Film Roman Names New Development And Programming Exec.
Sidney Clifton has been promoted to senior vice president and head of development and programming at independent animation company Film Roman, Inc. Clifton has already placed five projects into fast track development, while she oversees script development on the animated series TRIPPING THE RIFT, currently in production with CinéGroupe and the Sci-Fi Channel. On Film Roman's development slate are Guy Vasilovich's SHLUB, a story about a boy raised in a jar and his unique view of the world; SHAWKS, an action-comedy series that originated on the Web and follows the adventures of a group of kids convinced the world is being taken over by sharks masquerading as humans; finally, DEITY is based on the comic book of the same name about a teenaged girl in futuristic Los Angeles chosen to save the world. Also in fast track development is an animated Christmas special about the black magi's journey to the manger and IT'S DAVY JONES!, a live-action series starring the former teen-idol. In making the announcement, Film Roman's president and CEO John Hyde stated, "There is no one better suited than Sidney to run development and programming. Her extraordinary creative skills, incredible eye for talent and her strong industry relationships have not only enhanced our position as one of the primary suppliers of animated programming, but also have greatly expanded our presence in the television marketplace." For the past two years, Clifton has been Film Roman's vice president of television development, where she was responsible for creating and developing the company's animation, live-action and reality series, as well as long-form, direct-to-video and specials programming. Film Roman is best known as the producer of THE SIMPSONS and KING OF THE HILL, but has been struggling to get its original productions on the air. Hopefully, this latest move will help to company continue the progress it has made with TRIPPING THE RIFT.