Dear Santa, the Award-Winning Documentary About the United States Postal Service's Legendary "Operation Santa" Program, to Be Made Into a New Holiday Docuseries for ABC Television
Following the successful theatrical release and TVOD premiere of IFC Films' Dear Santa, and its further release on Hulu, TRAVERSE32, the United States Postal Service, and Dear Santa Director, Dana Nachman, jointly announced at Tribeca X 2022 that Disney will be bringing the next iteration of the Dear Santa franchise, Dear Santa, The Series ("Series") to audiences this December.
The forthcoming six-episode Series will take audiences on an inspiring holiday journey as children across America write letters to Santa and kind-hearted "elves" step up in unexpected ways to make their Christmas wishes come true. Directed by Nachman (PICK OF THE LITTER, BATKID BEGINS) and produced by her company, Sweet World Films, along with Chelsea Matter, TRAVERSE32's Brendan Gaul and Brett Henenberg, and Christopher Karpenko, the series will be brought to life by the same team behind the acclaimed IFC Films' documentary.
Creating a Series based upon the documentary - which maintains an impressive 89% Fresh Rating on "Rotten Tomatoes" - was a hoped-for next step for the filmmakers. "During pre-production on the movie, we came across so many extraordinary letters, that it made choosing which to feature, pretty challenging. With Santa getting new requests every year and with new groups of elves ready to adopt them, we knew Dear Santa could make for an exceptional docuseries," said Nachman.
Shot in December 2021 in major cities and small towns all across the nation, the Series will feature a diverse array of stories. Giving viewers unprecedented access into the United States Postal Service's ("USPS") Operation Santa program, each episode spotlights the good, everyday people and the thousands of dedicated postal employees who make Christmas magic happen from Coast-to-Coast. "Operation Santa is a national endeavor, but its success is truly thanks to the participation of the many thousands of selfless individuals and postal workers who unite in support of their fellow citizens year after year. As an organization that serves and exists for all Americans, it was important to USPS that the Series feature a breadth of local stories from around the country," said Karpenko, Executive Director of Marketing, USPS.
The Series will air in December across ABC's local networks including WABC in New York, WPVI in Philadelphia, WLS in Chicago, WTVD in Raleigh-Durham, KTRK in Houston, KABC in Los Angeles, KFSN in Fresno and KGO in San Francisco. Additionally, the episodes will be available across ABC's Localish and on Hulu.
"We're excited to welcome Dear Santa, The Series to the slate of December programming made to bring viewers holiday cheer," said Jennifer Donohue, SVP Disney Advertising Local. "By leveraging the entire Disney portfolio, not only will the episodes reach audiences on the local networks where parts of the Series were filmed, but also be widely available on Hulu for fans of the film to enjoy."
Dear Santa, the documentary, is now available to stream on Hulu.
ABOUT TRAVERSE32:
TRAVERSE32 is an independent development and production studio which successfully bridges the gap between the entertainment and advertising industries. The company's innovative approach collaboratively partners with leading filmmakers and creators in the development, production, and distribution of mainstream film and television content, fostering connections with audiences in meaningfully powerful ways. TRAVERSE32's unique positioning includes the development of narrative and documentary projects from up-and-coming filmmakers and has resulted in notable releases of films directed by Academy and Emmy-winning directors, historic entertainment industry wins and extraordinary monetization opportunities for brands and creators alike. Backed by Mediabrands, which manages approximately $40 billion in marketing investment globally on behalf of clients across 30 countries, TRAVERSE32 holds deep relationships and the ability to create unique entertainment opportunities with and on behalf of its partners.
ABOUT Sweet World Films:
Formed in 2020, Sweet World Films is the production company run by the award-winning producing team of Dana Nachman and Chelsea Matter. Sweet World chooses stories that move people and then tells those stories with an eye toward pulling out heightened emotion, whether in a hard-hitting investigative piece or a family friendly film. Their films and television series focus on the most basic and core human stories, where the narrative is always structured for maximum emotional impact.
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