Burn These Words Prodco Launches with The Show

The new independent film and TV production company Burn These Words has launched with the dark comedy series The Show, from stand-up comic Ellyn Daniels.

Founded by entrepreneur and former Fire Without Smoke founder Will O’Connor, Burn These Words aims to produce innovative and creative scripted film, TV and comedy for the international market. Its mission is to create authentic work that resonates deeply with targeted demographics. Through combining proprietary data and the shortest possible chain between the creators’ visions and their audiences, Burn These Words uses its production fund to create commercial film and TV to bring to market.

The Show is written, directed and stars Daniels (Far From Happy, Funny Girls, Emotional Terrorism), alongside James D’Arcy (Dunkirk, Agent Carter, Leonardo) and Nicholas Farrell (Chariots of Fire, The Iron Lady, The Nevers). It is produced by O’Connor.

The six-part series is inspired by Daniels’ experience performing her own one-woman show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and provides a fresh take on the skewering of modern celebrity. It follows former sitcom actress Hayley Harris as she tries to reclaim her artistic integrity by writing and performing a one-woman show. Following her mother’s death, she returns to her North Carolina hometown and becomes embroiled in local eccentricities while discovering hidden truths about her family, attempting to make her show harrowing enough to win a Tony.

Burn These Words also has two feature films in pre-production.

Burn These Words has full IP ownership and has partnered with former Banijay Group commercial director Andreas Lemos as its U.S. sales agent. Lemos recently left the content producer and distribution giant to launch his own sales and consultation label, Out There TV Consulting.

O’Connor said: “Ellyn has made a brilliant modern comedy that we can’t wait for people to see—it’s the perfect vehicle to launch Burn These Words. We have secured a great lineup of TV and film content to be announced over the coming months. We want to reach consumers where they are, and I will be bringing techniques and expertise from my time in video games to work with broadcasters in a whole new, very exciting way.”

Daniels said: “The Show is a very personal project, born of the journey I went on writing and performing my Edinburgh show. I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than Burn These Words. They gave me invaluable data-based insights while encouraging me to remain true to my vision. I’m so proud of what we have achieved and excited to see what Out There is going to do with it.”

Andreas Lemos added: “I am thrilled to be working with Burn These Words and Ellyn Daniels on as original, fresh and bitingly funny a piece as The Show. I can’t wait to start discussing the series with American broadcasters and platforms.”