Evolution Media Inks New Development Deal

LOS ANGELES, May 1:
Reality TV producer Evolution Media, responsible for shows like Bravo’s The
Real Housewives of Orange County,
has signed a deal with award-winning restaurateur and interior designer Barbara
Lazaroff to jointly develop a new culinary competition/documentary television
series.

The new as-yet-untitled
series will see Lazaroff challenge aspiring restaurateurs to test their mettle,
guiding the one with the most promise through the struggles of opening their
own restaurant. Susan Haber of Haber Entertainment, along with Evolution and Lazaroff,
will serve as executive producers of the show.

Lazaroff is president of
Imaginings Design, as well as a partner with chef Wolfgang Puck in many
fine-dining restaurants, such as the various Spago, Chinois, Postrio
establishments, Cut in Beverly Hills, and the Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grilles.
She also co-founded the Wolfgang Puck Food Company, now Wolfgang Puck
Worldwide. In 1982, Lazaroff and Puck created and branded the original concept
and design of the restaurant Spago Hollywood. In 1994 the venue received the
James Beard Foundation’s award for Restaurant of the Year.

“We
are excited to announce this development deal with Barbara Lazaroff,” said
Douglas Ross, the founder and president of Evolution Media. “She’s at the top
of her field, and she’s a terrific on-air presence. We look forward to tapping
into her expertise as a businesswoman and designer to give viewers a firsthand
look at what it takes to get a successful restaurant off the ground. There’s no
one more passionate or qualified to mentor aspiring restaurateurs in their
goals of becoming successful restaurant owners. It’s a dream held by many but attained by only a few…and
it’s going to be entertaining to watch.”

The California-based
Evolution Media has more than 1,000 hours of programming to its credit,
including Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County and the forthcoming Date My Ex: Jo & Slade, truTV’s Ocean Force, HGTV’s Desperate Spaces, 10 Years Younger and the upcoming Get Your Face On for TLC.

—By Irene Lew