Fifth Season is launching a new non-scripted production banner, Quite Contrary Pictures, which will be run by its EVP of non-scripted development and production, Mary Lisio.
Lisio, who won an Emmy as a producer of the History Channel’s “Gettysburg,” will serve as president of Quite Contrary, building out a slate of documentary features, docuseries and reality formats. Joining her at the new company will be several Fifth Season executives, including executive producer Elissa Johnson.
While Quite Contrary will be a standalone company, it will continue to work with Fifth Season through a multiyear partnership, with Lisio working closely with CEO Graham Taylor and longtime collaborator Ariel Richter.
“Mary is a singular executive,” Taylor said. “Her expertise and vision are the reason we’ve been able to build the impressive non-scripted slate we have today. Establishing a new banner for that work empowers her and the entire Fifth Season team to keep scaling our non-scripted storytelling, while also providing the flexibility needed to navigate this fast-paced and evolving sector. I’m eager to see what we accomplish together next.”
In addition to her Emmy win for “Gettysburg,” Lisio has earned nominations for National Geographic’s “Killing Jesus” and “Killing Kennedy.” Her recent projects at Fifth Season include “Folktales,” the Sundance-premiered documentary from Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady about Norwegian teens who train with sled dogs at an Arctic folk high school, and “Earth, Wind & Fire,” the upcoming documentary about the famed band from “Summer of Soul” Oscar winner Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.
Prior to Fifth Season, Lisio worked as a senior executive at Blumhouse Television and SVP of nonfiction and branded content for Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and RSA Films.
“Quite Contrary is a natural evolution of the work we’ve done at Fifth Season for years,” Lisio said. “Moving forward, we’ll be better equipped than ever to create captivating non-scripted and documentary content for wide audiences. I’m grateful for the continued partnership of Graham, Ariel, and everyone at Fifth Season, and I look forward to working together to build on the great things we’ve already achieved together.”
