Lively McCabe Entertainment Expands New York Offices

Lively McCabe Entertainment Co-President Michael Barra proudly announces the expansion of their Columbus Circle office with the hiring of two key executives, Darnetha Lincoln M'Baye and Molly Israel Paul. Ms. M'Baye has joined the company as VP, Head of Music and will be responsible for managing the company's content partnerships with the major music publishers, as well as overseeing the packaging of all music intellectual property elements into the company's stage, film, and television development slates. Also joining Lively McCabe this month is Molly Israel Paul, who will serve as Creative Executive, focusing on the development of new plays adapted from existing IP for the company's exclusive HollyWay collection at Dramatists Play Service. Lively McCabe is also pleased to announce that Jen Bender and Allison Bressi will begin working with the company this month as Creative Development Consultants and will each oversee the development of select stage musicals on behalf of the company.

These staff additions come as Lively McCabe, which launched in July 2018, prepares for the premieres of five previously announced new musicals in 2020, including Punk Rock Girl, with a book by Joe Iconis and music by artists such as Pat Benatar, Bikini Kill, Blondie, Avril Lavigne, Pink, TraLaLa, Yeah Yeah Yeahs; a musical adaptation of Mystic Pizza, with a book by Gordon Greenberg and Sas Goldberg, and music by Melissa Etheridge; May We All, with a book by Troy Britton Johnson and Todd Johnson, and music by artists such as Luke Bryan, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, and Florida Georgia Line; What A Wonderful World, book by Jeremy Desmon and featuring a score of contemporary pop hits arranged in post-modern-jukebox style of the 1960s; and an untitled New Wave project with a book by Michael Kimmel and music from artists such as Culture Club, Tears for Fears, Billy Idol, Pet Shop Boys, Devo, and The Buggles.

Darnetha Lincoln M'Baye, a longtime advisor to LM Co-President Michael Barra, comes to Lively McCabe from Alchemation LLC, The Producing Office of Kevin McCollum. While there, she also served as a music consultant on a variety of Broadway productions, including Head Over Heels, The Boys in the Band, Escape to Margaritaville, Oh, Hello On Broadway and Hand To God. Prior to consulting, Darnetha was VP, Film & Stage at EMI Music Publishing, leading the team for film, trailer, and stage licensing. Her portfolio of EMI deals included TV (ESPN Sportscenter, The Oprah Winfrey Show), a variety of films and trailers (Arthur, Sucker Punch, Inglourious Basterds, The Hangover II, The Great Gatsby), and stage musicals (The Wizard Of Oz, Rock Of Ages, Baby It's You). Darnetha holds a BA from a Wake Forest University and an MFA from Florida State University.

Molly Israel Paul most recently served as the Director of Programming at One on One NYC/Next Level Studios LA. A former professional actress, Molly has held a number of casting associate positions for feature films and regional/Off-Broadway productions. As a consultant, she has assisted numerous production companies, acting studios, and professional theatre organizations with marketing & communications. Molly has a BA in theatre and media and communications from Muhlenberg College.

Jen Bender is Producer and President of Quick Brown Fox Productions. Previously, she was Senior Vice President of Production and Development for The Araca Group, and Director of Programming for the New York Musical Festival (NYMF) which she co-founded in 2004. She has also worked extensively as a director, including serving as Resident Director of the Broadway productions of The Lion King and Avenue Q, and the international tour of Cirque du Soleil's Ovo.

Allison Bressi is a New York-based creative producer and is currently producing Joe Iconis' Broadway Bounty Hunter at the Greenwich House Theater this summer and recently produced Songbird by Michael Kimmel and Lauren Pritchard at 59E59 and Two River Theater. Allison has also worked for companies such as Octopus Theatricals, New York Stage and Film, Foresight Theatricals, and currently Signature Theatre. Allison was the 2018 Recipient of the T Fellowship founded by Harold Prince and Columbia University.

Lively McCabe Entertainment is led by producer Michael Barra and co-founder Katie Dietz. Launched in 2018, the company specializes in packaging and adapting iconic intellectual property into new stories for theater, film/TV, and book publishing.

Mr. Barra most recently served as President of Media and Entertainment of Broadway's Araca Group. He previously founded Stageworks Media which was sold to private equity firm Rebel Rebel Capital in 2014, and prior to that, Barra was an executive at Walt Disney Pictures in Burbank, and Disney Theatrical Group in New York. Michael was also the founding Artistic Director of Off-Broadway's Gotham Stage Company, and is the Chairman and President emeritus of The Players, the New York City social club for the theater industry founded in 1888. Barra has previously developed stage adaptations of studio properties including Clue, Family Ties, and Cheers, as well as music publishing assets for pop musicals including One Hit Wonder, Cyrano de BurgerShack, and Emma all featuring scores with music from artists such as Katy Perry, Pink, Bruno Mars, Whitney Houston, Sarah Bareilles, Ricky Martin, Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Kelly Clarkson, and Adele, among many others.

Visit: www.livelymccabe.com

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