Story Syndicate Sets Up Scripted Division, Strikes First-Look Deal

Story Syndicate, founded by Oscar- and Emmy-winning filmmakers Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan, has launched a new scripted division and struck a first-look scripted TV deal with Tomorrow Studios (One Piece).

Prior to this, Story Syndicate has been a powerhouse in the documentary space. However, Garbus previously directed Lost Girls for Netflix and helmed the season four finale of The Handmaid’s Tale, as well as episodes of Yellowjackets and City on Fire. Cogan is founder of Gamechanger, an equity fund devoted to scripted from women directors.

They have hired Nellie Reed to serve as head of scripted. Reed joins from Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson’s Color Force where she oversaw television, running their exclusive deal with FX. There, she developed and produced two installments of American Crime Story, as well as series Y: The Last Man, Class of ’09 and an upcoming slate that includes Say Nothing, The Sterling Affair and American Sports Story: Gladiator. Prior to that, Reed ran television for Channing Tatum and Reid Carolin’s Free Association through their first look deal with MRC.

Story Syndicate’s scripted division will work on scripted TV projects with Tomorrow Studios and its founder/CEO, Marty Adelstein, and its partner/president, Becky Clements.

“Marty and Becky at Tomorrow Studios are brilliant, creative and share our vision for the next steps for Story Syndicate,” said Cogan and Garbus. “Our scripted division is focused on elevated, commercial shows that are often grounded in true stories and speak directly to the cultural zeitgeist.”

“Dan and Liz are incredible storytellers whose work we have admired for years; what they have accomplished in the nonfiction space is undeniable,” said Adelstein and Clements. “We are thrilled to be working with them and Nellie to further expand their footprint in scripted TV with the kind of culturally relevant, character-driven storytelling for which they are already known.”

On Reed’s hiring, Cogan and Garbus said, “Nellie has extraordinary experience in scripted television and deep relationships with writers and platform executives. She also shares our ambition for Story Syndicate’s shows to be as curated, buzzy and premium in the scripted world as they are in docs. She’s our ideal partner, and we feel incredibly lucky to build this new division with her firmly at the helm.”