ORIGINAL

Monster Garage launches Discovery+

Monster Garage

New Season Launches Jan 4th

Jesse James is back with a New Monster Garage on Discovery+

Jesse James, legendary fabricator and founder of West Coast Choppers, is returning to Discovery after fourteen years with a renewed passion for creating mind-blowing vehicles. James, along with a new crew of maverick mechanics, sets out to continue his legacy and inspire a new generation of builders in a brand new season of MONSTER GARAGE, premiering January 4 exclusively on discovery+.

With a focus on elevating mechanical and automotive vision in the shop, James is once again looking to accomplish the impossible, working with some of the most talented craftsmen and women in the country. Each episode will feature five builders from diverse backgrounds who are given five days to transform an ordinary street vehicle into a one-of-a-kind monster machine. If they’re successful, they leave the garage with $5,000 worth of tools, and Jesse can take the vehicle out for a high-octane monster challenge. But if they fail, James gets to blow it up.

James challenges each team of mechanics with some of the wildest builds they’ve ever heard of, like constructing the world’s largest pulse jet engine to use as the power source for a vintage Jaguar. In addition, James takes another shot at one of the builds from the original series that has been haunting him, The Hovercraft DeLorean. It will either be a complete failure or one of the garage’s most insane redemption stories.

Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #MonsterGarage and follow Discovery on FacebookInstagram, and Twitter for the latest updates.

Stream what you love. For more information, visit discoveryplus.com and follow us @discoveryplus.

Dan Rather Doc in the Works with Original Productions

Original Productions x Dan Rather

A feature documentary about legendary media figure Dan Rather.

Original Productions, the Fremantle-owned producer of shows such as Deadliest Catch, has teamed up with Knock Down The House producer Wavelength, Anchor Entertainment and The Kennedy/Marshall Company on the project.

The doc, which is directed by One9, director of Nas: Time Is Illmatic, and Jessica Sherif, who worked on Dan Rather Reports, will take a close and personal look into Rather’s 60 year career and offer unrestricted access into his journey of becoming one of journalism’s most emphatic forces.

The feature will examine the evolution of American journalism through the personal lens of Rather, who was a witness to the birth of the civil rights movement, Watergate, and the current social upheaval, where he has become a star with millennials. Rather has opened up his personal archives to the filmmakers.

One9, who also produced L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later and Sherif will exec produce along with Jeff Hasler from Original Productions, Ethan Goldman from Anchor Entertainment, Jenifer Westphal and Joe Plummer from Wavelength, Frank Marshall and Ryan Suffern from The Kennedy/Marshall Company, and Wayne Nelson from News and Guts Media.

“There is not a single person throughout history who has helped to shape and guide America’s views and understanding of current events more than Dan Rather,” said Jeff Hasler, President of Original Productions.  “His continued impact on news media is undeniable and there simply couldn’t be a more profound subject for documentary filmmaking.”

“As documentary filmmakers, we want to capture the spirit of Dan Rather’s pursuit of free and independent journalism” added One9 and Sherif. “A man of incredible courage and resilience, Dan Rather’s personal and professional lives showcase the importance of journalism in America’s understanding of its past, present and future.”

“Pulling no punches and following the story wherever it leads, Dan Rather is a journalistic titan. We are honored to tell his story and work to preserve his legacy for future generations,” said Jenifer Westphal, Founder, CEO, and Executive Producer at Wavelength.

“I was first riveted by Dan Rather’s reporting over 60 years ago, during Hurricane Carla, and am now thrilled to be a part of this incredible team telling the amazing story of one of the most important journalists of our time,” added Frank Marshall, The Kennedy/Marshall Company.

The feature doc is the second feature doc for Original Productions after last year’s release of Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles, which followed the renowned chef as he assembled a team of preeminent pastry culinary artists from around the world to organize a food gala inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit Visitors to Versailles.

Hasler joined Original Productions in 2018 and he was tasked with building back the production company following the exit of Thom Beers in 2015.

Hasler, who was at Discovery when Beers sold Deadliest Catch, told Deadline, “After Thom left, the brand stumbled and when I came in in 2018 they had two shows on the air from 10 or 12 when Thom was there. To me, one of the things I loved about the brand was it wasn’t just bearded dudes doing bearded dude things, it was about big bold ambitious ideas told in a really well-crafted way,” he said. “The first two years were about stabilizing the ship and then expanding the brand into the premium space and feature docs while protecting the core.”

The company now has 14 shows in production, including Deadliest Catch, which is entering its 17th season, spinoff Deadliest Catch: Bloodline, which launched in 2020, and Bering Sea Gold, which is filming its 10th season.

Hasler added that moving into feature docs and more premium series brought more attention to its core projects. “Every production company needs those shows that run for 10 seasons but to be seen as a player today and not just a dusty old brand, we have to show we can play in a premium space,” he added. “In 2021, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.”

Brian Lovett , who worked with Hasler at Nat Geo Studios and moved over with him in 2018 as EVP Production & Development at Original Productions, said that even on its hit shows, it has gone through a process of reinvention.

“We have to come up with ways of surprising people. For season 16 of Deadliest Catch, we changed the look, the camera gear, shot things a different way, using more end of lens, using negative space, it doesn’t need to always be the wide shot in someone’s face. We wanted to make it fresh and elevated,” he said.

Lovett also highlighted the fact that when they arrived they were doing ten episodes of Bering Sea Gold a year and it is now doing over 30, while also bringing back shows such as Monster Garage, which had previously run on the Discovery Channel, and premiered its version on Discovery+ earlier this year.

The pair said the focus on the series side was finding diverse talent, and shows that feature people and world, compelling IP and access. “We can’t keep telling those same stories. We’re also finding millennial characters, who bring a whole new sensibility – millennial versions of the classic Original Productions characters. You still get all the male skewing guy angel, but it’s more enlightened,” added Hasler.

 

Article written by Peter White on deadline.com

Deadliest Catch Season 17

Deadliest Catch

Season 17

A new season, a whole set of new challenges on the Bering Sea

This season of Deadliest Catch has been like no other. Typically up in Dutch, we’re running against the clock to get the best visuals, story lines, and any additional shots that will elevate this season. This year, we had to film under extraordinary circumstances–the global pandemic. We had to come together as a team to figure out the best approach. We’re battling against the elements, gathering crab quotas on time, and a pandemic that has tested our limits; we can truly say we’ve weathered one of the most difficult times up in Dutch. The captains even joined in to create an awareness video about the importance of wearing a mask.

We’re currently in season 17 of Deadliest Catch and we want to thank everyone who is working on this season. We’ll be forever grateful of their dedication and hard work. This is a very difficult show to shoot, and we have the very best team possible. This season is truly like no other. We’ve been using top of the line camera equipment to create new and exciting visuals. We’re dealing with extreme elements, ever-changing routes, and 20 foots waves at times and we want to capture every moment of it.  We’re still in production for this season, and we promise to deliver the very best of Deadliest Catch yet! Stay tuned…

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