Lionsgate in First-Look Deal with High on the Hog Producers

Lionsgate has entered a first-look deal with producers Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback (High on the Hog).

The agreement will see the duo develop and produce unscripted and documentary programming under their production banner, Hey Sistah Productions. Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group will provide development support and serve as production services entity for sold projects.

Jagger and Toback are longtime friends who began collaborating in 2011, producing and directing a series of shorts for The New York Times. They were inspired to adapt Dr. Jessica Harris’s High on the Hog, optioning the book and partnering with Pilgrim Media Group and Roger Ross Williams/One Story Up to turn the property into a hit Netflix series, which is in production on its second season.

“As early champions of High on the Hog, we couldn’t be more excited about our partnership with the Lionsgate Pilgrim family. We can’t wait for this new chapter and look forward to expanding our reach with stories that matter,” said Jagger and Toback.

“Karis and Fabienne have a unique ability to identify IP that uses the exploration of the past as a tool to highlight timely cultural themes,” said Craig Piligian, president of Lionsgate Nonfiction Television and Pilgrim CEO and chair. “We look forward to helping them create a broad range of content.”