Jason Katims departs Universal for Apple in multi-year content deal

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2019
Jason Katims, the showrunner behind some of Universal Television's hit shows, will be departing the TV studio this summer in favor of a shift to Apple, where he will help produce new video projects as part of a multi-year deal.

'Friday Night Lights,' one of the shows that lists Jason Katims as an executive producer
'Friday Night Lights,' one of the shows that lists Jason Katims as an executive producer


The executive producer of "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights", Katims and his production company True Jack Productions will be developing content for Apple as part of its ongoing video efforts. The deal, which will see Katims work exclusively for Apple, will commence once his existing Universal TV deal expires in the coming months.

Despite the departure and exclusivity, Katims will still remain actively involved in two projects under Universal TV, the Hollywood Reporter notes, including the Netflix space drama "Away" and "Sisters," currently under development with Fox.

The move to working with Apple reunites Katims with Michelle Lee, an executive on Apple's creative development team who previously served as the first head of development for True Jack Productions. Lee's replacement and current head of development at True Jack, Jeni Mulein, will also be working on the Apple-based projects.

Katims is the latest in a long line of media executives to join Apple's video business, with the list also including Joe Oppenheimer, Dana Tuinier, Shonda Rhimes, Ryan Murphy, Justin Lin, and Kenya Barris. There is also an extensive list of shows currently under development as part of the project, with recent attachments consisting of content from the "Peanuts" franchise, a "limited" series starring Jennifer Garner and produced by J.J. Abrams, and the Israeli drama "Nevelot" as a vehicle for Richard Gere.

Apple has been working on its original video content push for quite some time, with initial reports speculating the initial budget at around $1 billion, but the company could easily spend more. While it has been speculated the first wave of shows as part of the effort will arrive in early 2019, no dates for content releases have been confirmed.

It is also unclear what Apple's goal is regarding video, but rumors suggest content will be provided as part of the current TV app preloaded on Apple devices for free, alongside paid subscription "channels" from outside sources. There is also talk of a subscription bundle that combines Apple Music with the TV shows and other services.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 2 of 10
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    randominternetperson said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    ronnmacguifastasleep
  • Reply 3 of 10
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Rayz2016 said:
    randominternetperson said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    Fair enough.  I expect you also anticipate what these billions of dollars will yield however.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 4 of 10
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,357member
    Right, it's not vaporware until it misses the author/vendor/manufacturer ship date.

    Last year, Netflix and something like 1500 streaming titles. When I first got cable and HBO was free, they had one movie, were non-raster only part of the day, and repeated that movie several times a day.

    I'm guessing that's not how Apple wants do debut their streaming service. And I too am anticipating what Apple's investment will yield.

    How many billions did Bezos invest before Amazon became profitable? (And how many will he have a year from now?)
    randominternetpersonronn
  • Reply 5 of 10
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    randominternetperson said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    randominternetperson said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    Fair enough.  I expect you also anticipate what these billions of dollars will yield however.
    You mean like original TV shows and movies? Omg I cracked the code. 
    ronn
  • Reply 6 of 10
    randominternetpersonrandominternetperson Posts: 3,089member
    Rayz2016 said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    Fair enough.  I expect you also anticipate what these billions of dollars will yield however.
    You mean like original TV shows and movies? Omg I cracked the code. 
    Not exactly.  The question is whether they'll be rolling out hits like Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and A Handmaid's Tale.  If Netflix were chock full of content like Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps, FAANG would be FAAG.  The devil is in the details.  Fingers crossed.
    edited January 2019
  • Reply 7 of 10
    fastasleepfastasleep Posts: 6,417member
    randominternetperson said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    Fair enough.  I expect you also anticipate what these billions of dollars will yield however.
    You mean like original TV shows and movies? Omg I cracked the code. 
    Not exactly.  The question is whether they'll be rolling out hits like Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and A Handmaid's Tale.  If Netflix were chock full of content like Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps, FAANG would be FAAG.  The devil is in the details.  Fingers crossed.
    Wow, if there was maybe a resource where AI was keeping tabs on everything Apple's working on in this space (that we know of) and reposts it to the home page often:

    https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/07/11/here-are-all-of-the-future-tv-shows-that-apple-has-signed-deals-for
    ronnAppleExposed
  • Reply 8 of 10
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    I think RandomInternetPerson has a point since we don't know how many hits/if any hits Apple wilol have.

    I'll bet it will start slow with a lot of licensed content and get better every year.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    SpamSandwichSpamSandwich Posts: 33,407member
    randominternetperson said:
    Rayz2016 said:
    randominternetperson said:
    Which mega vaporware Apple initiative has cost more to date:  Project Titan or the Apple streaming service?  I certainly hope when these turn into "shipping" products that release cycles will be on par with their rivals.

    I'm not criticizing either of these initiatives, but the rumors-to-product ratios for these are unprecedented.

    Since Apple hasn't announced anything then it's not really vapourware, is it.
    Fair enough.  I expect you also anticipate what these billions of dollars will yield however.
    Perhaps “vapor” is itself the product. LOL.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    lina2000lina2000 Posts: 1member
    Right, it's not vaporware until the point when it misses the creator/seller/producer deliver date. 

    A year ago, Netflix and something like 1500 gushing titles. When I previously got link and HBO was free, they had one film, were non-raster just piece of the day, and rehashed that motion picture a few times each day. 

    I'm speculating that is not how Apple needs do make a big appearance their gushing administration. What's more, I also am envisioning what Apple's speculation will yield. 

    What number of billions did Bezos contribute before Amazon ended up productive? (Furthermore, what number of will he have in 12 months' time?)
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