MOJO GLOBAL ARTS
OFFICIAL TRAILER IS OUT!
Murder in a Small Town Premiering on Fox and ITV Fall 2024
B I O
Morris has produced approximately seventy films including titles that have led to Academy Award and Spirit Award nominations, Sundance bidding wars, and premieres at almost every top tier international film festival. In addition to his role as Chairman of the Board of Shoreline Entertainment, Morris runs MoJo Global Arts, a production and management company.
In 2022 and 2023, Morris had films that he produced released on Starz, Peacock, AMC+, and CNN and he had films released theatrically through Lionsgate and Goldwyn. He also had a film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In January 2024, Morris started production on the TV series Murder in a Small Town for which he is executive producing for Fox and ITV. He just finished a documentary about Shari Lewis directed by Lisa D’Apolito (Love Gilda) and is in post on a documentary about Gene Wilder directed by Chris Smith (Fyre, Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond). He is currently in pre-production on a feature film he is producing titled R.U.R., being directed by Alex Proyas (I Robot, The Crow).
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P O D C A S T S & INTERVIEWS
PRESS
Mallory Jansen & Anthony LaPaglia Join Alex Proyas’ Sci-Fi Satire Feature ‘R.U.R.’
August 6, 2024
Fox Reveals Fall Premiere Dates, Including the Return of ‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ After Its Strike-Induced 15-Month Hiatus
July 16, 2024
Fox New Series Trailers: ‘Rescue: HI-Surf’, ‘Murder In A Small Town’, ‘Doc’, ‘Universal Basic Guys’
Fox has released trailers for several of its new series for the 2024-25 broadcast season — dramas Rescue: HI-Surf, Murder In A Small Town and Doc, and animated comedy series Universal Basic Guys. You can read about each and watch in the link below.
May 13, 2024
History Film Forum presents: Shari & Lamb Chop
The History Film Forum co-presents Shari & Lamb Chop and the JxJ Film and Music Festival. The screening will be followed by a conversation with the director.
April 12, 2024
Film Fest Finds: ‘Shari and Lamb Chop’
Never has a sock provoked so many emotions.
The Milwaukee Film Fest kicked off Thursday night with a screening of Shari and Lamb Chop. The documentary chronicles the pioneering career of Shari Lewis, the ventriloquist, and entertainer who brought the sock puppet Lamb Chop into millions children’s lives.
April 12, 2024
‘Shari and Lamb Chop’ Make Believe 2024 Review: An Intimate Look At Shari Lewis
“Filmmaker Lisa D’Apolito (Love, Gilda) does a great job of capturing what the world loved about Shari. However, Shari and Lamb Chop also sheds light on the icon’s low moments.
(…) D’Apolito has compiled one of the most charming documentaries I might see all year. We learn so much about Shari that it feels almost embarrassing to discover it over 25 years after her passing.”
April 5, 2024
Fox Drama Series ‘Murder in a Small Town’ Adds Six to Cast, Including James Cromwell and Stana Katic
James Cromwell (“Babe,” “Succession”), Stana Katic (“Castle,” “Absentia”), Mya Lowe (“My Life with the Walter Boys,” “Yellowjackets”), Savonna Spracklin (“Two-Spirit Odyssey,” “Wildhood”), Aaron Douglas (“Battlestar Galactica,” “The Watchful Eye”), and Fritzy-Klevans Destine (“The Boys,” “Superman & Lois”) have all joined the series. Cromwell and Katic will appear in guest star roles, while the other four will be recurring guest stars.
March 21, 2024
Fox Orders Psychological Crime Drama ‘Murder In A Small Town’
Murder in a Small Town will be produced in British Columbia, with Milan Cheylov (24, The Cleaning Lady) executive producing and directing multiple episodes of the program. Fox has acquired all U.S. rights of Murder in a Small Town, which will be executive produced by Nick Orchard (Soapbox Productions), Morris Ruskin and Sharon Wisnia (Mojo Global Arts), and Jon Cotton. Production will begin in January.
December 14, 2023
Edward James Olmos, Morris Ruskin Partner with Ecuador’s 2bLatam to Remake YouTube Hit ‘Mortal Glitch’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Edward James Olmos, his son Michael Olmos and Morris Ruskin’s MoJo Global Arts have pacted with Ecuador’s 2bLatam to make an English-language premium TV version of the YouTube phenomenon, “Mortal Glitch.” This is the first project in English for the Ecuadorian company as it seeks to expand its global reach.
