Rest in Power: Paramount Network to Air Trayvon Martin Mini-series - canceled + renewed TV shows

Spike TV, which is rebranding as Paramount Network in January of 2018, has ordered Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story as a mini-series. The six-part drama is expected to premiere on Paramount Network in 2018. Shawn Carter, Harvey Weinstein, David C. Glasser, Chachi Senior, Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin, Jenner Furst, Nick Sandow, Julia Willoughby Nason, and Michael Gasparro are executive producing.

Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story is based on the book, Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, by Martin’s parents Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, as well as the book Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It, by Lisa Bloom.

Learn more from this Spike / Paramount Network press release.

PARAMOUNT NETWORK JOINS FORCES WITH SHAWN CARTER AND THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY FOR A GROUNDBREAKING DOCUMENTARY SERIES, “REST IN POWER: THE TRAYVON MARTIN STORY”

New York, NY, April 6, 2017 – Paramount Network, launching in January 2018, has teamed up with Shawn Carter and The Weinstein Company, for a landmark television event, “Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” based on the life and legacy of Trayvon Martin.

The six-part event series will go into production later this year and premiere on Paramount Network in 2018. This marks the first new non-scripted series for Paramount Network, which is rebranding from its current name, Spike TV, next year.

This is the second partnership between Shawn Carter, The Weinstein Company and Paramount Network/Spike TV and The Cinemart as they teamed up for the critically-acclaimed and influential series, “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story,” that concluded last night.

Martin was an unarmed 17-year old high school student shot and killed by a neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman, in the Florida community where they both lived. Zimmerman was acquitted on a second-degree murder charge after claiming he shot Martin in self-defense, sparking protests and outrage worldwide.

“We are humbled and excited to embark upon this new beginning with Shawn Carter, Harvey, and Paramount. We know this means a lot to this country. We continue to tell our story in order to unite people. We are very hopeful that this project will bring about a healthy and helpful conversation on the injustices that have divided society. That is also why we started the Trayvon Martin Foundation. We know as parents, that the third act of our son’s legacy is hope,” said Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin.

“This is an important American story. We’re honored that Trayvon’s family has entrusted us to share the truth with the world,” said Shawn Carter. Thank you, again, to Paramount Network/Spike TV for being brave enough to partner with us and tell these complex narratives. It’s through these conversations that we can begin to heal.”

“From two brilliant books come an incredible portrait of another American injustice,” said TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein. “Having this opportunity to reunite with Shawn Carter and Kevin Kay of Paramount Network is a career highlight for me.”

“I am thrilled to once again partner with the incredibly talented team of The Weinstein Company and Shawn Carter to take a comprehensive look beyond the headlines at the circumstances that caused Trayvon’s senseless death and the movement born out of this tragedy,” said Kevin Kay, President, Spike TV (soon to be Paramount Network), TV Land, and CMT.

“I am proud to help get these extremely important stories out there,” said Chachi Senior, Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Spike TV (soon to be Paramount Network). “Our hope is to continue to inspire change and reform the way we are doing with Kalief’s story.”

“Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story” will be based on two books – Lisa Bloom’s “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It” and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” by Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin.

In “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It,” bestselling author, trial attorney, and NBC News analyst Lisa Bloom, who covered the murder trial, exposes the injustice and outlines the biggest mistakes made by the state of Florida that guaranteed it would lose this “winnable case,” and the laws and biases that created the conditions for this tragedy.

In “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” Trayvon Martin’s parents take readers beyond the news cycle with an account only they could give, the intimate story of a life tragically cut short and the rise of a movement to end similar injustices.
Executive Producers for the series include Shawn Carter, Harvey Weinstein, David C. Glasser, Chachi Senior, Sybrina Fulton, Tracy Martin, Jenner Furst, Nick Sandow, Julia Willoughby Nason, and Michael Gasparro.

About Viacom:
Viacom is home to premier global media brands that create compelling television programs, motion pictures, short-form content, apps, games, consumer products, social media experiences, and other entertainment content for audiences in more than 180 countries. Viacom’s media networks, including Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, VH1, Spike, BET, CMT, TV Land, Nick at Nite, Nick Jr., Logo, Nicktoons, TeenNick, Channel 5 (UK), Telefe (Argentina) and Paramount Channel, reach over 3.9 billion cumulative television subscribers worldwide. Paramount Pictures is a major global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment. For more information about Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following Viacom’s blog at blog.viacom.com and Twitter feed at www.twitter.com/viacom.

About Roc Nation:
Since its founding in 2008, Roc Nation has grown into the world’s preeminent entertainment company. We work in every aspect of modern entertainment—with recording artists and producers, songwriters and athletes. Our client list includes some of the world’s most recognizable names: from Rihanna, Shakira, J. Cole, and Big Sean to Yoenis Cespedes, Kevin Durant, Dez Bryant, and Robinson Cano. We are a full service organization, supporting our diverse roster of talent via artist management, music publishing, touring, production, strategic brand development and beyond. We’ve forged strong partnerships with the world’s leading experts in management, technology, fashion, and philanthropy, and are redefining the business of entertainment.

About Weinstein Television:
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob’s tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 357 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS: THE KING’S SPEECH; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON; WOMAN IN GOLD; SOUTHPAW, CAROL; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; SING STREET, and HANDS OF STONE. Upcoming releases include LION, GOLD, and THE FOUNDER.

Weinstein Television boasts an active television production division which garnered twelve Emmy nominations in 2015. Weinstein Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, Project Runway Jr, featuring supermodel Hannah Jeter and fashion critic Kelly Osbourne. Current new series include the business focused Fashion Inc. which premiered this fall on Lifetime, and the late night AMC talk show Geeking Out.

Scripted series include critically acclaimed mini-series War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016, Scream with MTV, which premiered its second season in May 2016, Peaky Blinders with Netflix just aired its third season, and Julian Fellowes’ Doctor Thorne with Amazon. Upcoming series include Stephen King’s The Mist (a straight-to-series 10 episode order) for Spike TV, military drama Six (a straight-to-series 8 episode order) for HISTORY and animated series Spy Kids for Netflix (a multi season commitment).

Television projects in development explore a range of arenas and are not exclusive to drama or comedy, minis or continuing series, live action or animated. An active slate of more than 60 projects include soon to be sold reality competition show Incubator, Mario Puzo’s Omerta with Antoine Fuqua and Sylvester Stallone, Stephen King’s The Breathing Method with Blumhouse, Scott Teems and Scott Derrickson, and UK series SS-GB and Love, Nina. For more information on The Weinstein Company, please visit:

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About The Cinemart:
The Cinemart is a Full-Service Production Company and Creative Firm founded by Award-Winning Filmmakers Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason. After spending a decade producing seminal Docuseries Events like Brick City and Chicagoland, and working for industry luminaries like Robert Redford, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese; The Cinemart now produces Independent Films, Groundbreaking Television and disruptive Commercial Content for some of the world’s most influential Brands and Musicians. Recent Projects include the award-winning Sundance favorite Welcome to Leith and Sprite’s Obey Your Thirst Campaign starring Drake and Nas. The company is currently producing “TIME: The Kalief Browder Story,” a six-part Docuseries Event for Spike TV, Executive Produced by Jay Z, Harvey Weinstein, Nick Sandow and Michael Gasparro. The Cinemart’s studio and post facility are located in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.