud, and extremely lucky to be in bed with a network I watch religiously anyway. And if they’d pushed just a little harder in the negotiations, I’d have done this show for no payment beyond early access to every episode of Mad Men, Breaking Bad and The Walking Dead."

"AMC has a strong commitment to quality storytelling and we’re excited to help further shape this legacy," added Corwin. "Kevin and I developed this series to create a story for fanboys by fanboyism and we are determined to reveal to audiences the insular yet colorful fanboy world."

Joel Stillerman, AMC’s senior VP of original programming, production and digital content, commented, "The comic book store is, in many ways, the corner bar for comic book fans. It is still this place where everybody knows your name, and you can go and geek out with like minded people. If I lived closer, I’d want to hang out at here. It’s got great energy, great personality, and is a perfect portal into the world of comic book culture."

JJK Security is executive produced by Ken Druckerman and Banks Tarver from Left/Right (This American Life, Boomtown, Mob Wives). It follows the people working at a small private security shop in rural Georgia. The unscripted 8×30-minute series is scheduled for AMC’s Q3 2012 grid.

"When we first saw the tape of JJK we were speechless. It is unlike anything we have ever seen before—a true original," said Stillerman. "The characters are incredibly rich and compelling; and Left/Right found a way to tell the story in an honest, funny, and nuanced way. In non-fiction series, it is incredibly hard to find great characters and great story, and this is truly both."

"From the moment that I set foot in the JJK offices and met the staff, I fell in love with them and knew they were a show," added Druckerman. "But I couldn’t think of anything like it on TV, so naturally I was worried that we would never find the right home. Fortunately, AMC fell in love with the cast and their story for the same reasons that we did."