Disney to create Melissa de la Cruz Studio to develop original stories
Disney is partnering with Filipino American author Melissa de la Cruz to create a new studio to develop and create stories, according to an announcement published in Hollywood Reporter.
The Melissa de la Cruz Studio will work with new and established authors to create original content for development across multiple Disney platforms, it said. De la Cruz is the New York Times best-selling author of the “Blue Bloods” series, “The Ring and the Crown,” and the romantic comedy “29 Dates.”
“As an author within the Disney Publishing Worldwide family, we have seen firsthand how Melissa de la Cruz cultivates a story and develops content for multiple platforms and media,” said Disney Hyperion & New Intellectual Property vice president and publisher Emily Meehan in a statement. “Her strong creative vision will inspire the next generation of best sellers and content creators for entertainment beyond the pages of a book.”
De la Cruz said she is “beyond thrilled to forge a new journey with the (Disney) team, full of even more incredible opportunities, nestled within The Walt Disney Company powerhouse. It is a dream come true.”
Her website says De la Cruz is the #1 New York Times, #1 Publisher’s Weekly and #1 IndieBound “bestselling author of many critically acclaimed and award-winning novels for readers of all ages.” She has written more than 30 books that have also topped the USA Today, Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times bestseller lists and have been published in over 20 countries.
“De la Cruz is the author of the ‘Blue Bloods’ series (with three million copies in print), among many others. Her first series for adults launched with ‘Witches of East End,’ which Peoplemagazine called a ‘bubbling cauldron of mystery and romance.’ The bestseller was followed by ‘Serpent’s Kiss’ and ‘Winds of Salem.’ Lifetime Television aired a two-season drama series based on ‘Witches of East End,’ starring Julia Ormond, Jenna Dewan-Tatum, Rachel Boston, and Mädchen Amick.
“Her recent books include ‘Something in Between,’ a YA contemporary novel inspired by her own immigrant experience coming from the Philippines which launched the Seventeen imprint at Harlequin Teen, as well as ‘Alex and Eliza,’ a historical novel about the romance between Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler.
“She grew up in Manila and moved to San Francisco with her family, where she graduated high school salutatorian from The Convent of the Sacred Heart. At Columbia University, she majored in art history and English. She lives in West Hollywood, California with her husband and daughter.”
In a video recording, De la Cruz said she worked as a computer consultant for nine years before she became a full-time author. “That was my day job.”
As a prolific novelist, she works all by herself missing the sound of computers and the murmur of people in an office setting. “I work at home alone now.”
She spends a lot of time reading and has a preference for books on American history and biographies of American women.
© The FilAm 2020
