VICE TV RENEWS FOUR DOCUSERIES, INCLUDING MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS' "BLACK MARKET"
Renewals announced as VICE TV reports strong January performance and QAnon: The
Search for Q becomes highest rated show since Dark Side of the Ring: Season 2
BROOKLYN, NY (FEBRUARY 23, 2020) - Today, VICE TV announced four docuseries have
been greenlit for second seasons. After a five-year hiatus, Michael K. Williams' BLACK
MARKET will return alongside fall 2020's I WAS A TEENAGE FELON and WHILE THE REST
OF US DIE, and summer 2019's THE DEVIL YOU KNOW.
The renewals come on the heels of a strong January for the network, with VICE TV reporting
the strongest monthly growth since April 2020 among A18-49 and A25-54 after the successful
launch of the investigative docuseries QAnon: The Search for Q (produced by VICE Studios)
the network's best performing original series since Dark Side of the Ring: Season 2 , averaging
247,000 total viewers and 121,000 in the key A25-54 demo. The network saw increases and
impressive rank improvements in all three key demos versus year-ago, making VICE TV one of
only 14 networks among all ad-supported cable to see YOY growth (A18-49).
"2021 has started off on a strong note for us" said Morgan Hertzan, Executive Vice President
& General Manager, VICE TV . "Our January performance, coupled with the return of such a
gripping slate of shows, is just the start of what's going to be a very exciting year for the
network. VICE TV has always been a home for courageous storytellers and a destination for
programming that challenges and defies the status quo. The success of these series are rooted
in our commitment to bring viewers a new perspective and we're excited to delve even deeper
into worlds you thought you knew and bring our audiences stories told by people you won't hear
from anywhere else."
BLACK MARKET season two , hosted by Emmy-nominated actor Michael K. Williams, returns
on a mission to investigate the complex factors that drive people into the often dangerous
underground economies and illicit trade networks. The global docuseries will continue the work
Williams began in season one, which revealed an intimate portrait of the conditions from which
black markets arise and the cultural reasons behind why they persist, from carjacking in
Newark, NJ to the poaching of abalone off the coast of South Africa. In all-new episodes, the
series will showcase rare, first-person access to the communities most impacted by the
worldwide shadow economy. As Michael K. Williams says, "When the system fails you, you
create your own system." Black Market explores exactly that, the hidden, criminal markets that
fuel daily life for those who feel locked out of the mainstream and have no choice but to rely on
illicit trade to survive
"After a busy period of back-to-back projects, I'm incredibly excited to rejoin my VICE family in
taking a deeper dive behind telling the narratives of these global communities." said Michael K.
Williams.
Black Market season two is produced by FREEDOME PRODUCTIONS & PICTURE FARM, and
co-produced by VICE World News. Executive producers for Freedome Productions & Picture
Farm are Michael K. Williams, Ben Freedman, Dion Sapp, Matthew Horowitz, David Laven, and
Matt Goldman. Executive producers for VICE World News are Jesse Angelo, Kristen Burns,
Subrata De, and Marsha Cooke. Executive producer for VICE TV is Falguni Lakhani Adams.
The series is distributed worldwide by VICE Distribution.
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW will return with a six-part season that uncovers the proliferation of
online cults in America through the investigation of cult leader Sherry J. Shriner, her New Age
Alien Agenda, and how she used YouTube as a breeding ground for a diabolical lizard cult. In
this ground-breaking second season, The Devil You Know looks deep into the mysterious
murder of Steven Mineo and suicide of Kelly Pingilley, revealing self-described "granny from
Ohio" turned cult leader Sherry J. Shriner as the link between the two. Viewers will get front-row
seats to hear exclusive interviews with a convicted killer, ex-cult members, police, grieving
friends, investigative journalist Tony Russo, and former YouTube Insider and AI Expert
Guillaume Chaslot, as well as commentary on and analysis of cult-leader Sherry J. Shriner's
own words from her radio show and other online programs. The Devil You Know season two is
produced by VICE Studios and executive produced by Sarah Sharkey Pearce. Executive
Producer for VICE Studios is Vanessa Case. Executive Producer for VICE TV is Catherine
Whyte, Executive Vice President and Head of Production, and Liz Cowie is Senior Manager,
Development and Alternative Programming. The series is distributed worldwide by VICE
Distribution.
I WAS A TEENAGE FELON Volume II will continue to uncover some of the most outrageous
and brazen stories of youthful ambition gone awry, revealing how seemingly-average American
kids turned themselves into smugglers, dealers, scammers, hackers, and thieves. Through
first-person interviews and cinematic visuals, the docuseries' second season will chart the
emotional rollercoaster ride from innocent to outlaw, showcasing the intoxicating highs and
sobering lows that make it hard to believe these stories really happened. I Was A Teenage
Felon season two is produced by The Intellectual Property Corporation (IPC ), an Industrial
Media company. Aaron Saidman and Eli Holzman are Executive Producers for IPC, along with
Executive Producer and Showrunner Haylee Vance. Executive Producer for VICE TV is
Catherine Whyte, Executive Vice President and Head of Production. The series is distributed
worldwide by VICE Distribution.
