Universal Television and Emmy-nomninated writer and producer Charmaine DeGraté are entering into a new kind of first-look deal.
DeGraté (House of the Dragon, Daisy Jones & The Six) will develop and produce projects for the studio through her Crestview banner — standard procedure for such agreements. But rather than a long-term commitment, the deal will be project-based at first, with the chance to extend into a longer-term partnership. Universal TV is calling it a “mini-first look” deal and pitching it as a way “to offer more creative pathways to partnership” in the current marketplace.
Kate Hoenigsberg, senior vp drama development at Universal TV, made the announcement Friday during a panel with other development executives (moderated by Hollywood Reporter TV critic Daniel Fienberg) at the ATX TV Festival.
“We’re rethinking what partnership can look like in today’s competitive landscape,” Hoenigsberg said in a statement. “This model allows us to support visionary writers like Charmaine in a way that is flexible, simple and mutually beneficial. We’re excited to get to work developing with Charmaine, who we have been fans of for so long, and seeing what we will accomplish together.”
Said DeGraté, “I’m thrilled to be a part of the Universal Television family. It’s a privilege to collaborate with the exceptional team at UTV, whose bold vision for storytelling continues to raise the bar in our industry. This creative partnership marks an exciting new chapter.”
UTV’s notion behind the mini-first look is that creators will develop a set number of projects for the studio as a way to “test the creative relationship” between writers and the studio. If it’s mutually beneficial, the parties can commit to a longer-term deal — and if not, there’s an easier out for both sides.
DeGraté was a writer and co-executive producer on Prime Video’s Daisy Jones & The Six, sharing in the show’s Emmy nomination for best limited series. Along with that and HBO’s House of the Dragon, her credits also include Star Wars series The Acolyte, The 100 at The CW and Apple TV+’s Manhunt. She is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and Hansen Jacobson.
