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EXCLUSIVE: MGM/UA Television has acquired the rights to Rebecca Carroll’s upcoming memoir _Surviving the White Gaze _in a competitive situation ahead of its release. Simon & Schuster is

set to publish the book on February 2, 2021. Carroll is set to adapt her memoir as a limited series and serve as an executive producer on the project. The project was brought to MGM by

Killer Films, and represents the first series to come out of the company’s first-look deal with the studio. Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will also serve as executive

producers. “The opportunity to work with both Killer Films and MGM is an absolute dream collaboration, and to be able to adapt my own deeply personal journey under such fiercely creative

leadership is incredibly thrilling,” said Carroll. The memoir follows Carroll’s life as the only Black person in a rural New Hampshire town. Adopted at birth by artistic parents who believed

in peace, love, and zero population growth, her early childhood was loving and idyllic — and yet she couldn’t articulate the deep sense of isolation she increasingly felt as she grew older.

WATCH ON DEADLINE Her life changed when she met her birth mother, a young white woman, who consistently undermined Carroll’s sense of her Blackness and self-esteem. Carroll’s childhood

became harrowing, and her memoir explores the tension between the aching desire for her birth mother’s acceptance, the loyalty she feels toward her adoptive parents, and the search for her

racial identity. As an adult, Carroll forged a path from city to city, struggling along the way with difficult boyfriends, depression, eating disorders, and excessive drinking. Ultimately,

through the support of her chosen Black family, she was able to heal. Intimate and illuminating, _Surviving the White Gaze_ is a timely examination of racism and racial identity in America

today, and an extraordinarily moving portrait of resilience. “We were immediately captivated when Christine and Pamela first introduced us to Rebecca’s illuminating and uniquely personal

memoir,” said Steve Stark, President of MGM/UA Television. “Bringing an audience to stories and experiences that have not yet been told is a gift that we take seriously at MGM, and we are

extremely thankful that Rebecca has entrusted her powerful story with us.” Vachon and Koffler added, “We have been reading and listening to Rebecca as she has led a rigorous and important

conversation about race in America for years. To have the opportunity to work with her on this singularly personal, profound and illuminating story is a privilege. Our partners at MGM

immediately saw what we saw in this rich, beautifully written and complex memoir. We can’t wait to get started.” Carroll is a writer, creative consultant, and host of the podcast, _Come

Through with Rebecca Carroll: 15 essential conversations about race in a pivotal year for America_. Previously, she was a cultural critic at WNYC, and a critic-at-large for the _Los Angeles

Times._ Her work has appeared in _The Atlantic_, _New York Times, Ebony, Essence, the Guardian_ and _New York Magazine_, among other publications. She has authored many books about race in

America, including the award-winning _Sugar in the Raw: Voices of Young Black Girls in America_. She is repped by Maria Massie at MMQ, WME and Victoria Cook. MGM is known for its

Emmy-winning slate of critically acclaimed TV series including _Fargo_ (FX), _The Handmaid’s Tale _(Hulu), _Vikings_ (History), _Condor_ (AT&T Audience Network), _Vikings: Valhalla_

(Netflix) and _Clarice _(CBS). As part of MGM’s Spanish language joint venture with Gato Grande Productions, the studio also produces Netflix’s _Luis Miguel: The Series_. Killer Films has

produced critically acclaimed indie fare such as the Oscar-winning _Boys Don’t Cry_ and _Still Alice, as well as the Oscar-nominated Carol, Far From Heaven _and_ I’__m Not There._ In

addition, Killer Films executive produced Todd Haynes’ Emmy-winning HBO miniseries _Mildred Pierce._ The company’s upcoming projects include Haynes’ documentary on The Velvet Underground,_

The World To Come _and Ryan Murphy’s untitled Halston mini­series at Netflix starring Ewan McGregor.