April 19, 2023
Fox Orders ‘Murder In A Small Town’ Drama Series Starring Rossif Sutherland & Kristin Kreuk Under New International Content Strategy
Fox has picked up psychological crime drama Murder in a Small Town, starring Rossif Sutherland (The Handmaid’s Tale) and Kristin Kreuk (Smallville), for the 2024-25 season. The network has acquired U.S. rights to the series, based on the “Karl Alberg” books by L.R. Wright,, which hails from head writer Ian Weir (Edgemont), director Milan Cheylov (The Cleaning Lady) and Canada’s Sepia Films in association with Fox Entertainment and Future Shack Entertainment, the company of former USA Network President Jeff Wachtel. Also executive producing are Weir, Nick Orchard (Soapbox Productions), Morris Ruskin and Sharon Wisnia (Mojo Global Arts) and Jon Cotton.
December 14, 2023
New York City Declares November 11th, "Shari Lewis And Lamb Chop Day"
New York City declared November 11, 2023, Shari Lewis & Lamb Chop Day, in honor of the late Bronx native ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her beloved sock puppet Lamb Chop. This day commemorates the extraordinary legacy of a resilient pioneer in television who educated generations of children.
November 11, 2023
‘Night Of The Hunted’ Review – A Harrowing and Thought-Provoking One Location Thriller
In today’s world, threats can arise without notice or planning. Night of the Hunted is incredibly gripping and timely. In a movie reminiscent of Phone Booth, this story is about survival amid fear and loathing. Heavy on ambiguity but balanced on suspense, this movie offers the audience a harrowing mystery that is one part social commentary and one part thriller. Aided by an engaging and heart-pumping performance, this one will leave the audience in a nervous sweat and have them debating the ending and the movie’s actual point.
October 16, 2023
[Beyond Fest review] Night of the Hunted
NIGHT OF THE HUNTED is a well-made film that asks its audience several uncomfortable questions. The plot’s tense situation of a mass shooting involving a sniper parallels the dangers of our new technological world and our willingness to fight for our beliefs against zealots willing to die for theirs.
October 13, 2023
Beyond Fest review: 'Night of the Hunted' maximizes confined thrills
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Night of the Hunted, which screened at Beyond Fest, is a tense single location thriller. It effectively explores all the possibilities of its scenario with bursts of graphic violence too.
October 8 2023
‘Héroes’, la nueva cinta sobre los Niños Héroes que no te querrás perder en estas Fiestas Patrias
Héroes” llegará exclusivamente a Cinemex este 7 de septiembre luego de que incluso se llegara a rumorar que la película había sido “silenciada” por contar la historia de una forma poco convencional. ¿Estás listo para disfrutar de una historia que se antoja sobre todo en este mes de fiestas patrias?
September 4, 2023
La historia de los "Héroes" que vivieron para contarla
La historia los inmortalizó como los Niños Héroes, aunque realmente por la edad, dos eran adolescentes y el resto, tenían el menos 18 años. La película "Héroes", que estrena en cines, los humaniza dejando de lado la imagen de papelería oficial que enseñan desde primaria. El director Ricardo Arnaiz consultó testimonios de cadetes sobrevivientes e hizo una investigación por meses, para darle a cada uno de ellos características únicas.
September 4, 2023
Alex Proyas readies another virtual production feature with ‘R.U.R.’
Fresh from helping create Australia’s first fully virtual production shoot for John Curran’s psychological thriller Mercy Road, director and producer Alex Proyas will again use the techniques to build the world for a feature adaption of classic sci-fi play R.U.R. Proyas has written the script and will direct, while also producing via his company Mystery Clock Cinema alongside Adam Krentzman and Morris Ruskin, with Cathy Rechichi on board as co-producer. Composer Michael Lira has also been confirmed as part of the creative team.
August 23, 2023
Texas Monthly Expands Into Feature Docs With West Texas-Set Exoneration Pic From Deborah Esquenazi
EXCLUSIVE: Texas Monthly, the magazine that has been chronicling life in the Lone Star State since 1973, has continued its expansion into film and TV by setting its first-ever feature documentary, to be made in partnership with Peabody and Critics' Choice Award-winning filmmaker Deborah Esquenazi (Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four).
