Jason Owen: Last News

Chris Willman Music WriterSandbox Entertainment president-CEO Jason Owen, one of Nashville’s top management figures, has signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division to produce long-form film, television and digital projects, with the “definitive” June Carter Cash documentary among the first of their collaborations to be announced.The companies say that over a period of years they plan to develop “a library of projects that tell the stories of music, history, and culture set in the South” — very familiar stomping ground for Owen, a leading figure in Nashville’s music industry who currently helps guide the careers of Kacey Musgraves, Dan + Shay, Little Big Town, Faith Hill and Kelsea Ballerini. The June Carter Cash doc will combine interviews with family members with archival footage culled from “unprecedented access to the Cash estate,” much of it, of course, related to her husband Johnny Cash or her lineage before that as part of the 20th century’s first family of country music.

Chris Willman Music WriterWhen contemporary Nashville artists and songwriters talk about perfect modern country songs, many of them wind up circling around one in particular: the Miranda Lambert-sung “The House That Built Me.” The co-writer of that and other classics over the last few decades, Tom Douglas, is the narrator and subject of a film, “Love, Tom,” just announced as coming out exclusively via the Paramount Plus streaming service on Feb. 24.A trailer for the project has the world-class songwriter appearing in a variety of Nashville locales, including the Ryman Auditorium, the Shelby Street Bridge downtown, a truck and a front porch, as he offers narration derived from a well-remembered, inspirational acceptance speech he gave upon being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

Former Galavant star Josh Sasse has been tapped as a lead in another music-driven series, Fox’s county music dynasty drama Monarch, which is slated for a midseason launch.

EXCLUSIVE: Seasoned TV director-producer Jason Ensler has been tapped to direct and executive produce the opening episode of Fox’s straight-to-series country music dynasty drama Monarch, produced by Fox Entertainment, and NBC’s drama pilot Dangerous Moms, from Warner Bros. TV and Universal TV. He is shooting the two pilots back-to-back in Atlanta.

Fox is getting further into the country music scene. The network has handed a series order to Monarch, formerly known as the Untitled Country Music Dynasty drama, from Melissa London Hilfers.

Kacey Musgraves has a new record coming, and there’s a new label partnership forming just for the release!

Denise Petski Senior Managing EditorEXCLUSIVE: Fox has put in development Icon, an anthology drama series profiling some of the world’s biggest music legends, from producer Gail Berman and leading country music manager Jason Owen. The first installment will focus on Grammy-winning mother and daughter country music duo Naomi and Wynonna Judd, who will executive produce.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVEXCLUSIVE: Fox Entertainment is opening a writers room for its Untitled Country Music Dynasty drama from writer/exec producer Melissa London Hilfers with an eye toward potential straight-to-series order for the 2021-22 season. The decision on the project, exec produced by Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady and leading country music manager Jason Owen, is part of a recalibration of the network’s approach to development.

Reese Witherspoon is bringing a new country music competition series to Apple TV+.

Peter White Television EditorApple is moving into the competition space with a country music talent contest exec produced by Reese Witherspoon.The streamer has ordered My Kind of Country from Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine, country music manager Jason Owen, and The Masked Singer showrunner Izzie Pick Ibarra. Adam Blackstone, musical director for stars including Justin Timberlake and Tim McGraw, will serve as musical director of the series, which will also be executive produced by Done + Dusted.There’s few details about the format of the show, although Apple said that it would bring a “fresh, new documentary sensibility” to the music competition genre and aim to “break down” cultural and musical barriers in country music.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterApple is getting into the music competition series space.The streamer has ordered the series “My Kind of Country,” which will feature a global search for country music talent. Per Apple, the series will feature a documentary component as it hunts for “unconventional and extraordinary” country music stars.Adam Blackstone will serve as the musical director on the series.