MEDIA RELEASE: Cineflix Productions Partners With Seven-Time Grammy Award®-Winner Gladys Knight for Returnable Premium Scripted Miniseries
New York— Cineflix Productions, the multi-award-winning production company that recently executive produced Nancy Buirski’s acclaimed feature film Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy, today announced a partnership with seven-time Grammy Award®-winner, actress, producer, and humanitarian Gladys Knight and her Empress of Soul Productions to develop a returnable premium scripted miniseries based on the artist’s illustrious life and career.
The news comes on the heels of a busy year for Knight, who recently starred in and produced the Great American Family film I’m Glad it’s Christmas and will be honored later this week at The Kennedy Center Honors alongside George Clooney, Amy Grant, Tania León, and U2 band members Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.
World renowned as the Empress of Soul, Knight is an icon in the music industry. Unmatched in her artistry, she has earned #1 hits in Pop, R&B, and Adult Contemporary, and she has also triumphed in film and television.
Georgia-born, Knight began singing gospel at the age of four and eventually formed the legendary group Gladys Knight & The Pips with her brother Bubba, sister Brenda, and two cousins. The group’s first album debuted in 1960 with Knight, at just 16, singing lead. With the Pips singing lush harmonies and providing graceful choreography, the group achieved musical icon status. Hits like “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” and “If I Were Your Woman” along with Top 10 singles like “Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye),” “Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me,” and the #1 smash hit “Midnight Train to Georgia” established the group as the premiere Pop/R&B vocal ensemble in the world. Knight enjoyed another #1 hit in 1985 teaming with Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Dionne Warwick on “That’s What Friends are For.”
With more than 38 albums recorded in her storied career, she has earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame and the BET Awards along with a Legend Award from the Soul Train Awards.
Gladys Knight says: “At the age of 78, most people in my industry have retired, but I’m just getting started. All my life I’ve been able to sing my stories. I can now use this opportunity to show the meaning behind the words. Our partnership with Cineflix, sharing my life story, will allow me to leave a legacy of hard work and dedication. That alone is greater than any award I could ever receive. It’s important to leave large footprints that go in the right direction. That’s why Empress of Soul Productions was founded.”
J.C. Mills, President and Head of Content at Cineflix Productions, adds: “Gladys is a legend and true icon; her creative ambition and artistry is unmatched. With over five decades across music, film, TV, and humanitarian efforts, her life is a beautiful mosaic that we are honored to tell.”
Executive producers will include Gladys Knight, William McDowell, Joyce Miller Roy, William Bickley, Carl Buehl, Brian Bird, and Camille Tucker for Empress of Soul Productions as well as J.C. Mills, Sherri Rufh, and Jeff Vanderwal for Cineflix Productions.
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