The shortform video venture — which takes its name from “quick” and “bite” — has added unscripted offering You Ain’t Got These, from Emmy-winner Lena Waithe (Master of None).
The unscripted series is described as Waithe’s exploration of today’s fashion-forward sneaker culture. The series will highlight the subtext of race, politics, class, gender, creativity, commerce, addiction and self-expression that goes into every pair — all told through the lens of characters who define the unique subculture that is on the verge of going mainstream.
The series hails from unscripted production company Boardwalk Pictures (Netflix’s Chef’s Table, Last Chance U, Fearlessness and YouTube Premium’s Best Shot) with Waithe attached as an exec producer. Boardwalk Pictures’ Andrew Fried, Jordan Wynn and Dane Lillegard exec produce alongside Jonathan Hausfater and Andrew Coles.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with Lena. She is a singular creative voice of her generation, and her passion for this subject is infectious,” Fried said. “Jeffrey Katzenberg has always has been at the forefront of whatever is next in the entertainment industry. Quibi presents the opportunity to tell stories and reach audiences in a unique way and we are excited to be among the first unscripted series on this new platform.”
For her part, Waithe is a self-professed sneaker-head. The Emmy-winning writer-actress, whose credits include Showtime’s The Chi and feature Ready Player One, has more than 100 pairs of sneakers and has made fun of her shoe obsession in a recent Nike commercial as part of the company’s “Shoe Therapy” campaign. (Watch that, below.) Waithe also famously got a pair of sneakers as a gift from her fiancée instead of a ring after proposing last year.
You Ain’t Got These becomes the latest pickup for Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s Quibi (formerly NewTV). The venture, for which Katzenberg has raised $1 billion in investment funding from major film studios and Alibaba, already counts scripted offerings from Guillermo del Toro (a “modern zombie story”), Antoine Fuqua (a “modern version of Dog Day Afternoon), Jason Blum (Fatal Attraction-like Wolves and Villagers) and an anthology from Sam Raimi and Van Toffler (50 States of Fear).
Katzenberg, for whom Quibi marks his follow-up role after selling DreamWorks Animation, tapped former HP chief Whitman to help run the business earlier this year. The company is expected to add hundreds of other employees and recently enlisted former The Hollywood Reporter co-president and chief creative officer Janice Min to oversee news content.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