WHILE THE REST OF US DIE will pivot away from the secret history of the government's
doomsday plans to bring viewers a second season uncovering decades of government
decisions that have rigged daily life against ordinary Americans, prioritizing the interests of the
wealthy and the profits of big companies over the economic and physical health and well-being
of working, tax-paying, law-abiding families. Delving into the dark partnership between the
government and the one percent, season two will unmask the hidden history of how the IRS
ensures the rich get richer; reveal the corporate welfare that funnels our tax dollars into the bank
accounts of billionaire sugar barons and kings of coal while both destroy our health; and expose
how the elite jump the line on life-saving vaccines and experimental therapies, while also
profiting from the peddling of addictive medications that shatter lives and communities. While
The Rest Of Us Die is produced by Efran Films. Executive Producers for Efran Films are Shawn
Efran, Anthony Lappé, Jordan J. Mallari and Garrett M. Graff. Executive Producer for VICE TV
is Lee Hoffman, and Tara Nadolny is Senior Development Manager. Catherine Whyte is EVP,
Head of Production for VICE TV and Morgan Hertzan is Executive Vice President and General
Manager, VICE TV. The series is distributed worldwide by VICE Distribution.
The announcements come on the heels of VICE TV's recent launches including QAnon: The
Search for Q , the first-ever docuseries to investigate the true identity of the mysterious figure
behind the movement known as 'Q'; and Hamilton's Pharmacopeia Season 3 , the
award-winning hit series that investigates the history, chemistry, and social impact of the world's
most infamous and extraordinary mind-altering substances. Other series in production at the
network include Dark Side of the Ring Season 3, Dark Side of Football, and Dark Side of
the '90s.
ABOUT VICE TV
VICE TV is the Emmy(R)-winning international television network from VICE Media Group. Since its
inception in 2016, the channel has ushered new audiences to cable with its compelling and provocative
programming. Boldly redefining news and current affairs, VICE TV produces hundreds of hours of original
content for over 160 million homes worldwide. Built around a mission to courageously explore the things
that make us uncomfortable, drive curiosity, and awaken our sense of wonder, VICE TV showcases the
best in informative and entertaining original series, documentaries and movies.
ABOUT VICE STUDIOS
VICE Studios is a global production and distribution division within VICE Media Group delivering
premium original programming across documentary, scripted and film. With development and
production teams in the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, VICE Studios cuts
through culture, delivering stories that are popular, human and spotlight the unexpected for audiences
around the world.
VICE Studios also houses VICE's new licensing and distribution group, with a catalogue of over 1000
hours of programming created across the VICE Media Group, across a range of genres from
documentary to lifestyle to Vice News.
VICE Studios upcoming original productions include Flee, World Cinema Documentary Grand Jury Prize
winner at Sundance 2021, six-part documentary series Pride for FX and Moments Like This Never Last
which premiered at DOCNYC. Launched in 2017, VICE Studios productions include Chris Smith's
Emmy-nominated Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond and Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened
(Netflix); feature film The Report starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening (Amazon); Diego Osorno's
1994 (Netflix), Dark Side of the Ring (VICE TV), AKA Jane Roe (FX), and Satanic Verses (BBC).
ABOUT VICE WORLD NEWS
Building off the success of VICE News in the U.S, VICE World News is VICE Media Group international
news network, producing hundreds of hours of television, digital and audio news programming for a global
audience. The premium documentaries, docu-series and original podcasts will focus on the core issues
that so define VICE's content: extremism, climate, drugs, privacy, politics, inequality and race.
ABOUT VICE MEDIA GROUP
VICE Media Group is the world's largest independent youth media company. Launched in 1994, VICE
has offices in 35 cities across the globe with a focus on five key businesses: VICE.com, an award-winning
international network of digital content; VICE STUDIOS, a feature film and television production studio;
VICE TV, an Emmy(R)-winning international television network; a Peabody award-winning NEWS division
with the most Emmy(R)-awarded nightly news broadcast; and VIRTUE, a global, full-service creative
agency with 21 offices around the world. VICE's programming has been recognized by the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences, Peabody's, Sundance Film Festival, George Polk, Scripps Howard, PEN
Center, Cannes Lions, Knight Foundation, American Society of Magazine Editors, LA Press Club and
James Beard, among others. VICE Media Group's portfolio includes Refinery29 , the leading global media
and entertainment company focused on women; PULSE Films , a London-based next-generation
production studio with outposts in Los Angeles, New York, Paris and Berlin; i-D , a global digital and
bimonthly magazine defining fashion and contemporary culture; and Garage , a digital platform and
biannual publication converging the worlds of art and design.
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