WE tv, A&E dish out development cash

US cablenets WE tv and A&E have each awarded US$20,000 in development funding to two projects pitched at the Realscreen Summit in New Orleans this week.

Producer/writer Byron Williams and The Content Farm president Michael Holstein were the winning producers for their pitches for Passion for the Truth and El Dorado Arkansas respectively.

WE tv execs Angela Molloy, VP of development, Nicole Vogel, director of development, and David Stefanou, senior VP of original development and programming, chose Passion for the Truth to receive US$20,000.

The show sees Williams team up with professionals to investigate crimes committed within US churches and was described by Williams as “TMZ meets The 700 Club,” referencing the entertainment gossip website and the flagship programme of the Christian Broadcasting Network.

Meanwhile, A&E’s Amy Savitsky, senior VP of development and programming, Sean Gottlieb, VP of development and programming, and Marcie Hume, senior executive producer, chose El Dorado Arkansas to bag US$20,000.

The show takes place in a small, southern US town that prospered during the oil boom and is now being gentrified. As a result, a group of locals have banded together to protect the town’s local church from being turned into a boutique hotel by hunting for rumoured treasure.

The pitching session was presented in partnership with West One Music Group, who will provide the two winners with benefits including an exclusive custom theme song, music direction and full access to its library of tracks.