Gaumont Alum Vanessa Shapiro Launches Nicely Entertainment

Vanessa Shapiro, formerly the president of worldwide TV distribution and co-production at Gaumont, has launched a new distribution and production company based in Los Angeles, Nicely Entertainment.

Shapiro is serving as CEO of the new outfit, which officially debuts its 2020 movie slate featuring romance and holiday fare and a young adult drama series. In addition to Nicely’s initial seven-movie slate, the company is in development on three new series that will be announced later this year.

Nicely’s first two holiday movies have just been completed and ready for delivery. In A Very Charming Christmas Town—a Nicely Entertainment and The Ninth House Films co-production—romance sparks between a city girl and travel blogger (Natalie Hall, Pretty Little Liars) and her host, a local chocolate shop owner (Jon Prescott, Christmas in the City), amidst the twinkling lights of the romantic Danish village of Solvang. In Christmas Inn Farmstead, love unexpectedly blossoms between two realtors who must spend time together right before Christmas as they compete to sell the Inn. Produced by Love Christmas Films, the movie stars Lexi Giovagnoli (All Hallows Eve) and Travis Burns (Neighbours).

Romance in Sapphire Cove—a Nicely Entertainment and The Steve Jaggi Company (Rip Tide, Back of the Net) co-production—is in preproduction and scheduled to shoot in tropical North Queensland, Australia, in June. Casting is underway. The romance movie tells the story of a successful big-city lawyer sent to the tropical island of Sapphire Cove to convince a client to take over the family company—in the process, she reconnects with her childhood roots and her first love.

Additionally, Nicely is representing for global presales the new Australian YA series Dive Club, commissioned by Network 10 Australia and produced by The Steve Jaggi Company. The 12×22-minute series follows a feisty group of teen divers who race to find their best friend when she disappears after a storm hits their small coastal town, Cape Mercy, bringing the town’s deepest secrets to the surface.

Shapiro’s prior credits to Gaumont include working at MarVista Entertainment, where she served as executive VP of distribution, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, where she held numerous positions throughout her tenure ultimately serving as director of worldwide pay television.

Nicely Entertainment has appointed Laura Hoffman as senior VP of sales and operations to oversee international sales and business administration/operations. Hoffman was previously working with Shapiro at Marvista Entertainment and, most recently at Gaumont, for a combined total of ten years together.

“2020 is starting as a challenging year with COVID-19 shutting down production around the world. At Nicely Entertainment, we feel privileged that we were able to lock production on our first two movies in February prior to the lockdown,” commented Shapiro. “We are thankful to be able to develop and produce TV series and movies with well-established talent and production companies worldwide, and we are looking forward to delivering quality content to our trusted partners.”