Velvet Hammer Media’s Jennifer O’Connell & Rebecca Quinn

Industry veterans and award-winning producers Jennifer O’Connell and Rebecca Quinn, who were friends and colleagues for almost a decade, teamed up earlier this year to launch Velvet Hammer Media (VHM). The non-scripted production company, launched in February, leverages the experience of its co-CEOs: O’Connell was formerly the executive VP of nonfiction and live-action family originals at HBO Max, and Quinn was senior VP of nonfiction original programming at HBO Max. The company has since received backing from Endeavor, which is a minority investor. O’Connell and Quinn tell TV Real about setting up VHM.

TV REAL: What was the drive for setting up Velvet Hammer Media?
O’CONNELL: Individually, we each had talked about wanting to start a company, and after working together for many years, formed a partnership and took the leap together. It happened very organically at a time when we were really assessing what the next chapter would be, and we leaned into a brand that would stand for high quality, inclusivity and embracing a feminist gaze while maintaining our keen eye for what is commercial.
QUINN: We had both been working hard to strengthen other organizations for so long, it felt like it was time to take control of our own destiny. Collectively, we have a combined 50 years of experience and launching VHM started to feel like a no-brainer. We have loved creating an ethos for our company driven by what’s important to us.

TV REAL: Are there any gaps you saw in the non-scripted space that you wanted to fill?
QUINN: There aren’t many 100 percent female-founded companies, and even fewer that have a person of color as founder and CEO. We’ve studied who is currently behind the big formats in the marketplace, and it’s mostly men, especially in the romance and dating space. We love those shows and feel we’re in a great position to bring a fresh perspective to the genre. We’ve been spending a lot of time developing in that arena, in addition to social experiments and other formats that have global appeal.

TV REAL: How have you drawn on your previous experience, including your time at Max, to shape the vision for VHM?
O’CONNELL: We had dream jobs at the streamer formerly known as HBO Max. We had a generous budget with massive creative freedom, and that allowed us to truly shape the high-quality shows we put on the platform. We were able to take big swings without fear, which is the best way to make shows that break through. We could also focus on what wasn’t already in the marketplace and think outside the box to see what would stick. Selena + Chef, for example, was a show shot during Covid with an incredible star, but it was basically a stand-and-stir with robo cams and chefs teaching Selena Gomez how to cook through Zoom. FBoy Island was a title no one else would dare use, so we took a chance, stayed committed to the name and created a distinctive tone in the dating space. Legendary is another show we are quite proud of because it embraced and celebrated a culture not typically seen on TV. With all of our projects there, we were 100 percent committed to preserving the purity of the original idea, and that experience has only strengthened our resolve to produce projects that look and feel premium no matter the budget, and to make bold choices, tackle new spaces and spotlight underrepresented communities.

TV REAL: What, in your view, is working best in today’s unscripted space?
QUINN: Loud titles, bold ideas, happy outcomes and escapist television.

TV REAL: How did the Endeavor backing come about, and what does that bring to both VHM and Endeavor?
O’CONNELL: We met with several companies, and those rooms were all filled with supportive friends and producing partners we knew from our previous jobs. As we were putting together our business plan, we were introduced to Rebecca Sanhueza, executive VP of content strategy and development and head of non-scripted content at Endeavor, and we knew it was the right fit for us.
QUINN: Ultimately, we felt the strategic partnership that Endeavor offered made the most sense for VHM, and we relish the opportunity to work with Rebecca, who is one of the smartest, most wonderful execs out there, and her incredible team.