Category: WGN America

“ALMOST PARADISE” FROM ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON IMDb TV

Posted on by Danielle Langer





“ALMOST PARADISE” FROM ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT AVAILABLE TO STREAM ON IMDb TV, AMAZON’S FREE STREAMING SERVICE BEGINNING FEBRUARY 1, 2021

Los Angeles, CA – January 20, 2021 – Electric Entertainment, the Los Angeles based production, distribution and post-production company, is proud to announce its hit crime series “Almost Paradise,” will premiere on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service beginning Feb 1. This marks the first digital platform outside of Electric’s own ElectricNow channel and app, that fans of the action adventure series can watch Season 1 in its entirety for free. The announcement was made today by Dean Devlin, CEO of Electric Entertainment.

Dean Devlin states “We have established a wonderful relationship with Amazon’s IMDb TV. This marks our third partnership with the free streaming service — the first being the re-imagining of the hit TV series “Leverage 2.0,” and secondly, the streaming of all three seasons of “The Outpost.” We can’t be more pleased with how our relationship is blossoming and look forward to more opportunities with the rapidly growing AVOD service.”

Almost Paradise originally premiered in the U.S. in March of 2020 on the broadcast network, WGN America. The series stars Christian Kane (The Librarians, Leverage, Angel) as Alex Walker, a former U.S. DEA agent who was forced into early retirement. Once the DEA’s most resourceful undercover operative, the combination of his partner’s betrayal and a life-threatening battle with hypertension sent him as far from the madness as he can go… a small tropical island in the Philippine Archipelago. He now runs the gift shop at the island’s luxury resort hotel, gets his disability payments at the nearby US Air Force base, and generally manages his transition from Jason Bourne to Jimmy Buffett. But, the island’s luxury resorts attract rich, powerful, and sometimes criminal elite from around the world, often on a collision course with Alex. Despite his best efforts to begin a tranquil new life, he’s pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations, either through his friends in the local police department or running into people from his old life. And the problem is: he likes it.

“Almost Paradise” will debut on IMDb TV February 1, 2021.

About Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production, distribution, and post-production company, with an office in Vancouver, Canada.

Electric’s domestic distribution division theatrically released the award-winning film “Say My Name” starring Lisa Brenner and Nick Blood, “Bad Samaritan” starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, and Rob Reiner’s historical biopic “LBJ.” The company also exclusively licensed these films’ post-theatrical rights to Amazon and other outlets.

Electric’s hit television series, “The Librarians” and “Leverage,” which ran for four and five seasons respectively on TNT, continue to be successfully relicensed to all arenas domestically and internationally. Currently Electric is in production shooting the spin-off continuation of “Leverage,” “Leverage 2.0,” an Original series coming in 2021 to IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service. Electric’s series “The Outpost” is currently airing its third season on The CW and “Almost Paradise” recently aired on WGN America. Electric currently manages the international distribution of FilmRise’s library, including titles such as “Change Is In The Air” starring Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”



WGN America Announces Anchor Teams and Correspondents for Prime-Time National Newscast “News Nation”

Posted on by Danielle Langer





WGN America Announces Anchor Teams and Correspondents for Prime-Time National Newscast “News Nation” Launching September 1
“News Nation” will air daily from 8 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET, and will draw on the local, regional, and national expertise of Nexstar’s 5,400 journalists in 110 local newsrooms across the country.
[via press release from WGN America]
WGN America Announces Anchor Teams and Correspondents for Prime-Time National Newscast “News Nation” Launching September 1

Award-Winning Journalists to Deliver Fact-Based, Unbiased, News Coverage

Anchors Joe Donlon and Marni Hughes, Breaking News Anchor Rob Nelson, and Meteorologist Albert Ramon, Harness Nexstar’s Team of 5,400 Journalists in 110 Newsrooms Across the Country

CHICAGO & IRVING, Texas — WGN America, Nexstar Media Group, Inc.’s wholly owned cable network reaching 75 million television households across the country, today announced the anchor teams and correspondents for its live three-hour prime-time national newscast, News Nation, which debuts Tuesday, September 1st. The team is led by veteran journalists and weekday anchors, Joe Donlon and Marni Hughes, breaking news anchor, Rob Nelson, and chief meteorologist, Albert Ramon, who collectively bring nearly 80 years of experience in television news to their roles and have covered everything from Presidential elections to hurricanes and the current coronavirus pandemic. The weekend News Nation team will be led by anchors Rudabeh Shahbazi and Nichole Berlie, breaking news anchor, Aaron Nolan, and meteorologist Gerard Jebaily.

