Magical Elves Promotes Dan Murphy to Chief Operating Officer (EXCLUSIVE)

Joe Otterson TV ReporterVerve has made election day a paid company holiday for all employees starting with this year, Variety has learned exclusively.“We have always lived by the mantra ‘Voices Heard,’ and we think that mantra is even more appropriate today,” the agency’s partners said in a statement.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterThe cast and creators of “The West Wing” are reuniting to perform together for the first time in nearly two decades in a special set at HBO Max, Variety has learned.“A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote” will debut on the streamer this fall. It will feature a theatrical staging of the “Hartsfield’s Landing” episode from the show’s third season and will be shot at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles in early October.

Covid-19 - but that harm from missing school was a certainty.

coronavirus winter plan on the basis of having a vaccine, according to England's chief medical officer. Professor Chris Whitty did say that there was a 'reasonable chance' of having vaccines by next winter.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” has been canceled at Showtime. The final episode of the show’s first and only season aired on June 28.“Showtime has decided not to move forward with another season of ‘Penny Dreadful: City of Angels,'” Showtime said in a statement.

Dade Hayes Finance EditorEXCLUSIVE: Kurt Mueller, a longtime member of the executive team at The Onion, is joining crowd-sourced publishing firm Inkshares as its chief operating officer.Mueller spent eight years at the satire brand, helping it to grow from a small, newspaper-focused outfit to a digital powerhouse.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterCarlos Portugal is developing the one-hour mystery drama “Miss NG” at HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.The series is set in the small town of Nuevo Guerrero, where nothing is more important than the annual Miss Nuevo Guerrero beauty pageant. But when last year’s winner goes missing, her former best friend, her arch-rival and her half-sister all enter the upcoming pageant.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFamilystyle has entered into a first-look deal with Entertainment 360, the joint venture between MRC Television and Management 360, Variety has learned exclusively.Familystyle is the production company run by Karyn Kusama, Matt Manfredi, and Phil Hay. The first project being developed under the deal is the series “The Occupant.” Kusama is attached to direct with Manfredi and Hay attached to write.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has landed the series reboot of “Clueless” centered on the character Dionne for development, Variety has learned exclusively.The untitled comedy series is described a baby pink and bisexual blue-tinted, tiny sun-glasses wearing, oat milk latte and Adderall-fueled look at what happens when queen bee Cher disappears and her lifelong number two Dionne steps into Cher’s vacant Air Jordans.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterNetflix has ordered a documentary feature based on the life and career of civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Variety has learned.The yet-to-be-titled documentary will be directed and produced by Nadia Hallgren, who recently received two Emmy nominations for her work on Netflix’s Michelle Obama documentary “Becoming.” Kenya Barris will produce via Khalabo Ink Society, while Roger Ross Williams will produce under his One Story Up Productions banner.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMarie Moore has been named senior vice president of communications of Warner Bros. Global Kids, Young Adults and Classics division, Variety has learned exclusively.Moore will report jointly to Tom Ascheim, president of the division, and Johanna Fuentes, Warner Bros.

Selena Gomez might need a little more practice. The actress' HBO Max cooking show,, debuts on Thursday, and only ET has an exclusive sneak peek at Gomez's attempt to make ramen with Chef Candice Kumai over video chat. Though ramen may not seem like too complicated of a recipe, Gomez adorably has a little trouble following Kumai's instructions.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorIndie film and series distributor 1091 Media, which recently renamed itself as Streamwise, hired another key exec for its forthcoming business-to-business analytics platform for content owners: Doug Shineman, an alum of Roku and The Orchard, who has joined the company as chief revenue officer.As CRO at Streamwise, L.A.-based Shineman leads teams responsible for revenue generation, including all dealmaking, strategy and marketing for the business, while holding a

Joe Otterson TV ReporterFox Sports Films is set to air “Tua,” a documentary about Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, Variety has learned exclusively.“Tua is a beloved young star with an incredible story,” said Charlie Dixon, Executive Vice President of Content at Fox Sports. “We like to say, ‘Fox is Football’, and since it’s in our DNA, that means providing the deepest insight into the sport both on and off the field.

Denise Petski Senior Managing EditorMagical Elves has promoted Dan Murphy to Chief Operating Officer. Murphy previously served as EVP of production behind such series as Emmy-nominated Top Chef, Kevin Hart’s Don’t Fuck This Up and Nailed It! He succeeds Casey Kriley who was named co-CEO alongside Jo Sharon last year.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple has given a straight-to-series order to a drama that hails from Adam Perlman as well as Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey production company.The Downeys and Amanda Burrell will executive produce on behalf of Team Downey, with Robert also potentially playing a supporting role.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVTop CAA agent Nick Khan, who was Co-Head of Television, is departing the agency to join client WWE as President & Chief Revenue Officer, reporting directly to WWE Chairman & CEO Vince McMahon.Khan fills the void left by the January exit of Co-Presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson who were ousted in January amid a rocky last year for the company.

fired company co-presidents George Barrios and Michelle Wilson.Also Read: Mark 'Rollerball' Rocco, Former WWE Junior Heavyweight Champion, Dies at 69“I am very much looking forward to expanding my relationship with Vince McMahon and the entire team at WWE, and becoming a full-time member of the WWE family,” Khan said.

Social media star, entrepreneur and TalentX Entertainment co-founder Josh Richards has been named chief strategy officer at AI-driven music video and entertainment platform Triller, which he also invested in. In his new role, Richards will lead strategy at Triller while also overseeing the company’s implementation of live streaming and monetization tools.