Less than three months after exiting their Magical Elves banner, “Top Chef” and “Project Runway” producers Jane Lipsitz and Dan Cutforth are setting up shop once again.
The longtime business partners have launched new media and content company Alfred Street Industries, named for the house on the West Hollywood street where Magical Elves was formed.
Alfred Street is already producing National Geographic’s recently rebooted “Brain Games,” hosted by Keegan-Michael Key, with other series and projects across multiple networks and platforms set to go into production in 2019.
Joining the venture is veteran producer and executive Dan Volpe, who will serve as senior vice president of content and production. Volpe has worked previously with the duo on “Top Chef” and “Project Greenlight.”
Cutforth and Lipsitz exited Magical Elves, which they co-founded in 2001, in February, after it was acquired in 2014 by British production group Tinopolis. They launched “Runway” in 2004, and both continue to executive produce as it enters the casting process for season 18.
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“Our early days working on Alfred Street were a time of excitement and possibility as unscripted content changed the face of entertainment. This moment feels very much the same for us – it’s an unprecedented time of evolution and we feel like everything we’ve done to this point has prepared us to thrive in this new chapter for our industry,” said Cutforth.
Other credits for Cutforth and Lipsitz include Netflix’s “Nailed It” and two concert films in “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” and “Katy Perry: Part of Me,” the latter of which was their directorial debut.
“We feel incredibly lucky to be able to re-enter the marketplace now as both producers and directors, and to really have the time and opportunity to tell the kinds of stories we want to tell. We have been overwhelmed by the incredible support we’ve already received from our colleagues and friends and look forward to welcoming everyone to Alfred Street where we feel like anything can happen,” Lipsitz added.