News Nation will air daily from 8 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET, and will draw on the local, regional, and national expertise of Nexstar’s 5,400 journalists in 110 local newsrooms across the country. The broadcast will deliver news reporting that is fact-based, impactful, educational, and unbiased. In addition to the live nightly newscast, News Nation’s team of reporters and producers will deliver news twenty-four hours a day online through News Nation’s soon-to-be-launched mobile app, NewsNationNow.

“Our on-air anchors and reporters, as well as those guiding the off-camera news-gathering process, are award-winning journalists who understand the importance of being objective,” said Sean Compton, Executive Vice President of WGN America. “They reflect the diversity of our country and will be the backbone of News Nation, as WGN America begins charting a new course in television news, designed for the millions of viewers across the U.S. who want their news to be accurate, fair and without opinion.”

News Nation is overseen by Jennifer Lyons, a media industry executive with 30 years of newsgathering and production experience, who serves as Vice President of News for WGN America.

“We’re adding more than 130 News Nation staff members to the 5,400 Nexstar journalists already reporting from local communities across the U.S.,” said Ms. Lyons. “We have assembled extraordinary teams both in front of and behind the cameras. They are true journalists coming together with a clear mission: Your News, Your Nation. I think you’re going to learn so much about our country through them.”

“Now more than ever, viewers rely on television news to stay informed about everything from the latest pandemic developments to the reopening of the economy and the upcoming election,” said Perry Sook, Nexstar Media Group President and Chief Executive Officer. “We have an opportunity, a mission, and the resources nationwide to bring Americans breaking news stories and live coverage delivered by reporters who know the local community and can provide unbiased coverage of events from coast to coast and deep in the heartland. Nexstar has the largest newsgathering organization in the country, with 5,400 journalists in newsrooms throughout the U.S. and Sean and Jennifer have curated an exceptional team for News Nation. These journalists have broad experience, strong records of journalistic excellence, and their local perspectives will create a new fact-based and unbiased national news platform. We will be presenting news in a way that is free of any particular point of view as we debut News Nation on September 1 and we are confident that there are more Americans than ever who are seeking just that.”

News Journalist’s Background (full bios and headshots can be accessed at: https://wgnamerica.com/news-nation-bios/

The Monday through Friday anchor team:

Joe Donlon: For the past two years, Mr. Donlon served as co-anchor of WGN-TV’s 9 p.m. news in Chicago. Prior to joining WGN-TV, Mr. Donlon was the main anchor at KGW-TV in Portland for 21 years. His reporting has taken him as far away as Kuwait, just days after the end of Operation Desert Storm, and he has covered political conventions, impeachments, the Olympics, and more.

Marni Hughes: A television journalist for more than 20 years, Ms. Hughes joins News Nation from KCPQ-TV in Seattle, where she anchored the evening news for eight years. At KCPQ-TV she launched a regular health news segment focused on wellness and lifestyle and was recognized with an Emmy for a series of stories about families struggling to raise autistic children.

Rob Nelson: With more than 20 years of experience as a journalist, Mr. Nelson has been a correspondent for Good Morning America, World News Tonight, and Nightline. He began his career as a print reporter for New Orleans’ daily newspaper, the Times-Picayune. Mr. Nelson covered the arrest of legendary Boston mobster Whitey Bulger, the murder case against Aaron Hernandez of the New England Patriots and, live from South Africa, Nelson Mandela’s release from the hospital just weeks before the icon’s death.

Albert Ramon: Mr. Ramon was Chief Meteorologist at KVUE-TV in Austin for the last ten years. He started his television career in 2005, after joining the weather staff at KZTV-TV CBS 10 in Corpus Christi, where he ultimately became the station’s Chief Meteorologist. Mr. Ramon has covered severe weather throughout his career and has earned the Seal of Approval from both the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Association.

