The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, and BET, which is a pillar of Black entertainment, announced a new partnership deal for non-scripted series. Blige’s production company, Blue Butterfly, secured a first-look deal at non-scripted projects and a second-look deal at scripted projects. One of the first projects from the partnership is reported to be in development.
Blige and BET’s partnership was announced Friday, December 16 and the first production viewers can expect will be titled, “The Wine Down.” The show will be hosted by Blige and incorporate conversations from the biggest names in entertainment, sports, social media, and politics. Potential guests include award-winning actress Taraji P. Henson and rapper Yung Miami, who is one-half of the City Girl’s rap group. More guests will be announced at a later date.
Connie Orlando, EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy sees the partnership as a way to “ remain at the forefront in offering high-quality” while also bringing new authentic content to the network. Orlando stated, “we are proud to supercharge the portfolio of content through our collaboration with Mary J. Blige’s production company, Blue Butterfly.” The BET executive also added noted that “Mary has been a vital part of the BET family and we are eager to see our partnership flourish through this partnership.”
Blue Butterfly Productions is a film, television and digital content company founded in 2019 by the famed singer. The company has developed a solid reputation since being established and even landed a first-look scripted television deal with Lionsgate. The Blue Butterfly team includes executive producers Ashaunna Ayars and Nicole Jackson. The duo helped to bring Blige’s life story to the fans in the Amazon Studios documentary, My Life. The production company is also working on other projects including the film Real Love with Lifetime and Sony Pictures Television.
When speaking on the new deal, Blige noted that she is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the network. She stated that “BET has been one of my biggest supporters throughout my career” and added that “being able to now create together, for them to be so supportive of my vision for the type of content I will create, is something I am grateful and excited for.”
The multifaceted talent has had a standout year. In 2022 she was nominated for six Grammys including Album of the Year and Record of the Year as well as co-headlined the Emmy-winning Super Bowl LVI Half Time show. Blige also released her 15th studio album and went on her “Good Morning Gorgeous” Tour.
