Tony Hawk Set To Develop Musical Adaptation Of the Novel SLAM, Aiming For Broadway in 2020

Producers Anita Greenspan and Tony Hawk with Executive producer Adam Zotovich announced today that a new musical adaptation of the 2007 Nick Hornby novel, SLAM, is in development. This new project will feature a book by Tony Award Nominee Kyle Jarrow (SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical) with music and lyrics by Mark Mothersbaugh (prolific film composer, co-founder of new wave band Devo). Pro-skater Tony Hawk, who is featured as a character in the novel, is a producer on the project and is slated to develop skate choreography.

The rest of the creative team will be announced at a later date.

SLAM is currently aiming for the 2020-2021 Broadway season.

SLAM is a funny, heartfelt coming-of-age story about 17-year-old Sam, a kid from a troubled background who finds refuge and hope in the world of skateboarding. When he falls in love for the first time, with a girl named Alicia, it seems like everything's looking up - until she gets unexpectedly pregnant. Suddenly Sam has to grow up fast. Along the way, he finds guidance through imagined conversations with Tony Hawk, his idol. Nick Hornby's witty novel is an exploration of young adulthood and what it means to wrestle with dreams and disappointments. The musical will reset the story in the U.S.

Mark Mothersbaugh (Music & Lyrics) first became famous as the co-creator and front man for the seminal New Wave band DEVO. In recent years, he has transformed into an award winning film and television composer, and fine artist who just celebrated his first 25 city art exhibition, MYOPIA, curated by the Denver Museum of Modern Art. Founded in 1973, DEVO, with their self-released singles and striking performances, earned them a cult following that included David Bowie and Iggy Pop. In 1978, Devo signed with Warner Bros., and they soon became one of the most high-profile acts in America's New Wave. Their 1980 album Freedom of Choice went Platinum and Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo went Gold. The band was Grammy nominated in 1985 for Best Long Form Video: "We're All Devo," ultimately losing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." DEVO's success opened new doors for Mark as a film and television composer. His first ground-breaking film score was for Pee-Wee's Playhouse, followed by huge hits like The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore, The Lego Movie and Thor: Ragnarok. Mark has scored films that have earned almost 6 billion dollars at the box office. He has also composed for iconic television series, earning a new fan base with his imaginative scores for shows like "Rugrats." In front of the camera, Mark starred in "Mark's Magic Pictures," the art segment for the hit show "Yo Gabba Gabba." For his contributions in art and music, Mark received an honorary PhD from Kent State University. He also co-created a scholarship program with Berklee College of Music to help talented young students achieve their goals in music. Mark is also the recipient of the 2004 BMI Richard Kirk Award. Throughout his dual career in art and music, Mark has championed the emergence of street art into the Los Angeles modern art scene. Likewise, for decades, Mark's music and art have been seminal to California's skateboarding culture. In the 70's, DEVO performed with skaters and DEVO's videos featured skate pros such as Tony Alva and Steve Olson. Devo has since appeared in countless skate video soundtracks from companies including Vans, Powell-Peralta, Real, Anti Hero, Slave, Creature, Cliché, Polar, Lakai, Santa Cruz, Habitat, Zero, Foundation, Thrasher, Big Brother, Volcom and Nike, video games such as EA Skate and even the "Dogtown and Z-Boys" documentary-permanently fusing the DEVO sound with skateboarding. In 2013, DEVO was inducted into the Skate Boarding Hall Of Fame and nominated for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2019.

Kyle Jarrow (Adaptation) created and executive-produced the television series Valor, which premiered on The CW network and is now available to stream on Netflix. Kyle is book writer of the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants, for which he was nominated for Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards. He created the streaming series Lost Generation (with original music by Duncan Sheik), and he leads the rock band Sky-Pony (called "indie pop aces" by The New York Times). Kyle's theater pieces include A Very Merry Unauthorized Children's Scientology Pageant (OBIE Award), The Wildness (Lortel Award nomination), Armless (Fringe NY Overall Excellence Award), Whisper House (with Duncan Sheik, record available from RCA/Victor), Hostage Song (with Clay McLeod Chapman), The Consequences (with Nathan Leigh), Love Kills, Trigger and Gorilla Man. His plays have been seen all over the U.S., in Canada and in Europe: including The Old Globe, Steppenwolf, New York Theatre Workshop, Ars Nova, P.S. 122, American Repertory Theatre, Williamstown Theatre Festival and London's Other Palace Theatre.