The Saturday/Sunday anchor team:

Rudabeh Shahbazi: A three-time Emmy award winning anchor and reporter, Ms. Shahbazi has covered news in markets across the country, as well as the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Mexico, and Cuba. Most recently she was the main anchor at CBS Miami for five years, where she anchored live continuous coverage of the Pulse nightclub, the Parkland school shootings, and Hurricanes Matthew, Irma, and Maria.

Nichole Berlie: Ms. Berlie joins News Nation from Boston, where she was a weekend evening co-anchor and general assignment reporter for WCVB Channel 5. She joined WCVB in 2016, from KSDK in St. Louis where she was a weekday morning anchor. Prior to that, she spent five years as a weekday morning anchor at KETV-TV in Omaha, Nebraska.

Aaron Nolan: Mr. Nolan has served as a reporter/anchor at Nexstar television stations for 15 years, and was most recently the co-anchor at KARK 4 Today, in Little Rock, AR. He also served as the anchor of Nexstar’s NewsfeedNow, a daily streaming digital news interactive program. He will play an integral role in development of WGN America.com and the digital footprint for News Nation. Nolan has won numerous awards for his journalism, including an Edward R. Murrow regional award for Innovation for NewsfeedNow.

Gerard Jebaily: Mr. Jebaily has been an on-air reporter in Myrtle Beach, SC, Savannah, GA, Albany, GA, and most recently at KSHB-TV in Kansas City, MO and his passion for meteorology began at the age of six, when Hurricane Hugo devastated his home state of South Carolina. He built his own personal storm chasing vehicle and in over 20+ years of chasing, witnessed and documented a variety of significant weather events across the central and southern United States, including record flooding, hurricanes, and massive tornadoes.

WGN America also announced the hiring of several regional correspondents who will staff News Nation news bureaus at strategic locations across the country. Full bios and headshots can be accessed at: https://wgnamerica.com/news-nation-bios/

Tom Negovan, New York Bureau Correspondent: Mr. Negovan is a WGN-TV News veteran, with 15 years at the station covering political conventions, campaigns, hurricanes, the Boston bombings, riots in Ferguson, and the mass shootings in Sandy Hook, Las Vegas, and Orlando. He worked as an embedded correspondent in both Iraq and Afghanistan, along the way picking up 19 Emmy Awards and nominations.

Nancy Loo, Los Angeles Bureau Correspondent: Raised in Northern California, Ms. Loo joins News Nation from WGN-TV News, where she was an Emmy Award-winning reporter and fill-in anchor. She brings an extensive background of international reporting, having worked as an anchor and reporter in Hong Kong, Tokyo, New York City, and Chicago.

Markie Martin, Dallas Bureau Correspondent: Formerly the weekday morning news anchor for KOCO 5 News in Oklahoma City, Ms. Martin and her team were recognized as the Best Morning Newscast by the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters in 2019 and 2018. She was on air and in the field for the devastating tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, and covered its aftermath. She also covered the Oklahoma teacher walkout and ceremonies connected to the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

Brian Entin, Miami Bureau Correspondent: An Emmy Award-winning reporter for WSVN-TV in Miami, Mr. Entin covered several major hurricanes, including Dorian in the Bahamas, Irma in the Florida Keys, and the rebuilding efforts after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. In 2018, he extensively covered the Parkland school shooting and was the first reporter to obtain video of the shooter attacking deputies in jail.

About Nexstar Media Group, Inc.

Nexstar Media Group is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs, or provides sales and other services to 196 television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 114 markets or approximately 38% of all U.S. television households (reflecting the FCC’s UHF discount). Nexstar’s portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. Nexstar’s community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content while creating new revenue opportunities. Nexstar also owns WGN America, a growing national general entertainment cable network and a 31.3% ownership stake in TV Food Network, a top tier cable asset. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.



ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES ELECTRIC NOW APP

Posted on by Danielle Langer





ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT LAUNCHES ELECTRIC NOW APP

— Electric Entertainment teams with OTTera to create and launch the
Electric Now App —

Los Angeles, CA — April 28 — Electric Entertainment, the Los Angeles based production, distribution and post-production company, proudly announces the launch of its OTT ELECTRIC NOW APP. ELECTRIC NOW, a linear and on-demand streaming video channel, will offer all of Electric Entertainment’s feature films and television series to the millions of loyal fans of Electric’s content. The app will feature their top fantasy-adventure series, “The Outpost,” now in its third season on the CW, the new episodic crime show “Almost Paradise,” currently airing on WGN America, and top performing programs like “Leverage,” and “The Librarians.” And to make the experience even that much more exciting for fans, the app will contain ALL bonus materials from ALL Electric programs, in addition to a thorough and easy to follow program guide.
Electric’s podcast network, ELECTRIC SURGE will be on the app, featuring the entire video podcast library, adding more original content every week. Produced by Electric Entertainment and writer/producer Mark A. Altman (The CW’s “Pandora,” “Castle”), ELECTRIC SURGE’s video and audio podcasts include, Inglorious Treksperts, The 4:30 Movie, Best Movies Never Made, The Rebel & The Rogue, among others. The announcement was made today by Dean Devlin, CEO of Electric Entertainment.
Mr. Devlin comments, “For a long time, we have wanted to create a hub where we could aggregate all our various fan bases from “Leverage,” “The Librarians,” “The Outpost,” “Almost Paradise” and all of our podcast subscribers into a single space. This will be a one-stop-shop to find all the content we make and distribute. Unlike larger studios, we have been fortunate to have nurtured a direct relationship with our audience through social media, personal appearances and electronic communication. This app gives us a central platform to show them how much we enjoy and treasure that relationship.”
Electric Entertainment partnered with white label streaming video service OTTera to create and maintain the ELECTRIC NOW APP. OTTera operates a professional white label service with which content owners and creators can rapidly share their programming, courtesy of a robust development platform and customized interface and branding. Their services reach over 25+ million users worldwide and range from niche film libraries to children’s animation. “OTTera has been a tremendous partner for us. Their expertise and enthusiasm helped us not only get where we wanted to go, but got us there extremely quickly,” said Devlin.
All of Electric Entertainment’s vast library of film, television and video podcasts will be available on the ELECTRIC NOW APP. Most of the app’s content will be advertising supported and offered to the public free of charge. The app will also house a transactional section where viewers can purchase shows to enjoy without commercial interruption.
The linear and video-on-demand channel will be available on multiple platforms, including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs in the U.S. exclusively. The ad-supported Electric Now channel, launched in 2019, continues to be available on multiple platforms including Stirr and XUMO.

About OTTera
OTTera is a professional white label service that allows companies to quickly launch highly customized, affordable OTT services. Based in Los Angeles, OTTera manages 14 channels with over 25+ million users worldwide. The OTTera White Label Service offers companies the latest OTT technologies with one of the widest distribution reaches on the market. For over 10 years OTTera has maintained strong partnerships with the world’s largest CE manufacturers including Samsung, Vizio, Sony and Hisense.
The OTTera White Label Service is a fully managed scalable OTT service with native distribution across all major platforms including iOS, tvOS, Android, Android TV, Roku, HTML5, Chromecast and Web. The service offers linear distribution to cable/satellite services and vMVPDs (Samsung, LG, Sling, XUMO, Pluto, etc.), as well as diverse monetization including subscription, advertising and transactions.
About Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production, distribution, and post-production company, with an office in Vancouver, Canada.

Electric’s domestic distribution division theatrically released the award-winning film “Say My Name” starring Lisa Brenner and Nick Blood, “Bad Samaritan” starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, and Rob Reiner’s historical biopic “LBJ.” The company also exclusively licensed these films’ post-theatrical rights to Amazon and other outlets.

Electric’s hit television series, “The Librarians” and “Leverage,” which ran for four and five seasons respectively on TNT, continue to be successfully relicensed to all arenas domestically. Electric’s most recent series are “The Outpost”, which is in production on it’s third season and “Almost Paradise”, which is currently airing on WGN America. Electric currently manages the international distribution of FilmRise’s library, including titles such as “Change Is In The Air” starring Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

About Electric Surge Video Podcast Network
The Electric Surge Podcast Network was launched in 2018 by Electric Entertainment CEO
Dean Devlin (“Independence Day,” “The Librarians”) and writer/producer Mark A. Altman (“Pandora,” “Castle”) and includes such hit series as Inglorious Treksperts, The 4:30 Movie and Best Movies Never Made. The weekly line-up also includes podcasts devoted to Star Wars, The Rebel & The Rogue and Dr. Who, Two on Who.



ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW ACTION CRIME SERIES “ALMOST PARADISE”

Posted on by Danielle Langer





ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW ACTION CRIME SERIES “ALMOST PARADISE”
DEBUTING ON MARCH 30, 2020

Los Angeles, CA March 30, 2020 – Electric Entertainment has announced its newest crime series, “Almost Paradise” starring Christian Kane and Samantha Richelle, to premiere on WGN AMERICA on TONIGHT at 10pm EST/9pm Central.
CHRISTIAN KANE (The Librarians, Leverage, Angel) stars in “Almost Paradise” as Alex Walker, a former US DEA agent who was forced into early retirement. Once the DEA’s most resourceful undercover operative, the combination of his partner’s betrayal and a life- threatening battle with hypertension has sent him as far from the madness as he can go… a small tropical island in the Philippine Archipelago. He now runs the gift shop at the island’s luxury resort hotel, gets his disability payments at the nearby US Air Force base, and generally manages his transition from Jason Bourne to Jimmy Buffett. BUT, the island’s luxury resorts attract rich, powerful, and sometimes criminal elite from around the world, often on a collision course with Alex. Despite his best efforts to begin a tranquil new life, he’s pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations, either through his friends in the local police department or running into people from his old life. And the problem is: he likes it.

Almost Paradise was executive produced and created by Dean Devlin and Gary Rosen. Almost Paradise was also executive produced by Electric Entertainment’s Rachel Olschan-Wilson and Marc Roskin.
About Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production, distribution, and post-production company, with an office in Vancouver, Canada.

Electric’s domestic distribution division theatrically released the award-winning film “Say My Name” starring Lisa Brenner and Nick Blood, “Bad Samaritan” starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, and Rob Reiner’s historical biopic “LBJ.” The company also exclusively licensed these films’ post-theatrical rights to Amazon and other outlets.

Electric’s hit television series, “The Librarians” and “Leverage,” which ran for four and five seasons respectively on TNT, continue to be successfully relicensed to all arenas domestically. Electric’s most recent series, “The Outpost” is currently in production on it’s third season. Electric currently manages the international distribution of FilmRise’s library, including titles such as “Change Is In The Air” starring Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.



ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW ACTION CRIME SERIES “ALMOST PARADISE

Posted on by Danielle Langer





ELECTRIC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES NEW ACTION CRIME SERIES “ALMOST PARADISE”
DEBUTING ON MARCH 30, 2020

Los Angeles, CA March 24, 2020 – Electric Entertainment has announced its newest crime series, “Almost Paradise” starring Christian Kane and Samantha Richelle, to premiere on WGN AMERICA on Monday, March 30, 2020 at 10pm EST/9pm Central.


CHRISTIAN KANE (The Librarians, Leverage, Angel) stars in “Almost Paradise” as Alex Walker, a former US DEA agent who was forced into early retirement. Once the DEA’s most resourceful undercover operative, the combination of his partner’s betrayal and a life- threatening battle with hypertension has sent him as far from the madness as he can go… a small tropical island in the Philippine Archipelago. He now runs the gift shop at the island’s luxury resort hotel, gets his disability payments at the nearby US Air Force base, and generally manages his transition from Jason Bourne to Jimmy Buffett. BUT, the island’s luxury resorts attract rich, powerful, and sometimes criminal elite from around the world, often on a collision course with Alex. Despite his best efforts to begin a tranquil new life, he’s pulled back into a world of dangerous people and deadly situations, either through his friends in the local police department or running into people from his old life. And the problem is: he likes it.

About Electric Entertainment
Electric Entertainment is a Los Angeles-based production, distribution, and post-production company, with an office in Vancouver, Canada.

Electric’s domestic distribution division theatrically released the award-winning film “Say My Name” starring Lisa Brenner and Nick Blood, “Bad Samaritan” starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, and Rob Reiner’s historical biopic “LBJ.” The company also exclusively licensed these films’ post-theatrical rights to Amazon and other outlets.

Electric’s hit television series, “The Librarians” and “Leverage,” which ran for four and five seasons respectively on TNT, continue to be successfully relicensed to all arenas domestically. Electric’s most recent series, “The Outpost” is currently in production on it’s third season. Electric currently manages the international distribution of FilmRise’s library, including titles such as “Change Is In The Air” starring Rachel Brosnahan of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”