Piligian
Reality TV producer Craig Piligian has made a step into feature films, optioning "Adventures of a Hollywood Secretary," a Cari Beauchamp book about Sam Goldwyn's longtime secretary during the 1920s.
Piligian is a prolific reality producer who exec produced the first three seasons of "Survivor."
His Pilgrim Films and Television has hatched shows including "American Chopper," "American Hot Rod," "Ghosthunters," "The Ultimate Fighter" and "Dirty Jobs," as well as the upcoming series "Hazard Pay" and "Bounty Girls."
He used his own coin to option the book and will set a screenwriter to draft the coming-of-age story of a woman who observed the mercurial mogul at the peak of his powers.
Published last year by the U. of California Press, the book contains the actual letters written to a friend by Valeria Belletti, who provided an inside perspective into Goldwyn's power and the seductiveness of the film industry.
Belletti dated many actors; her letters include details of her attempt to help an unemployed boyfriend get a shot with her boss, who finally did her a favor and auditioned the guy. That guy became Gary Cooper.
Piligian had been looking for a way to cross into features but read the book because he's a fan of old Hollywood.
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