EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood Ventures Group, the global entertainment company launched by former Amazon MGM Studios executive Glenn Gainor and producer Sandy Climan, has optioned an upcoming memoir from a homeland security expert.
The company will seek to adapt Dr. Erroll Southers‘ Inside the Castle Walls, which publishes soon. The memoor provides a behind-the-scene perspective on the counterterrorism expert’s career, which shaped by decades of experiences at the highest levels of security and governance. Hollywood Ventures plans to develop the book for film and/or television.
Southers was most recently President of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and leads public safety at the University of Southern California as Associate Senior Vice President of Safety and Risk Assurance. His former roles include FBI Special Agent and SWAT Team member; Deputy Director of the California Office of Homeland Security under Arnold Schwarzenegger, who provides a foreword in the memoir; and Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the Los Angeles World Airports Police Department. He was also President Barack Obama’s first nominee for Assistant Secretary of the Transportation Security Administration, but withdrew.
He is also the author of Homegrown Violent Extremism, and his analysis has been published in outlets such as USA Today and the LA Times. He has appeared on History’s America’s Book of Secrets: The FBI, Bravo’s Spy Games and CNN’s The Nineties.
“Few people understand the intricacies of global security and the human element of public service as deeply as Dr. Erroll Southers,” said Gainor. “His life’s work has been about protecting communities and breaking down barriers to change. A man who rose from modest means and persevered through the realities of systemic barriers, Erroll displays a dedication to this country’s security that is palpable in every word of Inside the Castle Walls. He is quite literally a real-life Jack Ryan.”
“I hope my experiences motivate people to conquer challenges to bring change for the greater good,” added Southers. “Partnering with Hollywood Ventures Group is an exciting opportunity to share this story and message with everyone.”
Further details on production timelines, casting and distribution will be announced at a later date.
Southers is represented by Steven Adams of Alta Global Media.
