TREVOR NOAH
Executive Producer
Trevor Noah is the most successful comedian in Africa and is the host of the Emmy® Award-winning “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. Under Trevor, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” has broken free from the restraints of a 30-minute linear show, producing engaging social content, award-winning digital series, podcasts and more for its global audience. “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” has received numerous Emmy Award nominations in a very competitive and increasingly crowded field. This year, “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” landed a record number of seven Emmy Award nominations. It has picked up its most nominations since Trevor became host of the Comedy Central show in 2015. Trevor originally joined “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” in 2014 as a contributor. Additionally, Trevor Noah and “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah” have received other awards and nominations including NAACP, Critic’s Choice, MTV, GLAAD, Webby and People’s Choice.*
Trevor has served as the Grammy Awards host in 2021 and 2022. Noah is a Grammy nominee himself. His standup special “Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia” was nominated for best comedy album at the 2020 Grammys.
Trevor’s success has also spanned to sold out stand-up comedy shows over 5 continents. Trevor most recently finished his “Back To Abnormal Tour” which saw him sell out multiple nights at the O2 Arena in London, perform across Europe including selling the most tickets ever by a non-German in Frankfurt, Germany, as well as Madison Square Garden, The LA Forum, two shows at the Chase Center in San Francisco and ending his run with two sold out shows at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
Trevor has written, produced, and starred in 12 comedy specials, including his upcoming, “I Wish You Would,” his third for Netflix, premiering globally November 22. True to form, Trevor hilariously shares revelations about learning to speak German, modern communication, and his love for curry. His previous special, “Trevor Noah: Son Of Patricia” received a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Variety Show, as well as a Grammy Award nomination. Other recent stand-up specials include “Trevor Noah: Afraid of the Dark” (2017) on Netflix and “Trevor Noah: Lost in Translation” (2015) on Comedy Central. Noah was the subject of David Paul Meyer’s award-winning documentary film “You Laugh But It’s True” which tells the story of his remarkable career in post-apartheid South Africa. His Showtime comedy special, “Trevor Noah: African American” premiered in 2013. He was nominated for “Personality of the Year” at the 2014 and 2015 MTV Africa Music Awards and won the award in 2015.
Trevor is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood” and its young readers adaptation, released in 2019, “It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood,” which also debuted as a New York Times bestseller. The book not only provides a fascinating and honest perspective on South Africa’s racial history, but it will inspire young readers looking to improve their own lives. The book received the Thurber Prize for American Humor and two NAACP Image Awards, one for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author and another for Outstanding Literary Work in the Biography/Auto-Biography category. The paperback version of “Born a Crime” came out in February 2019. To date, “Born a Crime” has sold over 3 million copies across all formats.
The Audible edition of “Born a Crime,” performed by Trevor, was produced by Audible and remains one of the top-selling, highest-rated, and most-commented-on Audible performances of all time. “Born a Crime” won the Audie Award for “Best Male Narrator,” and was also nominated in the “Autobiography/Memoir,” “Best Narration by the Author” and “Audiobook of the Year” categories.
“Born A Crime” is a collection of personal stories about growing up in South Africa during the last gasps of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that came with its demise. Already known for his incisive social and political commentary, here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers an intimate look at the world that shaped him. These are true stories, sometimes dark, occasionally bizarre, frequently tender, and always hilarious. Whether subsisting on caterpillars during months of extreme poverty or making comically hapless attempts at teenage romance, from the time he was thrown in jail to the time he was thrown from a speeding car driven by murderous gangsters, the experiences covered in this book will shock and amaze, even as they leave you rolling on the floor with laughter.
Day Zero Productions, a joint venture between Paramount Global and Trevor Noah, develops and produces diverse, high-quality creative content for a global audience. With projects set up both within the Paramount Global family, as well as at other studios, streamers, and live platforms, Day Zero focuses on entertaining and impactful content, with an eye toward authentic stories from diverse points of view. Among the current projects are an adaptation of Noah’s best-selling and award-winning autobiography “Born A Crime,” with Lupita Nyong’o starring and a reimagining of the classic Paramount feature President’s Analyst. Additional features include a biopic centered on 8-year-old Nigerian chess champion Tanitoluwa Adewumi and an untitled animated feature with Paramount Animation and Mainstay Entertainment, based on an original idea from Noah. On the television side, Day Zero is producing several scripted and documentary series including partnering with Time Studios and Sugar23 on MSNBC/Peacock’s The Turning Point, which examines urgent issues around the world like climate change, voting rights, and the global refugee crisis. Day Zero also produced two seasons of Nickelodeon’s annual Kid of the Year TV special alongside TIME Studios.
Born in South Africa to a black South African mother and a white European father, Noah has hosted numerous television shows including South Africa’s music, television, and film awards, and two seasons of his own late-night talk show, “Tonight with Trevor Noah.”
