CYNTHIA ERIVO SIGNS FIRST LOOK WITH MRC TELEVISION, CIVIC CENTER MEDIA AND FORMS NEW PRODUCTION COMPANY, EDITH’S DAUGHTER

BEVERLY HILLS, CA (August 25, 2020) –

MRC Television and Civic Center Media, the studio’s affiliation with United Talent Agency (UTA), have entered into a first look deal with multi-hyphenate, award-winning artist Cynthia Erivo. Erivo will develop and produce television projects through her newly formed production company, Edith’s Daughter. Edith’s Daughter will focus on projects that express the beauty in the stories and people who are often overlooked and underrepresented.

Erivo has named Solome Williams as Vice President of the new company. Williams comes to Edith’s Daughter from BRON Studios where she served as Director of Development for the last three years. At BRON, she built out the studio’s development arm and oversaw projects in film and television including“Dream Doll,”based on the inventor of Barbie with writer Melisa Wallack;  “Falling to Earth,” set to star Ben Affleck; and the English language remake of the French comedy series “Call My Agent.” Prior to that she worked at Fox Searchlight as the Development Coordinator on films such as “Wendy,” “Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri” and “The Favourite.” 

“MRC was an incredible partner on “The Outsider” and I’m unbelievably excited to begin this new creative journey in television with them,” said Cynthia Erivo. “I could not think of a better partner than my new Vice President Solome Williams, who is brilliant and has thoroughly impressed me with her experience and drive. I’m looking forward to building with her.”

“Cynthia’s artistry is bar none; and we have been impressed to see first-hand how she brings her creativity to life through storytelling,” said Elise Henderson, President of MRC Television. “As an artist-first studio, to partner with Edith’s Daughter provides MRC Television a unique opportunity to support not only Cynthia’s vision, but that of the many storytellers she will champion.”

MRC Television and Civic Center Media most recently cast Erivo on “The Outsider,” which premiered in January, 2020 on HBO as the network’s most watched new series in the last three years, where she played “Holly Gibney” in the series adaptation of the Stephen King novel. In addition to “The Outsider,” Civic Center Media and MRC Television’s other projects include Hulu’s “The Great,” which was recently renewed for a second season; “The Terminal List” starring Chris Pratt at Amazon; and “The Shrink Next Door” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd at Apple TV+.

MRC Television’s additional projects include “Ozark,” which recently received 18 Emmy® Award nominations, on Netflix and “Shining Girls” starring Elisabeth Moss at Apple TV+.

About Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo is a Tony®, Emmy® and Grammy® Award-winning actress, as well as Academy Award®, Golden Globe®, and SAG nominee. Erivo burst onto West End and Broadway stages in “The Color Purple,” and has since taken the big screen by storm. 

Erivo recently starred in Kasi Lemmons’ “Harriet” where she brought the legacy of Harriet Tubman to the big screen. Focus Features premiered the film at the Toronto International Film Festival and released the film in theaters on November 1, 2019. Erivo's performance was met with critical acclaim, garnering two Academy Award® nominations, Golden Globe®, SAG and multiple NAACP Award nominations as well as AAFCA and Society of Composers & Lyricists Award wins. 

Erivo can soon be seen as Aretha Franklin in National Geographic’s Emmy-winning global anthology series “Genius: Aretha.” This upcoming season will be the first-ever, definitive and only authorized scripted limited series on the life of the universally acclaimed Queen of Soul. The series is set for a Fall 2020 premiere on National Geographic channels in 172 countries and in 43 languages. 

Erivo currently stars on the HBO series “The Outsider,” which premiered on January 12, 2020. The series is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Erivo stars alongside Ben Mendelsohn in the series, which follows an unorthodox investigator and a seasoned cop investigating a gruesome murder of a local boy. 

It was recently announced that Erivo will star in Universal’s “Talent Show”, directed by Gandja Monteiro and written by Lena Waithe. “Talent Show” is the story of a failed songwriter (to be played by Erivo) who returns home to Chicago to lead a group of at-risk youth in their annual talent show. 

Additional upcoming projects include Doug Liman’s sci-fi thriller, “Chaos Walking” and John Ridley’s “Needle in a Timestack.” Erivo will both produce and star in Warner Brothers’ musical take on the American folk tale “Rip Van Winkle and the film adaptation of the QCode scripted thriller podcast, “Carrier.” Erivo both voiced and produced the podcast which premiered on July 1, 2019. Erivo will add to her producing credits as the executive producer of the upcoming Quibi docuseries, “What We Keep.” Continuing to push the boundaries of her versatile career, Erivo stars in John Cameron Mitchell’s music-driven podcast anthology, “Anthem: Homunculus.” 

In 2018, Erivo made her film debut in two major films from 20th Century Fox:  Drew Goddard’s “Bad Times at the El Royale” and Steve McQueen’s “Widows.” 

In addition to her illustrious stage career, Erivo is an accomplished performer with symphonies and music spaces including the Kennedy Center Honors, the 2020 Academy Awards, the 2017 Governor’s Ball (the official post- Oscars celebration) and the 2017 Grammy Awards. A UK native, Erivo graduated from the famed Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 2010.  

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 93 Emmy® Awards and 11 Golden Globe ® Awards. The current slate includes “Ozark,” from Chris Mundy and starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner, on Netflix; “The Outsider,” an adaptation of the Stephen King novel from Richard Price, starring Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo, and for which Jason Bateman directs and executive produces on HBO; and “The Great,” from Tony McNamara, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, on Hulu. The studio recently announced a new limited series, “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+.