Nina Tassler & Denise DiNovi Launch Indie Studio PatMa Focused On Diverse Voices

Nina Tassler & Denise DiNovi Launch Indie Studio PatMa Focused On Diverse Voices

Former CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler and veteran producer Denise Di Novi have teamed to launch PatMa Productions.

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PatMa, named after Di Novi and Tassler’s mothers, Pat and Norma, respectively, is described as “a multi-platform independent studio aimed at amplifying diverse voices.” The studio will create content for all entertainment platforms, including film, television, theatre, digital, publishing, and beyond. It will be separate from Di Novi’s Di Novi Pictures whose longtime production deal at Warner Bros. Pictures will continue.

“We are committed to gender parity, and giving women and people of color more opportunities both in front of and behind the camera,” said Di Novi. “PatMa will develop content that not only entertains, but surprises, challenges, and awakens audiences to the emotional experiences of people from every walk of life.”

Tassler and Di Novi have both shepherded successful female-driven entertainment content and have advocated for diversity and inclusion throughout their careers so far. They previously worked together on the 2000 CBS drama series The District, which DiNovi executive produced and Tassler oversaw as the network’s head of drama.

“We recognize that diverse voices from diverse backgrounds make innovative storytelling, which is good for business, and we are excited to work in partnership with an array of creatively talented people – both women and men – who share our vision and values,” said Tassler. “It’s a critical time and we look forward to telling these stories across a wide spectrum of platforms.”

PatMa Prods. has forged strategic partnerships with several organizations with shared common values, including the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, Center for Popular Democracy, and Planned Parenthood, among others.

With Tassler at the helm as president and then chairman of CBS Entertainment, the network ranked as the most watched network for 11 of her 12 years tenure, with such popular series as The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, The Good Wife, Undercover Boss, Mom and Scorpion. During her tenure, she assembled a senior executive staff that was 50% female, and cultivating a stable of showrunners that was one-third female. In 2004, Tassler launched a “Diversity Conversation” at CBS, in conjunction with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, and helped establish CBS Entertainment’s first Diversity, Inclusion, and Communications department. Since departing CBS in 2015, Tassler has been working as a producer, developing a variety of film, television, and theatre projects, and published her first book, along with Cynthia Littleton, What I Told My Daughter: Lessons from Leaders on Raising the Next Generation of Empowered Women through CBS’ Simon & Schuster.

Di Novi, recipient of Women in Film’s 2016 Crystal + Lucy Award for Excellence in Film, has produced a number of female-driven films, including Heathers; Little Women; Crazy, Stupid Love; and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants; as well as Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, and James and the Giant Peach, through her producing association with Tim Burton; and most recently Focus; If I Stay; and Unforgettable, marking her 2017 directorial debut. In television, she is directing upcoming episodes of Sneaky Pete and Outlander.

The formation of PatMa Prods. was facilitated by CAA, Evolution Media, and attorney Cliff Gilbert-Lurie. Di Novi is repped by CAA and Rain Management Group.