WRITER PRODUCER LIZ HANNAH LAUNCHES HAPPY FRIDAY PRODUCTIONS INKS OVERALL DEAL WITH CIVIC CENTER MEDIA AND MRC TELEVISION

Beverly Hills, CA — (March 12, 2021) — MRC Television and Civic Center Media have entered into an overall deal with Golden Globe® nominee and WGA Award winning writer Liz Hannah. Under the deal, Hannah will develop and produce television projects through her newly formed company, Happy Friday Productions.   

“I’m thrilled to be partnering with MRC on this new venture,” said Hannah. “Reuniting with (MRC Television President) Elise Henderson has been a long-term goal since our first meeting years ago. It was a no brainer.” 

“Liz is a beautiful storyteller who creates worlds that both swallow you up and leave you feeling inspired,” said MRC Television President Elise Henderson. “Her characters have an authenticity,  specificity and relatability that connect audiences to their journey, and more importantly to the messages that transcend them.” 

Happy Friday Productions will tell stories and produce feature film and television projects with authentic perspectives and voices which Hannah will produce alongside Brittany Kahan Ward. 

Hannah is currently executive producing and serving as showrunner on “The Girl from Plainville,” based on the Esquire article of this same name by Jesse Barron, alongside Patrick Macmanus (“Dr. Death”) for Hulu and UCP. The limited series, which follows the true story of Michelle Carter and Conrad Roy III, is also executive produced by Brittany Kahan Ward and Elle Fanning (“The Great”), who will star as Carter. Hannah is also an executive producer and writer of “The Dropout,” Hulu and Searchlight TV’s upcoming limited series based on the ABC News/ABC Radio podcast of the same name about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos. In features, Hannah is adapting Alexandra Andrews’ novel, “Who is Maud Dixon?”, which she will also direct, for Universal Pictures, Pascal Pictures, and Chris Morgan Productions. A biopic about World War II photojournalist Lee Miller, Lee, written by Hannah and directed by Ellen Kuras, is set to star Kate Winslet. 

Hannah’s first screenplay, The Post, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actress (Streep). Additionally, Hannah wrote Long Shot, directed by Jonathan Levine and starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen; Netflix’s All the Bright Places, which was directed by Brett Haley with Elle Fanning and Justice Smith starring; and served as a Writer-Producer on season two of David Fincher’s critically lauded “Mindhunter,” for which she was nominated for a WGA Award. 

Civic Center Media in affiliation with MRC Television overall deals include the recently announced Lewellen Pictures with Dakota and Elle Fanning, as well as Cynthia Erivo’s Edith’s Daughter. Series currently in production include “The Great” season 2 for Hulu, “The Shrink Next Door” with Apple TV+, and “The Terminal List” for Amazon Studios. 

About MRC Television 

MRC Television is a leading independent studio, which sources, finances, develops, and produces shows in partnership with the industry’s foremost creative artists. To date, the studio’s series have been nominated for 94 Emmy® Awards with 12 wins and 18 Golden Globe® Awards with two wins. The current slate includes “Ozark,” from Chris Mundy and starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner, on Netflix; “The Shrink Next Door,” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd and from director Michael Showalter and writer Georgia Pritchett with Apple TV+; “The Terminal List,” for which Chris Pratt stars and executive produces alongside director Antoine Fuqua and writer David DiGilio, with Amazon Studios; and “Shining Girls,” starring Elisabeth Moss and produced with Appian Way and Love & Squalor Pictures for Apple TV+. MRC Television’s previous series include “House of Cards” and “Counterpart,” among others. For additional information, visit www.mrcentertainment.com.  

About Civic Center Media 

Civic Center Media (CCM) is an affiliation between United Talent Agency (UTA) and MRC Television to develop, produce and finance premium television series.  The non-exclusive arrangement allows Civic Center Media to work with artists represented by all agencies and allows UTA and MRC to work with all studios and agencies, respectively. The collaboration has created a rich content slate with a variety of projects in development and current series which include “The Great,” from Academy Award nominee Tony McNamara and starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult; “The Outsider” on HBO; “The Terminal List” starring Chris Pratt for Amazon; and “The Shrink Next Door” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd for Apple TV+.

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