July 6, 2023
Review: The vivid, immersive ‘Montréal Girls’ captures the city’s cultural mosaic
The French Canadian city’s vibrant cultural mosaic is energetically captured in Patricia Chica’s “Montréal Girls,” a fittingly lyrical portrait of an aspiring poet who learns to find his own voice amidst the murmur of familial expectations.
June 5, 2023
CBS stations to present “Kids in Crisis,” a week-long series of solutions-oriented reports addressing the youth mental health crisis in America.
CBS Stations’ Streaming Channels and Websites to Show the Exclusive Nationwide Release of “Connecting the Dots,” a First-of-Its-Kind Documentary on Mental Health.
February 27, 2023
Producers on upcoming Alex Proyas sci-fi ‘Heaven’ strike Australia/NZ deal (exclusive)
Icon Film Distribution has acquired all Australia and New Zealand rights to Alex Proyas’ upcoming dark sci-fi comedy Heaven as the producers continue with buyers at EFM. Sci-fi specialist Proyas, whose credits include Will Smith starrer I, Robot and Dark City, wrote the story about a man whose life is going nowhere who agrees to be uploaded to an A.I. metaverse afterlife and discovers it more closely resembles hell than heaven.
February 17, 2023
All the best movies we saw at Toronto Film Festival, ranked (including 'The Banshees of Inisherin')
The ranking includes THE SWEARING JAR, executive produced by Morris Ruskin, in 7th place on a list of 31 films. Directed by Lindsay MacKay, the refreshing and totally tear-jerking musical dramedy starts with married couple Carey (Adelaide Clemons) and Simon (Patrick J. Adams) trying to curb their cursing with a baby on the way.
September 9, 2022
Chi Energy: Get to know ‘Montreal Girls’ director Patricia Chica
Patricia Chica is here to break the mold. The director has practiced a new method of filmmaking called Chi Energy, which utilizes state of the art techniques and mind strategies to help bolster the quality of production.
August 17, 2022
Rhea Seehorn’s Emmy-Nominated Short-Form Series ‘Cooper’s Bar’ Lands Second Season at AMC Networks
AMC Networks has renewed the Emmy-nominated short-form series “Cooper’s Bar” for a second season, while Acorn TV — AMC Networks’ streamer devoted to British and international fare — has given a Season 2 renewal to “Harry Wild,” starring and executive produced by Jane Seymour.
August 10, 2022
Gravitas Ventures Takes Rights To Romantic Drama ‘The Swearing Jar’ Starring ‘Under The Banner Of Heaven’s Adelaide Clemens
Gravitas Ventures has acquired U.S. rights to Lindsay MacKay’s romantic drama The Swearing Jar, starring Adelaide Clemens (Under the Banner of Heaven), Douglas Smith (Don’t Worry Darling), Patrick J. Adams (Prime Video’s A League of Their Own) and Oscar nominee Kathleen Turner (The White House Plumbers). The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company has slated the film for release on 20 screens in major markets across the country on September 23.
July 14, 2022
‘Art Of Love’ With Esai Morales And ‘Tigertail’s Kunjue Li Lands At Samuel Goldwyn Films; Watch Trailer
Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired U.S. rights to Art of Love, the romantic drama from writer-director Betty Kaplan that stars Esai Morales and Tigertail‘s Kunjue Li. It will now be released in domestic theaters and on digital July 22.
June 13, 2022
Migrants stranded in Mexico perform opera to dramatize their experiences
May 29, 2022
Gene Wilder Doc Set at White Horse Pictures, Library Films (EXCLUSIVE)
White Horse Pictures, the production company behind recent documentaries about the Beatles, Lucille Ball, and the Bee Gees, is producing another look at a legendary entertainer: Gene Wilder. The documentary is produced in association with Sobey Road Entertainment and Harlem Hollywood. White Horse partners Nigel Sinclair and Jeanne Elfant Festa serve as executive producers alongside Mojo Global Arts’ Morris Ruskin and Joseph Mellicker.
April 28, 2022
‘Iron Family’ Trailer; Acquisitions By Freestyle, Comedy Dynamics, Oscilloscope & Kino Lorber;
Deadline has the first trailer and teaser scene from Patrick Longstreth’s documentary Iron Family, which is set to make its world premiere at the 2022 Slamdance Film Festival. The Unstoppable Feature Documentary follows Jazmine Faries, a 32-year-old young woman with Down syndrome who is obsessed with soap operas, Barbie dolls, and Matthew McConaughey.
