HBO Inks Exclusive Deal with Independent Producer David Kennedy

NEW YORK, June 29: Home Box Office has reached an exclusive deal with independent producer David Kennedy—producer of the Emmy-nominated Showtime movie Our Fathers—to develop programming for the network across all genres.

Kennedy was president of Dan Curtis Productions from 1997 to 2006, where he executive produced critically acclaimed television movies such as Saving Milly for CBS and the Emmy-nominated Showtime film Our Fathers. He recently formed his own company, Kennedy Films, after the death last year of his partner Dan Curtis, the creator and producer of the cult classic Dark Shadows and producer and director of the Emmy-winning mini-series War and Remembrance and Winds of War. Prior to his long association with Dan Curtis, he headed U.S. programming operations for Pearson Television and its Australian subsidiary Reg Grundy Productions. He has also served as the senior VP of programming sales for Taft Entertainment Company, a start-up television and movie operation funded by Taft Broadcasting, whose assets included Hanna-Barbara Productions. He also served a 12-year stint at New York-based International Creative Management (ICM), where he held the position of executive VP of television. While at ICM, his clients ranged from Robin Williams to Dr. Seuss to the American Film Institute (AFI) as well numerous independent production companies that also included Dan Curtis’. Kennedy began his career at NBC Sports. He later opened the New York office of TWI.

“As a producer, David has a fantastic track record,” said Kary Antholis, the senior VP of HBO Films & Miniseries. “His creative instincts and is perseverance in pursuing great material will be important assets to HBO, and we look forward to working closely with him as we continue to develop new programs for the network.”

Kennedy added: “No one uses the art form of television like HBO. They are fearless, they provoke, they educate, and they entertain. The opportunity to develop programming exclusively for HBO is a producer’s dream come true."