Film and TV production and finance veterans Erin Eggers, Chase Hudson and Matthew Porter have launched Penchant Entertainment. The plan is to produce 2-3 feature films per year for multiple platforms, and 2-4 scripted TV projects for network and non-traditional outlets.
Paramount Pictures
The first TV project on the slate is The Scrawl, a one-hour drama series being executive produced by Oscar-nominated Arrival screenwriter Eric Heisserer. Penned by Heroes Reborn writer Zach Crawly, the supernatural thriller explores what happens when collective negativity gives birth to an actual monster. Penchant developed and will exec produce along with South Korea’s CJ Entertainment, which released the pic Killer Toon on which the series is based.
On the film side, Penchant is casting up on The Mean Tide, a thriller directed by Shana Betz (Free Ride). It centers on a convict, exonerated and released after 18 years, whose prison ties threaten to destroy his second chance at life and for a relationship with the daughter he was never allowed to know. A 2017 shoot date is being eyed. It was written by Liska Ostojic & Justin Partridge from a screenplay by Mark DeGaetani.
Eggers will oversee Penchant’s development slate after credits that include Lasse Hallstrom’s The Hoax and Winter Passing working as an exec at Fox-based Ozla Pictures and at Mark Gordon’s Stratus Film Company. Hudson is an indie producer and line producer whose film credits include Highjacked, Bloodwork and Lionsgate’s The Last Resort. Porter worked on the finance side for Valhalla Entertainment, Ozla Pictures and Morgan Creek.
“Recognizing the increasing need for quality, reasonably priced content across a variety of new and existing platforms, we started Penchant to create sophisticated, commercial entertainment for audiences worldwide,” the trio said in a release announcing the venture. “We are thrilled to be working with so many talented collaborators who share our passion and commitment to quality storytelling, from script to screen.”
