Pulse Films and Paramount Television to Produce Grime Biography, INNER CITY PRESSURE

Pulse Films and Paramount Television have announced today a deal to option the rights to journalist Dan Hancox's acclaimed non-fiction book Inner City Pressure for Television. The project is set to be produced by Pulse Films' Thomas Benski, Lucas Ochoa and Sam Bridger. HarperCollins published the book in May of this year.

Inner City Pressure tells the incredible story of how a group of OUTSIDERS from the margins of urban life went on to create Grime, a music genre that has become a British institution. The book is the culmination of a decade of in-depth interviews and research with all the key PIONEERS and players in the scene, and has earned Hancox praise from across the music industry, fellow journalists, literary critics and even politicians. It was recently nominated for the Penderyn Music Prize.

The deal was negotiated by Pulse Films' Commercial Director Tim O'Shea and Lana Beckwith on behalf of HarperCollins.

Author Dan Hancox said: "I'm thrilled to be working with Paramount Television and Pulse Films on bringing Inner City Pressure to the screen. The response to the book has been incredible. I think people really recognize that you can't tell the story of grime without telling the story of the city and society around it - and likewise, if you want to understand London, its politics, poverty, riots, gentrification, frustrations, tensions and joys, there's no better insight into the first two decades of 21st century London than grime. The fact that a company with a track record as fantastic as Paramount TV and Pulse want to bring all those interlocking threads to life as well is tremendously exciting, and I can't wait to get started."

Thomas Benski, Pulse Films CEO added: "Inner City Pressure vividly depicts the origins of Grime from a burgeoning subculture into a tour de force of British influence from a cultural, social and political point of view. The way Punk marked a generation, Grime has become the symbol of a movement that now reaches BEYOND the UK. As a studio we try to find high-end IP that can create moments of culture. The book, the story and this new series all have the components of a genre defining show that is ready to cross-over and shine a light on a defining contemporary story. The partners around this project are tremendous and I could not be more excited to embark on this journey with Paramount Television, HarperCollins and Dan Hancox."

Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount Television: "We are thrilled to be working with Dan, Pulse Films and HarperCollins on this project. Dan has brilliantly captured the essence of a movement that changed popular culture and we know that the stories to be told will resonate with television audiences."

Lana Beckwith, Senior Content Development Manager at HarperCollins, who brokered the deal, said: "As soon as I read Inner City Pressure, I knew it would translate to the screen. It's an amazing story, told brilliantly by Dan Hancox, who has such expertise in the subject. It became a real passion project, and I'm delighted to have agreed this deal with Pulse Films, who immediately impressed with their strong creative vision and flawless credentials. I'm certain that the creative partnership between Dan and the fantastic team at Paramount TV and Pulse will lead to very exciting things indeed."

Paramount Television works with the biggest and brightest creators and producers to develop must-see content including Tom Clancy's JACK RYAN, starring John Krasinski on Amazon, currently in production on season 2; MANIAC, a dark comedy series directed by Emmy® Award winner Cary Joji Fukunaga, starring Academy Award® winner Emma Stone and Academy Award® nominee Jonah Hill on Netflix; the hit series 13 REASONS WHY on Netflix, currently in production on season 3; Emmy®-nominated limited series THE ALIENIST on TNT, based on the best-selling novel from Caleb Carr, starring Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans and Daniel Brühl and directed by BAFTA®-nominee Jakob Verbruggen; THE ANGEL OF DARKNESS, a new limited series for TNT based on the sequel to best-selling author Caleb Carr's The Alienist, with Emmy® Award-nominated writer and producer Frank Pugliese to serve as showrunner; CATCH-22, a six-part limited series, based on Joseph Heller's seminal novel of the same name, with Anonymous Content, George Clooney and Grant Heslov for Hulu; FIRST WIVES CLUB, debuting on Paramount Network in 2019, written by Tracy Oliver ("Girls Trip"); THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE on Netflix with Steven Spielberg's Amblin TV; crime drama BERLIN STATION on EPIX with Anonymous Content from New York Times best-selling spy novelist Olen Steinhauer, currently in production on season 3; BOOMERANG, the half-hour series based on the 1992 romantic comedy film, executive produced by Halle Berry and Lena Waithe for BET; the limited series for Apple, DEFENDING JACOB, based on William Landay's novel with Chris Evans set to star; LOOKING FOR ALASKA, a limited series for Hulu based on bestselling John Green novel from executive producer Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage's Fake Empire; and the dramatic mystery series for Apple, UNTITLED HILDE LYSIAK PROJECT, inspired by the real-life story of 11-year-old Hilde Lysiak, starring Brooklynn Prince, executive produced and directed by Jon M. Chu.

Pulse Films' most recent credits include the Sundance selected SKATE KITCHEN, directed by Crystal Moselle, marking their seventh consecutive year at the festival. The studio is also developing ATOMIC BAZAAR, a major new scripted series helmed by Gregory Burke ('71, Entebbe) and GANGS OF LONDON with Gareth Evans & Matt Flannery (The Raid). This year the studio received four Grierson Award nominations for documentaries KINGDOM OF US, NO GREATER LAW and RUDEBOY: THE STORY OF TROJAN RECORDS. Feature doc XY CHELSEA, executive produced by Oscar® winner Laura Poitras, was picked up by Showtime for North American television distribution and is set for the film festival circuit followed by a theatrical engagement.

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