USA Entertainment Launches Reveille LLC Headed by Ben Silverman

Posted on March 21, 2002

USA Entertainment announced the formation of Reveille LLC, a new television and film production and distribution company under the direction of Ben Silverman. Mr. Silverman and Reveille will be based in Los Angeles and New York. Mr. Silverman takes on the role after six years at the William Morris Agency, where his background includes sourcing and selling programs such as Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, Weakest Link, Big Brother and Queer as Folk.

"Ben Silverman is a perfect example of the innovative talent USA Entertainment is interested in cultivating. I worked with Ben while at Channel 4 and wanted to bring him to USA because of his unconventional thinking. His unique expertise and proven background along with the formidable power of USA's Entertainment assets, position Reveille to succeed on a global scale," said Michael Jackson, Chairman and CEO of USA Entertainment. "You can never have enough great content and Reveille is an unparalleled addition to our stable. We have high expectations for what this alternative independent studio can deliver."

Reveille will operate as an independent studio within Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE). Reveille will develop and produce new programming formats and concepts and will work across several media and genres including comedy, drama, game, reality and motion pictures. The studio will distribute formats and non-traditional programming globally, through an international network of producers and broadcasters.

Reveille's first project is The Restaurant, which it will produce with Tribeca Film partners Jane Rosenthal and Robert DeNiro. The Restaurant was developed by Mr. Silverman and Mr. Owens as a next generation reality format featuring the creation, launch and operation of a new restaurant in New York's downtown Tribeca district. The Restaurant will be a live, fully functioning high-end food establishment, and the story arch will follow the lives of the people (owner, maitre de, chef, bartenders, wait staff, and other members) involved in the creation of New York's latest downtown food phenom. In addition, the weekly hour will also feature the patrons who attend the Restaurant, on any given evening showing a couples surprise engagement, a nasty break-up, a celebration for a job promotion or a family reunion.

"There is a new media landscape that requires a new kind of studio -- one that operates independently, but is backed by the might and resource of a forward thinking company. VUE is that forward thinking company and Reveille is that studio. We will be about smart ideas and new business paradigms that use alternative financing sources from Madison Ave. and the international marketplace," said Mr. Silverman.

Howard T. Owens III will serve as Vice President of Creative Affairs of Reveille. Mr. Owens will report to Mr. Silverman and will be based in Los Angeles. Mr. Owens is currently an agent in the corporate consulting and television packaging divisions at the William Morris Agency, representing television producers as well as top brands including Maxim Magazine, InStyle Magazine, and eBay.