Aaron Saidman

Aaron Saidman
Born	(1974-12-11) December 11, 1974 (age 50)
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Television producer, documentary filmmaker
Years active	2012–present
Notable work	Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath Declassified The Seven Five Undercover Boss The Pitch The People's Couch True Life Mind Field Free Meek Indian Matchmaking Living Undocumented This Is Paris Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer
Website	www.theipcorp.com

Aaron Saidman (born December 11, 1974) is an American creator-developer, documentary filmmaker and television producer known for creating or serving as an executive producer on a number of non-fiction television series and documentary feature films, including Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath , Curse of Von Dutch, Mind Field, Declassified: Untold Stories of American Spies , The Pitch, The Seven Five, Free Meek and Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer . ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} Saidman is the President and co-founder of The Intellectual Property Corporation, which he created in 2016 with longtime producing partner Eli Holzman. ^[6]

Career

In 2017, The Hollywood Reporter named Saidman one of the "Top 10 Power Players" in reality television. ^[7] Later that year, Saidman won a Primetime Emmy Award for Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, in the category of Outstanding Informational Series or Special, ^{[8] [9]} as well as a TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming, ^[10] and a Producers Guild of America Award for Best Non-Fiction Television for the first and second seasons of the series. ^[11] Saidman and Holzman developed the high-profile Scientology series with actress Leah Remini after Saidman heard that Remini and her agents were interested in producing a documentary about her experience in the Church of Scientology. ^[12] Saidman also executive produced the documentary series Active Shooter: America Under Fire, which premiered on Showtime in 2017. ^[13]

In 2018, Saidman was named President of Industrial Media, following CORE Media Group’s acquisition of The Intellectual Property Corporation. ^{[14] [15]} Saidman is a member of the board of directors of the International Documentary Association (IDA) from 2018 to 2022 ^[16]

In 2019, Saidman and Anna Chai co-directed the Netflix documentary series Living Undocumented , which Saidman executive produced with Eli Holzman, Selena Gomez, and her mother Mandy Teefey, Sean O’Grady and Anna Chai. ^[17] The series follows eight undocumented immigrants living in the United States, and was nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Editing: Documentary" in 2020. ^{[18] [19]} In 2019, Living Undocumented was nominated for an IDA Award for "Best Episodic Series." ^[20]

In 2020, Saidman was one of the executive producers for the Netflix unscripted television series Indian Matchmaking . ^[21] That same year, he produced the critically acclaimed documentary This Is Paris , about socialite Paris Hilton and directed by Alexandra Dean. ^[22] Saidman approached Hilton in 2018 after reading an article about her and the cultural trends she had started, wittingly and unwittingly, and grew curious about who she was as a person. After meeting, Saidman and Hilton decided to make a documentary that was "truly authentic" and could "reveal the deeper essence of who Paris really is—in a way that the public hadn’t really seen before, but also in a way that Paris herself hadn’t really come to terms with and hadn’t explored herself." ^[23] This Is Paris was chosen as an official selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival. ^[24] Saidman also served as an executive producer for the HBO documentary series We’re Here, which was released in 2020 ^[25] and he eventually won a Peabody Award for the show in 2023. ^{[26] [27]} Saidman also created and produced the cooking series Selena + Chef , his second collaboration with Selena Gomez, which was released on August 13, 2020. ^{[28] [29] [30]}

In 2021, it was announced that Saidman would produce a documentary series about the fashion brand Von Dutch for Hulu. ^[31] Saidman also served as an executive producer for the true crime docuseries Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer , which was released in 2021. ^[32]

After Sony Pictures Television acquired Industrial Media in 2022, the company named Saidman Co-President of Nonfiction Entertainment, a new division focused on nonfiction content. ^{[33] [34]} Saidman served as executive producer for the A&E documentary series Secrets of Playboy, which was released in 2022. ^{[35] [36]}

Saidman executive produced the film The Disappearance of Shere Hite, a documentary about the life of sex researcher Shere Hite, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2023. ^[37] In March 2023, Saidman was a guest on Emmy-winning producer Jimmy Fox’s podcast titled Unscripted and Unprepared. ^[38]

Saidman executive produced the documentary series Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court , for which he was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series. ^[39]

