Doug Ellin is moving from HBO to CBS Television Studios.
The Entourage creator has inked a three-year overall deal with the studio, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
Under the pact, Ellin will develop broadcast and cable projects for the studio under his newly formed (and currently unnamed) production company. Jim Lefkowitz, who exec produced Ellin's former HBO pilot Da Brick, will oversee development for Ellin and his new banner.
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"With his unique narrative and creative edge, Doug is one of the defining voices in entertainment for today's generation," said CBS Television Studios president David Stapf. "He made his mark in pop culture with Entourage by creating engaging and charismatic characters while making the world of Hollywood relatable and endearing. Needless to say, after his long stint at HBO, we jumped at the opportunity to work with him. He is one of the most sought-after comedic talents in the market and an outstanding addition to our growing comedy roster."
The pact comes after Ellin earned a put-pilot commitment from Fox for the CBS Television Studios-produced The Moodys, an adaptation of Australian comedy A Moody Christmas. Ellin will exec produce the pilot with Eric and Kim Tannenbaum, Jason Burrows and original series creators, Trent O'Donnell and Phil Lloyd, who will pen the script.
"David, Kate [Adler, exec vp comedy development] and the talented team at CBS Television Studios have been great creative collaborators on The Moodys, and this experience is what ultimately served as the inspiration for this partnership," Ellin said. "They are extremely forward-thinking, supportive and encouraging of artists and I look forward to what lies ahead."
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During his stint at HBO, Ellin developed pilots Da Brick and Ed Burns comedy 40, neither of which went forward.
Ellin earned four Emmy nominations for his work on HBO's Entourage, which ran for eight seasons on HBO. The series creator is set to write and direct the feature film continuation of the series for Warner Bros., which will begin production in January. Ellin also recently signed on to rewrite Bad Santa 2 for Miramax and polished the studio's boxing comedy Grudge Match.
Ellin is repped by CAA.
E-mail: Lesley.Goldberg@THR.com
Twitter: @Snoodit
