“The world of television is much better when creative talents like Peter and David are in it, telling unique and original stories that inform, entertain and elevate viewers,” said Dan McDermott, President of Original Programming for AMC Networks’ Entertainment Group and Co-President of AMC Studios. “We are so pleased to extend these creative relationships and to be the studio home of these two remarkable writers and creators.”
“I am extremely excited to continue my relationship with a creative company that has the courage to reflect these crazy times with shows that break the mold and have something new to say,” said Ocko. “The people who make up AMCN want to make great things. I feel very lucky to be a part of that.”
“I believe it’s my obligation and responsibility as a storyteller to fight the ugliness of bigotry and intolerance with the beauty of humanity and art. I want to thank AMC, a respected leader in the television space, for being at the forefront of cutting edge programming that challenges, inspires and elevates its audience,” said Shanks. “Shout out to Dan McDermott, Kristin Jones and Sarah Barnett in her former role at AMCN, for being advocates sincerely invested in pushing for change and allowing me the opportunity to collaborate with some of the very best in the business. I’m deeply humbled and ready to build together.”
Peter Ocko has written and produced for a number of popular television series throughout the 1990s and 2000s, including Lodge 49 (showrunner), Pushing Daisies (co-showrunner), The Office, The Leftovers, Elementary and Black Sails. Ocko began his career as a staff writer on the HBO series Not Necessarily The News, followed by a string of single-camera comedies in the ’90s, writing for such shows as Parker Lewis Can’t Lose and Dinosaurs. Crossing over to drama, he wrote on Dead Like Me and Boston Legal, and then created and ran the CBS medical drama 3 Lbs starring Stanley Tucci.
J. David Shanks is currently an executive producer on the upcoming 61st Street from BAFTA-winner Peter Moffat (Criminal Justice, The Night Of, Your Honor), executive produced by Michael B. Jordan and Alana Mayo of Outlier Society (Just Mercy, David Makes Man) and produced by AMC Studios. He recently sold a pitch to FX with Overbrook + Antoine Fuqua producing and is writing a pilot for 50 Cent. Prior to that, Shanks served as co-producer on season two of The Chi. His previous credits include story editor on Veena Sud’s Netflix series Seven Seconds, where his individual episode was honored with the 2019 NAACP Image Award in “Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture [Television]), wrote for Shots Fired on Fox and NBC’s Shades Of Blue. David is a veteran of the 82nd Airborne and the Chicago Police Department.