Tony Hawk (Producer, Skate Choreography) was nine years old when his brother changed his life by giving him a blue fiberglass skateboard. By fourteen he turned pro, and by sixteen he was widely considered the best skateboarder on earth. World Champion for 12 years in a row, Hawk continues to skate demos and exhibitions internationally, making him the most recognized Action Sports figure in the world. In 1999, he teamed up with Activision to create the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game and at the X Games that same year, Tony became the first skateboarder to ever land a 900, which was then considered the holy grail of vert skateboarding. Today, his business skills have helped create a Tony Hawk brand that includes a billion-dollar video game franchise, successful businesses such as Birdhouse Skateboards, Hawk Clothing, and the Tony Hawk Signature Series of sporting goods and toys. His autobiography, HAWK-Occupation: Skateboarder, was a New York Times Bestseller, and in 2010, Wiley Publishing released How Did I Get Here? The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO. In partnership with Google, Inc., Tony's film Production Company, 900 Films, launched the RIDE Channel which has since grown into the biggest skateboard destination on YouTube. He also created the Boom Boom HuckJam arena tour featuring choreography of skating, bmx, motocross and live music - including Devo.

ANITA GREENSPAN (Producer) launched The Greenspan Kohan Agency in 2000. The Agency is a boutique powerhouse representing top tier film composers, music supervisors and classical composers. Anita has helped her clients cultivate and sustain A-List careers. Her clients have garnered nominations and wins at The Academy Awards, The Emmys and The Grammys. Clients' films include Finding Neverland (Oscar Winner), The Hurt Locker (Oscar Nomination), 3:10 to Yuma (Oscar Nomination), Disobedience, A Fantastic Woman, The Royal Tenenbaums, the SCREAM franchise films, the Rugrats franchise films, Thor: Ragnorok, The Lego Movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, Hotel Translyvania, Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, Green Book, If Beale Street Could Talk, Boy Erased and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Clients' television projects include "Daredevil," "New Girl," "Entourage," "South Park," "Big Love, "Enlightened," "The Practice," "Girls," "Disenchantment," "13 Reason Why" and "Mr. Robot." Anita is partnered with Mark Mothersbaugh in Mutato Productions. Mutato has produced numerous soundtracks and live events. Additionally, Mutato has produced branded entertainment for brands such as Vans and Red Bull. Anita is a member of the visionary circle for Art of Elysium and participates on the Ovation Board for Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. She currently lives in Laurel Canyon with her two daughters, five dogs and husband Mark.

Adam Zotovich (Executive Producer) began producing while performing on Broadway at the same time. Some select producing credits include: Dear Evan Hansen (6 Tony Awards including Best Musical, 2017), The Color Purple (2 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, 2016), An American in Paris (the most awarded production of 2015), Driving Miss Daisy (starring Vanessa Redgrave and James Earl Jones), Hughie (starring Forest Whitaker), Of Mice and Men (starring James Franco), Evita (starring Ricky Martin), A View From the Bridge (starring Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber), All My Sons (starring Katie Holmes and John Lithgow), and The Addams Family (starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth). Adam is an active business consultant for companies such as StubHub, The Rise Group and Yash Raj Films and is an investor in all 6 companies of Hamilton. He holds degrees from Santa Clara University (Theater and Dance) and New York University (Arts Administration) and has received Crain's NY Rising Stars of Business "40 Under 40" Award.

Nick Hornby (Original Novel) is an English writer and lyricist. He is best known for his memoir Fever Pitch and novels High Fidelity and About a Boy, all of which were adapted into feature films. Hornby's work frequently touches upon music, sport, and the aimless and obsessive natures of his protagonists. His books have sold more than 5 million copies worldwide as of 2018.