Writer-producer team Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit have signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Television Animation, extending their relationship with the studio behind their new Hulu series Koala Man. Samit and Hernandez are executive producers and showrunners for the adult comedy created by Michael Cusack, which premiered today (Jan. 9). The deal also includes an arrangement with ABC Signature for live-action projects.
“Dan and Benji are wildly talented writers with a truly unique sensibility and a hilarious voice. We have been obsessed with their work for years and are very excited to continue our relationship in animation with them, and are thrilled to expand their development into live-action within our studio,” commented Marci Proietto, Executive VP of 20th Television Animation and Jonnie Davis, President of ABC Signature. “We also can’t wait for viewers to dive into Koala Man, which is our first series with this incredible duo, launching on Hulu today.”
Hernandez and Samit were previously under a joint animated/live-action series overall deal with 20th Television.
The new agreement will see the Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Addams Family 2 scribes will develop, write and produce both animated and live-action series for all platforms through their Hermit House banner.
“We’re so excited to expand our creative partnership with 20th Television Animation and ABC Signature,” said Hernandez and Samit. “Working with Marci Proietto and Chris Cikowski as well as Jonnie Davis and Tracy Underwood has been a dream come true. We hope we can be together forever, or at least until the kids go to college.”
Having kicked off their writing collaboration as undergrads at Brown University, Samit and Hernandez’s credits alco include the Apple TV+ animated musical comedy Central Park and the 2016-19 live-action take on The Tick, starring Peter Serafinowicz. They created and executive produced the recently premiered superhero coming-of-age comedy Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion (Disney Channel).
The pair’s next writing project will be a (likely live-action hybrid) feature film starring Figment, the purple dragon mascot of Walt Disney World EPCOT’s Imagination Pavilion, and produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures for Walt Disney Pictures. They are also developing to-be-announced Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures projects.
Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit are represented by 3 Arts, UTA and Jackoway.
