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[12/16/22 - 04:00 PM]
Academy Award-Nominated and Grammy Award-Winning Artist, Actor, Producer and Entrepreneur Mary J. Blige's Production Company Blue Butterfly Signs First Look Deal in Non-Scripted with BET
"The Wine Down" is the first unscripted project being developed under the first look deal.

[via press release from BET]

ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED AND GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING ARTIST, ACTOR, PRODUCER AND ENTREPRENEUR MARY J. BLIGE'S PRODUCTION COMPANY BLUE BUTTERFLY SIGNS FIRST LOOK DEAL IN NON-SCRIPTED WITH BET

The Partnership Will Additionally Include a Second Look Deal in Scripted Content

New York, NY - December 16, 2022 - BET, a unit of Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA; PARAP), strikes first look deal in non-scripted and second look deal in scripted with Mary J. Blige's production company, Blue Butterfly.

"As we strive to provide our audience with the best in biopics and documentaries, we are poised to remain at the forefront in offering high-quality, authentic on-screen portrayals of the lives of the culture's most significant Black talent; and we are proud to supercharge the portfolio of content through our collaboration with Mary J. Blige's production company, Blue Butterfly," says Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy, BET. "Throughout her legendary career, Mary has blazed trails to become a global superstar. With Blue Butterfly, Mary develops awe-inspiring stories of the Black experience while uniquely using music to set the foundation. Mary has been a vital part of the BET family and we are eager to see our partnership flourish through this partnership."

"THE WINE DOWN" is the first unscripted project being developed under the first look deal. "THE WINE DOWN," an innovative unscripted series hosted by Blige, will bring together the hottest, most outspoken, highly sought-after people in entertainment, sports, social media, and politics to uncork a bottle to take a sip and have raw, provocative, insightful and real conversations. Academy Award(R)-nominated and Golden Globe(R)-winning actor, writer, director, producer, and philanthropist Taraji P. Henson and chart-topping rapper Yung Miami will be among the first guests with more talent to be announced at a later date.

"BET has been one of my biggest supporters throughout my career," said Mary J. Blige. "Being able to now create together, for them to be so supportive of my vision for the type of content I will create, is something I am grateful and excited for. We already have multiple projects in the works and there is much more to come."

Blue Butterfly Productions is a film, television and digital content company founded in 2019 by Blige. In addition to the partnership with BET, Blue Butterfly has a first look scripted television deal with Lionsgate Television. Through Blue Butterfly, Blige is expanding her already iconic career of telling stories through music, to creating diverse stories and narratives for all audiences on film. Blige, along with partners Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson, recently executive produced her deeply personal and celebrated documentary with Amazon Studios, Mary J. Blige's My Life. They launched the inaugural sold out "Strength of a Woman Festival and Summit" this past May in Atlanta and are in development on various television and film projects including the film Real Love with Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television, andseries includingThe Wine Down with BET.

Blige has taken 2022 by storm. She was nominated for six Grammys including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. She co-headlined the now Emmy-winning Super Bowl LVI Half Time show alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Kendrick Lamar. She dropped her 15th studio album, Good Morning Gorgeous, in February, with a deluxe version dropping that May. That same month, she received the 2022 Billboard Icon Award and launched her own festival. In June, she was recognized as a Time 100 2022 honoree. Blige is currently starring in the hit show Power Book II: Ghost, for which she recently earned her second consecutive NAACP nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Monet, after winning the award in 2021. It was just announced that the Starz show's third season is premiering in March of 2023. Blige just wrapped her highly anticipated Good Morning Gorgeous Tour, with special guests Ella Mai & Queen Naija.

Blige is represented by The Ayars Agency, APA, The Lede Company, and Granderson Des Rochers.

###

About BET

BET, a subsidiary of Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARAA; PARA; PARAP), is the leading provider of premium entertainment, music, news, digital and public affairs content for Black audiences worldwide. BET linear is in 125 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, Brazil, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is one of the most well-known Black consumer brands worldwide, with multi-platform business extensions including BET Studios, an unprecedented studio venture that offers equity ownership for Black content creators; BET+, the preeminent streaming service for the Black audience; BET Digital, including BET's wide reaching social platforms and BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul, and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET's events and experience business; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About Blue Butterfly Productions

Blue Butterfly Productions is a film, television and digital content company founded in 2019 by Grammy Award winning and Academy Award nominee Mary J. Blige. Blige is expanding her already iconic career of telling stories through music, to creating diverse stories and narratives for all audiences on film. The endeavor comes on the heels of Blige executive producing, producing and starring in a variety of film and television projects. In 2019, Blige signed a first-look scripted television deal with Lionsgate, where she will develop and produce television series under her Blue Butterfly Productions banner and create content across the company's other business platforms. Blue Butterfly also struck a first look deal in non-scripted and second look deal in scripted content with BET Studios. Most recently, Blige executive produced her deeply personal and celebrated documentary with Amazon Studios, Mary J. Blige's My Life, through her banner. Upcoming projects include the film Real Love with Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television,and series including The Wine Down and Ride or Die with BET Studios.





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· WINE DOWN WITH MARY J. BLIGE, THE (BET)





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