CBS Studios has established 25 Stories, a new multiplatform entity that’s in partnership with Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman that is aimed at amplifying voices for people of color and creating sustainable career paths in the realm of television from staff writer to showrunner.
The new studio venture will be led by veteran network executive Bruce Evans, who joins as executive vice president. He most recently served as Executive Vice President, Current Programming, NBC Entertainment.
“25 Stories began in my kitchen in 2017 during a marathon screenwriting weekend for about 25 women of color, all extraordinary writers,” said Lumet in a statement. “I knew I wanted to bring prestige television by writers of color to the marketplace, and I began to think about how to create a space where marginalized voices are centered. A space where both seasoned and newer voices have room to breathe. I thought a lot about scale: intimate stories, family stories, positive stories. I wanted people to emerge from their experience with 25 Stories with the tools to start their own companies. Ultimately, a space that will launch creators. Those 25 writers in my kitchen led me right here.”
Kurtzman added, “I’ve been so lucky to do work I’m proud of in collaboration with brilliant people. The best way to stand up for everything Jenny and I believe in is to stand behind the mission of 25 Stories. Creating a company solely dedicated to this mission felt like an important next step, to expand on the work we’ve done at Secret Hideout. We’re thrilled Bruce is joining us, and we’re grateful to CBS Studios for believing in this effort enough to make it a reality.”
“It is imperative for us as a studio to support the growth of diverse storytelling, by providing a nurturing environment for creative voices to emerge and thrive. This new imprint is in line with the evolving goals of the studio to be more diverse, thoughtfully inclusive, and strategically equitable in telling more kinds of stories,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Studios. “And no one is better suited to support those voices than Jenny, Alex and Bruce. Their combination of experience and creative acumen makes them the ideal trio to lead this venture. We’re honored to be the home of this new and important company.”
As a part of 25 Stories, CBS Studios will support Lumet, Kurtzman and Evans as they develop content for linear, premium cable and streaming platforms.
Kurtzman runs the ViacomCBS Star Trek shows. Lumet, while collaborating with him on some of those projects, is behind the upcoming series The Man Who Fell To Earth and the recent CBS series Clarice (co-created with Kurtzman).