In 2018, Noah launched the Trevor Noah Foundation to improve equitable access to quality education for underserved youth in South Africa. Noah’s vision is a world where an education enables youth to dream, see and build the impossible. In collaboration with the government, their partners, and communities, the Foundation implements dynamic school programs that give youth the best chance of succeeding once they leave school. For example, through a partnership with Microsoft, the Foundation provides under-resourced schools access to digital tools and skills to enable 21st-century education for learners and teachers. The Foundation currently impacts over 500 teachers, 6000 learners, and countless families within the communities.
*See Awards/Nominations fact sheet
Emma Wall
Director
Betsey Hershey
Director
TIME Studios
From one of the most globally iconic brands, TIME Studios is an Emmy Award®-winning television, film and immersive studio focusing on the development, production and distribution of truth-based premium unscripted and scripted storytelling that moves the world. With technical innovation and a brand defining visual language that dates back 99 years, TIME Studios aims to impact communities and the world at large with ideas that forge true progress. Combining the industry’s leading creators with TIME, one of the most trusted brands that reaches an audience of over 100 million people globally, TIME Studios is uniquely positioned to bring massive audiences to the world’s most impactful stories. Recent projects include: jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy (Netflix), Countdown: Inspiration4 Mission to Space (Netflix), Katrina Babies (HBO), Black Gold (Paramount+), Big Vape (Netflix), John Lewis: Good Trouble (CNN Films), Amazing Grace (Neon), Right to Offend (A&E), Ricky Powell: The Individualist (Showtime), Mass Effect: The Story of YouTube, Kid of the Year (Nickelodeon/CBS), TIME 100 (ABC) and the first scripted project for TIME Studios, Women of the Year (Amazon).
DAY ZERO
Day Zero Productions, a joint venture between Trevor Noah and Paramount Global, develops and produces diverse, high-quality creative content for a global audience. With projects set up both within the Paramount Global family, as well as at other studios, streamers, and live platforms, Day Zero focuses on entertaining and necessary content, with an eye toward sophisticated, unexpected stories from diverse points of view. Among the current projects are the adaptation of Noah’s best-selling and award-winning autobiography “Born A Crime,” with Lupita Nyong’o starring and a reimagining of the classic Paramount feature President’s Analyst. Additional features include a biopic centered on 8-year-old Nigerian chess champion Tanitoluwa Adewumi and an untitled animated feature with Paramount Animation and Mainstay Entertainment, based on an original idea from Noah. On the television side, Day Zero is producing several scripted and unscripted series including Player vs. Player for Roku and partnering with TIME Studios on Nickelodeon’s annual Kid of the Year TV special.
SUGAR 23
Founded in 2017 by Academy Award®-winning manager-producer Michael Sugar, Sugar23, Inc. is an emerging management production and creative platform. They specialize in creating original, premium content across all media, incubating and investing in brands and companies, and providing strategic advisory for branding, production, and other go-to-market needs for companies across industries and stages. Michael has shepherded such award-winning projects as “Spotlight,” “The Knick,” “The OA,” “Maniac,” “13 Reasons Why,” and “I am the Night.” Sugar23 most recently produced the critically-acclaimed “Dickinson’’ series on Apple TV+ and Netflix’s “Worth” starring Michael Keaton and Stanley Tucci. Sugar23 has a first-look film deal and an overall television deal with Netflix. The company has dozens of active television and film projects in development and works closely with leading brands around production opportunities, including TIME, animation studio Mindshow, and others. Michael and Sugar23 also continue to represent a number of award-winning creatives, including both established and emerging writers, directors, and creators. Sugar23 works cross-media and has recently launched an independent podcast studio in-house, as well as a book imprint, Sugar23 Books, in partnership with Random House. As part of Sugar23 acquisitions and investments, Sugar23 has acquired the rights to the New York City luxury retailer Bonwit Teller and is developing plans to relaunch the brand. In addition, Sugar23 has teamed up with experiential agency Blue Revolver to bring to market new virtual event technology.
MAINSTAY ENTERTAINMENT
Mainstay Entertainment is one of the entertainment industry’s leading talent management and production companies. Feature films Mainstay has produced include A Simple Wedding, a cross generational, multi-racial romantic comedy starring Tara Grammy, Rita Wilson and Academy Award® nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo that premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival and is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. Mainstay also produced Before I Go starring Annabella Sciorra and Robert Klein, also available on Amazon Prime.
Films in development include the film adaptation of Trevor Noah’s bestselling memoir Born a Crime at Paramount starring Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o, as well as the genre bending western The Sun Always Sets in the West at Lionsgate, set to go into production first quarter of 2023.
On the small screen, Mainstay produced Black Jesus from creator Aaron McGruder and prepping his new HBO Max show, The Boondocks. Mainstay also produced the thriller, I’m Just Fu**ing With You, with Blumhouse as part of Hulu’s Originals slate. Last year, Mainstay produced Nickelodeon’s Kid of the Year series and has produced numerous comedy specials, including for Trevor Noah (Netflix), Roy Wood Jr. (Comedy Central), and Maz Jobrani (Netflix and Peacock).
Mainstay is located in Hollywood, California.