A trio of entertainment veterans — Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner and Noah Oppenheim — have come together to form independent production studio Prologue Entertainment, with an investment from Jeff Zucker and RedBird Capital Partners.
Prologue, with offices in New York and L.A., is set up to develop and produce premium scripted series and film content, and will house existing projects that are already under way. According to the company, it will be able to finance and co-finance productions. Braun, a longtime TV exec, most recently was chairman of WME; Bremner is a former Netflix film executive and most recently served as president of Ava DuVernay’s Array Filmworks; and Oppenheim was formerly president of NBC News.
The amount of RedBird Capital’s investment in Prologue is not being disclosed. RedBird’s investment will be overseen by Zucker, the former CEO of CNN who is an operating partner at RedBird. (The funding is separate from RedBird IMI, a joint venture between RedBird Capital Partners and Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments, which Zucker leads as CEO.)
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jeff Zucker and RedBird to launch Prologue Entertainment,” Braun, Bremner and Oppenheim said in a joint statement. “Together, we aim to create compelling fictional films and series, often drawing inspiration from real-world characters and events resulting in projects that both entertain and engage.”
Zucker, in a statement, commented: “My investment philosophy has always been driven by working with the best in the business. Lloyd, Sarah and Noah are prime examples of that, and they fit into our growing portfolio well. We know that premium, quality storytelling and content is what matters, and that’s what we are already focused on producing at Prologue Entertainment.”
Upcoming projects for the studio include:
- “Zero Day” (Netflix) starring Robert De Niro: Six-episode series co-created, and executive produced by Oppenheim, Eric Newman and New York Times reporter Michael S. Schmidt. The series is slated to debut on Feb. 20, 2025.
- Untitled Kathryn Bigelow film for Netflix: Now in post-production, the thriller is written by Oppenheim and directed by Bigelow.
- “The Root of All Evil” (Atomic Monster/Blumhouse): A psychological thriller based on journalist Ravi Somaiya’s reporting on an exorcism in Mexico City, with Sean Tretta adapting.
- “Trapped”: A female survival thriller with screenplay by Jill Blankenship. Named to the 2024 Black List, which was announced this week.
Braun began his career as an entertainment attorney, representing talent such as Larry David, Howard Stern and David Chase. He left his law practice to become president of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, where he led its television studio and initiated the development of series including “The Sopranos,” “Just Shoot Me” and “NewsRadio.” From 1998 to 2004, Braun led Disney’s TV production arm and ABC Entertainment Television Group, overseeing the development of series including “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “The Bachelor,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Following his tenure at ABC, he became head of the Yahoo Media Group before founding media companies BermanBraun and Whalerock Industries. Most recently, he served as chairman of global talent agency WME.
Bremner is a film and TV producer and executive. At Array Filmworks, she oversaw a slate including Ramin Bahrani’s Oscar-nominated “The White Tiger,” ”Colin in Black & White” (Netflix), “DMZ” (HBO Max), “Naomi” (CW) and “Queen Sugar” (OWN). Prior to Array, the U.K. native spent five years at Netflix’s original film group, leading development and production of titles including “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “The Two Popes,” “Rebecca,” “Project Power” and “Bright.” She began her entertainment career at Nina Jacobson’s Color Force and has previously held creative roles at A&E Studios, Exclusive Media and Paramount Pictures.
As head of NBC News, Oppenheim launched three streaming networks (NBC News Now, Today All Day and Dateline 24/7) and founded NBC News Studios, executive producing “The Thing About Pam” and multiple documentary films. Among his film credits, Oppenheim wrote the Oscar-nominated biopic “Jackie,” which won best screenplay at the Venice Film Festival, and co-wrote The Maze Runner film trilogy.
RedBird Capital Partners, founded in 2014 by Gerry Cardinale, currently manages about $10 billion in assets on behalf of a global group of institutional and family office investors. The firm’s media and entertainment investment portfolio includes Skydance Media (which expects to merge with Paramount Global in 2025), All3Media, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, Media Res, and LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company.
(Pictured above, l. to r.: Lloyd Braun, Sarah Bremner, Noah Oppenheim)
English (US) ·