Jason Beekman and Ryan Miller set up production outfit Wise Child Studios in US

Wise Child Studios’ Jason Beekman (left) and Ryan Miller

Veteran unscripted producer and director Ryan Miller and business and legal executive Jason Beekman are partnering to launch a new production company, Wise Child Studios.

The New York-based company is working across scripted and unscripted TV, feature film and podcasts. Projects on its development slate include: an investigative series with AMC; a feature doc about a 1972 concert at Sing Sing Prison headlined by blues guitar icon BB King; and a feature documentary on the life of black broadcast journalist pioneer Max Robinson.

The company is also developing a true crime podcast with Campside Media, a scripted feature about country music star Jimmie Rodgers and a scripted series about journalist and early AIDS activist Randy Shilts.

Beekman was formerly VP and head of business and legal strategy at US-based Radical Media. He has overseen aspects of packaging, development, financing, production, delivery, sales and distribution on titles such as HBO’s Spring Awakening, Peacock’s Shadowland and Netflix’s Conversations with a Killer, as well as Oscar-winning doc Summer of Soul.

Meanwhile, Miller’s credits include Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel (Netflix), Death Row Stories (CNN) and Chasing Life with Sanjay Gupta. He also served as showrunner on the upcoming Disney+ docuseries Choir. He was also previously a director on CNN’s Parts Unknown: Anthony Bourdain.

As it builds out its inaugural slate, the company has hired Constantina Konugres as executive producer of unscripted and Miatta Lebilé as exec producer of scripted.

“The industry is primed for disruption and a different kind of production company, and that’s what we’re building from the ground up,” said Beekman.

“We offer support as more of a creative incubator, adding significant value without the baggage of outsized overhead. We’re customisable and scalable per project.”

Miller added: “In my time in the industry, I’ve seen too many great ideas from fellow creatives sidelined because of a ‘business as usual’ approach, and that ends up stifling potentially valuable IP and creating significant missed opportunities.

“We are excited to do things differently at Wise Child to propel these types of projects forward, capitalising on unique opportunities and partnerships.”