Monte-Carlo Television Festival Day 1
Following the opening ceremony on Friday, June 14 which saw the world premiere of The Gray House, The Monte-Carlo Television Festival opened its Day 1, June 15, with a press conference for the Republic Pictures’ limited series from Kevin Costner’s Territory Pictures; Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary’s Revelations Entertainment and Big Dreams Entertainment.
The press meeting featured the main cast of The Gray House: Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds, The West Wing), Daisy Head (Harlots), Amethyst Davis (Kindred) and Ben Vereen (Roots), along with executive producers Leslie Greif (Hatfields & McCoys), Lori McCreary (Madam Secretary) and Morgan Freeman. Freeman, one of the most highly respected figures in television today with a prolific screen career spanning more than five decades, was awarded the Crystal Nymph at the opening ceremony on Friday, presented to him by H.S.H. Prince Albert II.
The Gray House focuses on the true story of the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favour of the North. A Virginia socialite, her mother, a former enslaved sister-in-arms, and the city’s most notorious courtesan operate deep inside the corridors of Confederate power. They transform their Underground Railroad into an effective and even more dangerous Underground Spy Network, risking life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American Democracy.
Freeman commented that the premiere went very well and they got pretty good feedback while McCreary shared that they hadn't shown any of the series to anyone except to their internal team and she was very nervous because it was a big audience; most of the actors also shared that they were watching the episode for the first time, haven't previously seen anything put together.
The creators of the series also explained the meaning of the title: The Gray House. It referred to The White House of the Confederacy which is a historic mansion in the city of Richmond and during the four years of the American Civil War, this house was the official residence of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America. It was sometimes called The Gray House due to its color.
When asked by TVBIZZ about why the team chose Romania, McCreary commented that they love shooting internationally and in Eastern Europe in particular. Greif was a big proponent of going back to Romania because he shot Hatfields & McCoys there. The producers talked about the scope of the production and that previous good experience shooting there brought them back; Greif also noted that in Romania people love making movies and told stories of the dedication to their work.
Day 1 continued with the traditional Fan Meetings with the cast of Un si Grand Soleil, stars from Wolf Entertainment shows Chicago Med, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted; NCIS, The Parisian Agency; etc. as well as the lead of Disney+'s newest hit The Acolyte: Lee Jung-jae as well as a special 50th anniversary celebration with the cast of Little House on the Prairie. Day 1 also included in-competition screenings of The Law of the Sea, Madam and Night Therapy.
An important part of the Festival are the Business Content sessions which on Day 1 included three panels. The first one was a fireside chat with one of television and entertainment's most successful and influential executives, Dan Cohen, Chief Content Licensing Officer at Paramount and President of Republic Pictures. He provided unique insight into his career spanning decades, leading up to where he is today, heading the company's global content licensing and distribution operations, with responsibility for monetizing a large and growing portfolio of original content that airs or streams on the diverse CBS Television network and Paramount platforms and from 3rd party partners. As president of Republic Pictures, hear how he revitalized this iconic label under Paramount Global and additionally learn more around his role running worldwide home entertainment for the company, overseeing the distribution of the industry's largest library of film and television titles.
The second panel was titled The Rebirth of Content Creation & Production Following the 2023 Strikes and featured Lori McCreary, CEO and EP of Revelations Entertainment and Vanessa Shapiro, CEO of Nicely Entertainment. Almost a year on from the end of the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes, how is content creation and production seeing a rebirth following a period of paucity as an impact from the strikes shutting down or postponing production? Has it signified a catalyst within Hollywood and beyond to embrace change and innovation such as AI within the television and entertainment industry?
The last panel of the day was called Bringing the World to Light Through Drama and featured Apple Tree's CEO and EP Piv Bernth, Teresa Fernandez-Valdes from Spanish prod co Te Espero en Marte and Leslie Greif, CEO and EP of Big Dreams Entertainment. The execs talked about the role of fiction through their latest projects: Chorus Girls, Nacho and The Gray House, respectively.
The Gray House focuses on the true story of the unsung women who turned the tide of the American Civil War in favour of the North. A Virginia socialite, her mother, a former enslaved sister-in-arms, and the city’s most notorious courtesan operate deep inside the corridors of Confederate power. They transform their Underground Railroad into an effective and even more dangerous Underground Spy Network, risking life and liberty to help win the war and preserve American Democracy.
Freeman commented that the premiere went very well and they got pretty good feedback while McCreary shared that they hadn't shown any of the series to anyone except to their internal team and she was very nervous because it was a big audience; most of the actors also shared that they were watching the episode for the first time, haven't previously seen anything put together.
The creators of the series also explained the meaning of the title: The Gray House. It referred to The White House of the Confederacy which is a historic mansion in the city of Richmond and during the four years of the American Civil War, this house was the official residence of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States of America. It was sometimes called The Gray House due to its color.
When asked by TVBIZZ about why the team chose Romania, McCreary commented that they love shooting internationally and in Eastern Europe in particular. Greif was a big proponent of going back to Romania because he shot Hatfields & McCoys there. The producers talked about the scope of the production and that previous good experience shooting there brought them back; Greif also noted that in Romania people love making movies and told stories of the dedication to their work.
Day 1 continued with the traditional Fan Meetings with the cast of Un si Grand Soleil, stars from Wolf Entertainment shows Chicago Med, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted; NCIS, The Parisian Agency; etc. as well as the lead of Disney+'s newest hit The Acolyte: Lee Jung-jae as well as a special 50th anniversary celebration with the cast of Little House on the Prairie. Day 1 also included in-competition screenings of The Law of the Sea, Madam and Night Therapy.
An important part of the Festival are the Business Content sessions which on Day 1 included three panels. The first one was a fireside chat with one of television and entertainment's most successful and influential executives, Dan Cohen, Chief Content Licensing Officer at Paramount and President of Republic Pictures. He provided unique insight into his career spanning decades, leading up to where he is today, heading the company's global content licensing and distribution operations, with responsibility for monetizing a large and growing portfolio of original content that airs or streams on the diverse CBS Television network and Paramount platforms and from 3rd party partners. As president of Republic Pictures, hear how he revitalized this iconic label under Paramount Global and additionally learn more around his role running worldwide home entertainment for the company, overseeing the distribution of the industry's largest library of film and television titles.
The second panel was titled The Rebirth of Content Creation & Production Following the 2023 Strikes and featured Lori McCreary, CEO and EP of Revelations Entertainment and Vanessa Shapiro, CEO of Nicely Entertainment. Almost a year on from the end of the 2023 WGA and SAG strikes, how is content creation and production seeing a rebirth following a period of paucity as an impact from the strikes shutting down or postponing production? Has it signified a catalyst within Hollywood and beyond to embrace change and innovation such as AI within the television and entertainment industry?
The last panel of the day was called Bringing the World to Light Through Drama and featured Apple Tree's CEO and EP Piv Bernth, Teresa Fernandez-Valdes from Spanish prod co Te Espero en Marte and Leslie Greif, CEO and EP of Big Dreams Entertainment. The execs talked about the role of fiction through their latest projects: Chorus Girls, Nacho and The Gray House, respectively.