References

1. "Aaron Saidman". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
2. "Realscreen West 2017 - Aaron Saidman". west.realscreen.com. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
3. Gilbert, Sophie (2017-11-08). "How Should Hollywood Respond to Mass Shootings?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
4. "Meek Mill Teases Upcoming 'Free Meek' Docuseries on Amazon: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
5. D'Addario, Daniel (2021-01-12). "'Night Stalker' Is Just Another Gory True-Crime Misfire: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
6. Andreeva, Nellie (2016-01-19). "Eli Holzman Launches Indie Production Company Backed By Undercover Bosses". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
7. "Frances Berwick - Reality TV's Ruling Class: Top 10 Power Players of 2017". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
8. "Aaron Saidman | Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
9. "Creative Arts Emmys: Leah Remini Dedicates 'Scientology and the Aftermath' Win to "Brave" Contributors". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
10. Turchiano, Danielle (2017-08-06). "TCA Award Winners: 'The Handmaid's Tale,' 'This Is Us,' 'Atlanta,' Carrie Coon Take Top Honors". Variety. Retrieved 2017-09-10.
11. "2018 PGA Awards Winners - Producers Guild of America". www.producersguild.org. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
12. "Holzman, Saidman tread carefully into Scientology with Leah Remini" . Retrieved 2017-09-10.
13. Gilbert, Sophie (2017-11-08). "How Should Hollywood Respond to Mass Shootings?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
14. "Core Media Group Rebrands as "Industrial Media" With Eli Holzman at Helm". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
15. Andreeva, Nellie (2018-08-06). "Core Media Acquires The Intellectual Property Corp; Relaunches As Industrial Media With IPC CEO Eli Holzman At Helm". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-16.
16. "IDA Appoints New Board Members Aaron Saidman and Vinnie Malhotra". International Documentary Association. 2019-01-11. Retrieved 2019-02-01.
17. "Selena Gomez-produced immigration docuseries heads to Netflix" . Retrieved 2024-03-16.
18. "NOMINEES ANNOUNCED FOR THE 41ST ANNUAL NEWS & DOCUMENTARY EMMY® AWARDS – The Emmys". theemmys.tv. Retrieved 2020-08-06.
19. "Selena Gomez-Produced 'Living Undocumented' Docuseries a Go at Netflix". The Hollywood Reporter. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
20. "Feature Documentary - IDA Documentary Awards: 'Honeyland,' 'American Factory,' 'Apollo 11' Lead Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. 23 October 2019. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
21. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2020-06-23). "Netflix Orders Unscripted Indian Matchmaking Series and Autism Dating Show (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2020-07-21.
22. "This Is Paris: Hilton documentary puts the reality in reality TV". the Guardian. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
23. "Paris Hilton says making the This Is Paris doc was like therapy". Film. 10 September 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
24. "This Is Paris | 2021 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
25. Damshenas, Sam (2020-06-05). "Bob, Eureka and Shangela's incredible HBO series We're Here renewed for season 2". GAY TIMES. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
26. Coates, Tyler (2023-05-09). "Peabody Awards: 'Abbott Elementary,' 'Andor,' 'Severance' and 'We're Here' Among Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
27. Schneider, Michael (2023-04-27). "'We're Here,' 'Mo,' 'As We See It' Among This Year's 16th Television Academy Honors". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
28. Rosario, Alexandra Del (2020-08-05). "'Selena + Chef': Selena Gomez Details "Very Odd" Process Of Filming HBO Max Cooking Show While Under Lockdown". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
29. Nakamura, Reid (2021-01-22). "'Selena + Chef' EP on Giving Selena Gomez Harder Recipes in Season 2 and Planning for Post-Pandemic". TheWrap. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
30. "Selena Gomez Is Hoping to Make You Laugh With a Very Relatable Quarantine Cooking Show". E! Online. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
31. White, Peter (2021-04-01). "The Rise & Fall Of Fashion Brand Von Dutch Gets Docuseries Treatment At Hulu From IPC". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
32. "Netflix's True Crime Doc 'Night Stalker' Is Your Divisive New Obsession". Observer. 2021-01-14. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
33. Andreeva, Nellie (2022-03-03). "Sony Pictures Television Acquires Industrial Media In $300M+ Deal, Restructures Its Unscripted Operations". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
34. Spangler, Todd (2022-03-03). "Sony Pictures TV to Acquire Industrial Media, Production Company Behind 'American Idol,' in $350 Million Deal". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
35. "A&E, IPC docuseries to uncover the "Secrets of Playboy"". RealScreen. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
36. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (2022-03-07). "Hugh Hefner Investigative Docuseries 'Secrets of Playboy' Gets More Episodes at A&E". Variety. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
37. Carey, Matthew (2023-06-07). "IFC Films, Sapan Studios Acquire 'The Disappearance Of Shere Hite,' Doc On Celebrated Sex Researcher Who Was Attacked By Conservative Critics". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
38. ""Unscripted and Unprepared" podcast features Sony Pictures Television's Aaron Saidman". RealScreen. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
39. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2023-12-05). "Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations: Best Feature 'American Fiction', 'May December', 'All Of Us Strangers', 'Passages', 'Past Lives' & 'We Grown Now'". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-03-15.