Abrams Artists Agency Prepping Grizzly Adams Resurgence

LOS ANGELES: Legendary outdoorsman Grizzly Adams is set for a comeback thanks to a deal inked by Abrams Artists Agency, which represents the casts and producers of “bearded reality” TV shows such as Discovery’s Gold Rush and HISTORY’s Mountain Men.

Through the deal, Abrams Artists Agency will manage the licensing, publishing, TV and film rights to the iconic historical figure. Abrams plans to work across multiple divisions, including its literary, licensing, theatrical, and digital and alternative programming groups in Los Angeles and New York to develop a broad-based Grizzly Adams franchise.

Veteran producer Tod Swindell, the owner of the brand rights, established Grizzly Adams LLC in 2011 to revitalize the well-known character in conjunction with MacGyver and Stargate SG-1 executive producer Michael Greenburg. The historical figure John “Grizzly” Adams was an American pioneer in the 19th century who trained bears in California at the height of the Gold Rush. A film and an NBC TV show based on his life became part of the cultural zeitgeist in the ’70s.

“Grizzly Adams is an iconic outdoorsman, and both his real history and his legend remain inspirations that influence contemporary popular culture,” said Harry Abrams, the CEO of Abrams Artists Agency. “As such an amazing part of American history, Grizzly Adams presents a great opportunity to create a robust lifestyle brand with strong appeal to today’s consumers.”