A feature project with John Legend and Mike Jackson and a television project with Chrissy Teigen and Tracy Stevens based on a children’s podcast are among the projects announced as part of Kas Kas Productions’ initial development plans. The film and television production company, founded by former Lionsgate executive Kamala Avila-Salmon, has a wide range of projects in development.
TV shows currently in development by the production company include “The Bomb Life,” a fashion drama inspired by the life of Fashion Bomb Daily founder Claire Salmers, and “Mastermind,” a crime drama about a black MBA graduate who enters the high-end fraud industry after losing his dream job. A sci-fi series, Blackstar Canyon, is also in development. The series follows an unlikely duo as they investigate the legends associated with Black Star Canyon. Barry O’Brien (Law & Order: Organized Crime showrunner and Hannah Montana creator) will serve as showrunner.
The films include Wouldn’t Mean Nuthin’, an indie romantic drama about a poet forced to confront love, ambition, and responsibility; Expulsion, a horror film about a woman kidnapped by vigilante exorcists who believe she is possessed; and a currently untitled genre feature in development with QC Entertainment.
The company’s first completed feature film, “The Gates,” recently opened in theaters and is now available digitally on EST and VOD. The film stars Mason Gooding, Algee Smith, Keith Powers, and the late James Van Der Beek. It is scheduled to be streamed this summer.
“We’re committed to fighting for the audience we know is out there – the people who watched ‘One of Them Days’ or ‘The Sinners’ or ‘Michael’ or ‘Forever’ and want fresher, more fun, original stories about all kinds of characters. We’re developing for those audiences because that’s who we are,” Avila-Salmon said in a statement.
Furthermore, she added: “When we are in times of change and uncertainty, I always say to myself, ‘Someone smart is building.’ The opportunity in this moment we are in as an industry lies in listening to and believing our viewers. It shows us that there is room for all kinds of stories on screens of all sizes, and it’s important to partner with creators who understand not just what stories they want to tell, but why they want to tell them.”
Avila Salmon has held leadership roles across entertainment and technology companies including Universal Pictures, NBC Entertainment, Google, YouTube, and Meta. She is a graduate of both Harvard University and Harvard Business School. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Black House Foundation and previously served on the Board of Directors of Alliance College-Ready Public Schools.
Avila-Salmon currently has a first-look film deal with Lionsgate.
“In Jamaica, ‘kaskas’ means controversy or disagreement. At Kaskas, we take that seriously and strive to cause ‘good trouble’ in every project we produce,” she added. “We believe it is possible to make art that serves both commercial and cultural purposes. Proclaiming that films and television shows about women, people of color, gay people, and people with disabilities are not just for those communities is an act of challenge and rebellion against industry norms.”