January 14, 2022
Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Director Sassy Mohen Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry
Sassy Mohen’s innovative and bold, confident style has emerged as a pioneer in the genre of female-driven comedy. She has written, directed, produced, and edited multiple award-winning films, TV Pilots, Music Videos, Commercials, Specs, and Web series. Her latest comedy satire on real-world events, FEAR ACTUALLY was released to rave reviews and won three BEST FEMALE DIRECTOR AWARDS.
October 5, 2021
Shari Lewis and Lamb Chop Documentary Set at White Horse Pictures, MoJo Global Arts (EXCLUSIVE)
Beloved American ventriloquist Shari Lewis and her popular sock puppet Lamb Chop will be the subject of a new documentary feature from White Horse Pictures and MoJo Global Arts.“Shari & Lamb Chop” will be directed by Emmy-nominated Lisa D’Apolito, director of “Love, Gilda,” the documentary about the late Saturday Night Live comedian Gilda Radner.
August 11, 2021
Adelaide Clemens, Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Smith, Kathleen Turner Starring in ‘The Swearing Jar’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Adelaide Clemens, Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Smith, and Kathleen Turner will star in “The Swearing Jar.” The musical romance will be directed by Lindsay MacKay (“Wet Bum”) from a script by Kate Hewlett (“Malory Towers”), who adapts her play of the same name. David Hewlett (“The Shape of Water”) and Jade Ma (“Zero Chill”) round out the cast.
May 5, 2021
Colombia’s ‘When in Venice’ to Bow Simultaneously in Theaters and VOD in Various Countries (EXCLUSIVE)
In a bid to explore new avenues of distribution, Colombian-German-Italian co-production “When in Venice,” by Colombian director-producer Juan Zapata of Zapata Filmes, will bow simultaneously May 13 in theaters in at least eight countries and be available worldwide on VOD and TVOD platforms.
April 9, 2021
Endemol Shine Boomdog Teams Up with Ecuador’s Touche Films- Enchufe.tv (EXCLUSIVE)
Comedy sells. With that adage in mind, Endemol Shine Boomdog, a division of Endemol Shine North America, has teamed up with Ecuador-based Touché Films, the driving force behind the hugely popular Latin American YouTube channel, enchufe.tv.
October 11, 2020
Probamos que estamos listos para dar el paso a contenido premium y que Ecuador es una potencia en producción: Arturo Yépez de Touché Films
YouTube Originals y Touché Films, la casa productora detrás de Enchufe.tv (el canal de comedia en castellano de YouTube #1 del mundo), presentaron Mortal glitch, una miniserie de cinco episodios de aventura recreada en el mundo del videojuego Hero’s legend y que debutará el miércoles 2 de septiembre en la plataforma.
August 13, 2020
South African Oscar submission ‘Knuckle City’ finds US home (exclusive)
Morris Ruskin, Jordan Walker-Pearlman and Joseph Mellicker’s new production and management company MoJo Global Arts has licensed US rights on last season’s South African Oscar submission
Knuckle City to Showtime.
August 3, 2020
Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment to produce doc series about Youth Racing School with MoJo.
Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment is to produce a documentary series about a youth racing school that teaches kids motorsports after striking a deal with nascent production and management company MoJo.
May 31, 2019
MoJo Global Arts unveils slate of Latinx, jazz films (exclusive)
Morris Ruskin and Jordan Walker-Pearlman’s new Los Angeles-based production and management company MoJo Global Arts has unveiled a slate of three projects featuring a Latinx comedy, a Jazz documentary, and an epic TV project about Harlem.
September 16, 2019
MoJo Global Arts, 2btube, Touche, Strike Strategic Alliance
Los Angeles-based MoJo Global Arts, former Shoreline Ent. CEO Morris Ruskin’s newly-minted production-management venture, has struck a strategic alliance with top Spanish-language group 2btube and its subsidiary Touché Films.
September 9, 2019
MoJo Global Arts picks up North American sales rights to TIFF selection 'Knuckle City' (exclusive)
Morris Ruskin and Jordan Walker-Pearlman’s new production and management company MoJo Global Arts will launch North American sales in Toronto on festival selection and boxing drama Knuckle City.
August 29, 2019