Red Arrow Studios International, Seven Stories, Atalaya Align for Drama

Red Arrow Studios International has partnered with Seven Stories and Atalaya Productions to develop Harvey Girls, a series based on the historical phenomenon in early 1900s America.

A chain of high-class hotels and restaurants for travelers along the Santa Fe Railroad, Harvey Houses were engineered by British-born Fred Harvey. The female-led drama will follow the young women who worked and lived full time in these establishments and explore the themes of identity, sexuality, sisterhood and female independence.

Liz Lake (Riviera, Call the Midwife) will write the screenplay for the series based on research from Lesley Poling-Kempes’ non-fiction book The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West. Seven Stories’ Sharon Maguire, Anand Tucker and Colleen Woodcock will executive produce alongside Giovanni Orlando for Atalaya Productions and Carlo Dusi for Red Arrow Studios International.

Dusi, executive VP of commercial strategy for scripted at Red Arrow Studios International, said: “It’s fantastic to be working with Seven Stories, Atalaya and the hugely talented Liz Lake on Harvey Girls—a show that explores a little-known slice of U.S. history while still managing to feel timely. It’s exactly the sort of bold and ambitious drama we like to support at Red Arrow and we are looking forward to working with this best-in-class talent to create a compelling, globally-appealing series.”

Woodcock, creative director at Seven Stories, added: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Red Arrow and Atalaya on this irresistible story of complex, bold young women remaking their destinies, and very privileged to be working with Liz Lake, who deftly blends the darker elements of their stories with a fresh sense of mischief and surprise.”

Orlando, partner and CEO at Atalaya Productions, commented: “Since first hearing about this fascinating but largely unknown group of women, I’ve continued to be intrigued by their many diverse and compelling stories, some of which are encapsulated in the interviews and anecdotes in Lesley Poling-Kempes’ book. I’m delighted to have been able to transmit my enthusiasm to the talented teams at Seven Stories and Red Arrow Studios International. It’s a real pleasure to now be working with them on this project to bring these incredible stories to the screen.”