CBSN takes BRING YOUR OWN BRIGADE from Lucy Walker, Topic Studios

by Screenmancer Staff

LOS ANGELES, CA: CBSN today announced the acquisition of “Bring Your Own Brigade” from two-time Oscar® nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker and Topic Studios.

Walker takes the audience on an illuminating eyewitness journey into the very heart of a raging inferno in “Bring Your Own Brigade,” a character-driven exposé that answers a question humanity can no longer afford to ignore: why are catastrophic wildfires increasing in number and severity around the world, and can anything be done to lessen the staggering death and destruction they cause?

“Bring Your Own Brigade” world premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, will debut in theaters this summer and will be available on CBSN and Paramount+ after its theatrical run, with release dates to be announced.

“‘Bring Your Own Brigade’ is an incredibly compelling, immersive documentary that will bring a new perspective to a story you thought you knew, and we’re excited to present this project to viewers,” said Nancy Lane, Senior Vice President for Content Development, CBS News Digital.

“We believe the multiplatform distribution across theaters, Paramount+ and CBSN will ensure the maximum audience for this important film that clearly outlines why wildfires have become more deadly and the very real ways we can protect our communities,” said Susanne Mei, Senior Vice President, CBS News Digital.

“So many extraordinary people shared unforgettable stories that shattered my previous understanding of what was going on with these deadly wildfires,” said Walker. “I’m thrilled and grateful that now audiences will have a chance to take this emotional, unexpected and revelatory journey for themselves, to meet these characters, and to immerse themselves in this investigation about what is actually going on with these fires, and what we can do to survive them. Fortunately, I learned there are actually things we can do here in order to save ourselves that I had no idea about before I set out on this quest.”

Maria Zuckerman, EVP & Head of Topic Studios, added, “Lucy Walker’s stunning film is both personal and powerful, as she searches for the root causes of wildfires, and finds surprising answers. We at Topic Studios are excited for CBSN to release ‘Bring Your Own Brigade,’ and can’t think of a more urgent way to drive forward the public conversation around this issue, as well as enlighten and move people.”

Directed and written by Lucy Walker (Waste Land, The Crash Reel), “Bring Your Own Brigade” is presented by Topic Studios in association with XTR and Artemis Rising Foundation and is a Tree Tree Tree and Good ‘n Proper Production. Producers are Holly Becker, Julian Cautherley, Lyn Davis Lear, Martha Eidsness Mitchell and Lucy Walker. Executive Producers are Geralyn Dreyfous, Lynda Weinman, Michael Bloom, Maria Zuckerman, Ryan Heller, Lisa Leingang, Regina Scully, Jamie Wolf, Bill and Laurie Benenson, Melony & Adam Lewis, Jena King, Cindy Harrell Horn, Tony Hsieh, Bryn Mooser and Kathryn Everett. Cinetic Media negotiated the sale on behalf of the producers.

CBSN’s acquisition of Black Gold, an upcoming three-part docuseries from Oscar®-nominated director Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa and Emmy Award-winning Time Studios, was announced during the ViacomCBS Streaming Event on February 28. This true-life conspiracy thriller about a decades-long campaign to trade our planet for profit will debut on Paramount+ later this year.

In October, CBSN premiered its first feature documentary, Welcome to Pine Lake, a collaboration with independent film producers Elisa Gambino and Neal Broffman. CBSN will also continue to premiere new seasons of the CBSN Originals short documentary series. Since 2016, CBSN has produced 80 Originals documentaries on a wide range of subjects.

ABOUT CBSN:

CBSN is CBS News’ 24/7 digital streaming news service featuring live, anchored coverage available for free across platforms. Launched in November 2014, the service is a premier destination for breaking news and original storytelling from the deep bench of CBS News correspondents and reporters. CBSN features the top stories of the day as well as deep dives into key issues facing the nation and the world. CBSN has expanded its global distribution in more than 89 countries, and has launched local news streaming services in major markets across the U.S. CBSN is currently available on CBSNews.com and the CBS News app across more than 20 platforms, as well as Paramount+.

TOPIC STUDIOS

Topic Studios, the award-winning entertainment studio from First Look Media, develops, finances and produces provocative and entertaining content for all platforms including theatrical, streaming, television and podcasts. From Kevin Macdonald’s legal thriller The Mauritanian, starring Jodie Foster (Golden Globe® winner for her performance), Tahar Rahim (Golden Globe® nominee for his performance), Benedict Cumberbatch, and Shailene Woodley (STXfilms); and the Academy Award®-winning Spotlight; to documentaries The Fight, co-released with Magnolia Pictures and Mucho Mucho Amor on Netflix; to television with the Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated docuseries Love Fraud and the Emmy Award®-winning and Peabody Award nominated 16 Shots, both on Showtime; and the upcoming surfing documentary series, 100 Foot Wave on HBO/HBO Max; as well as pioneering podcasts (the return of Politically Re-Active with W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu on Warner Media Podcast Network; Pulitzer Finalist and IDA Award-winning investigative podcast, Somebody, with iHeartMedia; The Messenger on Audible Plus and the upcoming American ISIS on Audible. Recent and upcoming films from Topic Studios include Dream Horse (co-releasing with Bleecker Street), starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis and directed by Euros Lyn; Pablo Larraín’s Spencer starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, with NEON; Adam Leon’s Italian Studies starring Academy Award® nominee Vanessa Kirby; Douglas Tirola’s Leonard Bernstein portrait Bernstein’s Wall; Michael Angelo Covino’s The Climb (Sony Pictures Classics); and The Nowhere Inn, premiering September 17 (IFC Films), written by and starring Carrie Brownstein and St. Vincent. Topic Studios is also ramping up its scripted television division, having set up two premium dramas arising from their previous first-look deal with Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), including the adult thriller Savannah with PKM Productions for Amazon Studios; and is developing an English-language adaptation of the critically-acclaimed Israeli HOT comedy Nehama, among other projects.

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