‘Insecure’ Star Amanda Seales Developing Scripted Series With Bunim/Murray, Strikes Overall-Style Deal With Banijay Producer

Peter White
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Amanda Seales, who stars in HBO’s Insecure, is setting up shop with Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray Productions.

Comedian Seales, who previously co-hosted the daytime talk show The Real and hosted NBC’s Bring the Funny, is developing scripted series Amanda Seales Is Difficult with the Banijay-owned company.

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It marks Bunim/Murray’s first “residency” deal, which will see her production company Smart, Funny & Black housed at the studio. Amanda Seales is Difficult, which was developed by Seales and Bunim/Murray Vice-President of Development Myiea Coy, is currently being pitched to platforms.

She will also develop, produce and potentially star in both scripted and unscripted series across the company. BMP’s The Residency is a program designed for creators and producers to use its creative services, including full access to the studio’s development team and production services.

Seales, who plays Tiffany DuBois on Insecure, recently hosted her own HBO stand up special, I Be Knowin. She also hosted the 2020 BET Awards, hosts a weekly podcast, Small Doses, has written a book by the same name and created virtual variety game show Smart, Funny & Black.

Bunim/Murray Productions recently launched The Real World Homecoming: New York and The Challenge: All Stars on Paramount+ as well as Facebook’s Sway Life and House of Creators and is rebooting competition series Don’t Forget The Lyrics for Fox.

The company has largely produced unscripted series and reality fare but has dabbled in scripted in the past and has a joint venture with Nordic noir producer Yellow Bird, which Deadline understands is responsible for a project in development at Starz.

“This residency with the team at Bunim Murray is a major elevation opportunity for Smart Funny & Black Productions, which has grown from the ground-up, rooted in using comedy to strengthen community,” said Seales. “And what’s exciting about working with BMP, is that they’re not only mavericks in the unscripted space, but they’re also actively expanding their slate to other formats. I’m incredibly excited to be a driving force in bringing Black comedic narratives and joyful stories to the screen via my scripted and unscripted projects that span from competition formats to talking head and to whatever other dopeness the SFB/BMP squad and I drum up.”

Julie Pizzi, President, Bunim/Murray Productions, added, “Amanda was the inspiration for us to create the Residency program, as she embodies the perfect partner for Bunim/Murray—a brilliant comedienne, talented writer, an entrepreneurial producer and a thought provocateur. Amanda is a force of nature in the entertainment industry and our goal is to create a partnership that is advantageous for both her Smart, Funny & Black brand and BMP.”

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