Thunderbird Entertainment Options New York Times Bestseller MAD HONEY by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan

The new novel from the renowned authors is being developed as a scripted series

Deal adds to Thunderbird’s increasing activity in premium scripted content development and production

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 27, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thunderbird Entertainment Group Inc. (TSXV:TBRD, OTC – THBRF) ("Thunderbird" or the "Company") is thrilled to announce it has optioned New York Times bestselling novel MAD HONEY, co-written by renowned authors Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper, Wish You Were Here) and Jennifer Finney Boylan (She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders, Good Boy: A Life in Seven Dogs), for a premium series adaptation.

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What secrets do we keep and what risks do we take in order to become ourselves? Can we ever escape our past? These are the central questions in MAD HONEY, a visceral, heart-wrenching portrayal of young love, teen angst and parental grief and guilt, interwoven with murder and high-intensity courtroom drama.

Picoult has authored 28 titles and sold more than 40 million books globally. Several of her novels have been adapted for the big and small screen, including My Sister’s Keeper, The Pact and Plain Truth. Journalist, author and activist Boylan has written 18 books, and her groundbreaking memoir She’s Not There is the first bestselling work by a transgender American. MAD HONEY remained on the New York Times Bestseller list for six months and was named a Good Morning America Book Club pick, a People Book of the Week and one of Pop Sugar’s Best Books of the Year.

"Jodi and Jennifer wrote such an incredibly moving story. We believe that narratives on this level can truly make a significant impact on the empathy we have for others and how people view their own actions as we co-exist in the world," said Matthew Berkowitz, Thunderbird Entertainment President and Chief Creative Officer. "We are so honoured that Jodi and Jennifer gave us the opportunity to bring this powerful story to new audiences. MAD HONEY is exactly the kind of IP we’re looking for as we build out our premium scripted business, and we are thankful to the team working on this project for bringing it to fruition."

"I could not be happier with the passion and commitment that Thunderbird brings to our story," said Picoult. "We know that seeing our novel translated into a series will only continue the conversations that we need to be having about authenticity, identity, and gender."

"MAD HONEY is a story that Jodi and I are very proud of," said Boylan. "We hope this tale will provide people with more than a little suspense, as well as possibly shining a light for them on some of the issues currently at large in our culture. We’re so excited that the story is in such good hands."

Thunderbird CEO and Chair, Jennifer Twiner McCarron, Berkowitz and Tuatara Media principal Barbara Wall will executive produce on behalf of Thunderbird, along with Picoult and Boylan.

Picoult is represented by Laura Gross and WME. Boylan is represented by CAA.

The optioning of MAD HONEY comes on the heels of the recent establishment of Thunderbird’s L.A.-based scripted development hub and the appointment of Hillary Zwick Turner as SVP, Scripted Content to lead the operation. Both moves build on Thunderbird’s momentum in 2022 that saw the production of Reginald the Vampire (SyFy), which is now shooting a second season, Kim’s Convenience spin-off Strays Season 2 (CBC), and Boot Camp, the film adaptation of the hugely popular Wattpad story of the same name. Additionally, the Company started crafting a slate of premium scripted dramas with Tuatara Media and Wall. The former Lionsgate EVP of Television’s credits include Dead Ringers, starring Rachel Weisz (Amazon Prime Video), The Exorcist (Fox), Mad Men, Nurse Jackie, House and 24.

About Thunderbird Entertainment

Thunderbird Entertainment Group is a global multiplatform production, distribution and rights management company, headquartered in Vancouver, with additional offices in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Ottawa. Thunderbird creates award-winning programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters. The Company develops, produces, and distributes content through its Thunderbird Kids & Family (Atomic Cartoons), Thunderbird Unscripted (Great Pacific Media), formerly known as Thunderbird Factual, and Thunderbird Scripted brands. Productions under the Thunderbird umbrella include The Last Kids on Earth, Molly of Denali, Highway Thru Hell, Kim’s Convenience, Strays and Reginald the Vampire, among others. The Company also has a team dedicated to global distribution and consumer products. Thunderbird is on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @tbirdent. For more information, visit: www.thunderbird.tv.

Neither the TSX-V nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX-V) accepts responsibility of the adequacy or accuracy of this release, which has been prepared by management.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Thunderbird’s public communications may include written or oral "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" as defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation. All such statements may not be based on historical facts that relate to the Company’s current expectations and views of future events and are made pursuant to the "safe harbour" provisions of applicable securities laws.

Forward-looking statements or information may be identified by words such as "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "forecast", "may", "will", "plan", "project", "should", "believe", "intend", or similar expressions concerning matters that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements in this document include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the belief that narratives will make a significant impact on the empathy had for others and how people view their own actions; expectations regarding building out the Company’s premium scripted business; and the belief that continued conversations about authenticity, identity, and gender will shine a light on some of the issues currently at large in our culture. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic and social uncertainties; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; product capability and acceptance; international risk and currency exchange rates; and technology changes. An assessment of these risks that could cause actual results to materially differ from current expectations is contained in the "Risks and Uncertainty" section of December 31, 2022 MD&A. The foregoing is not an exhaustive list. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to Thunderbird or that management believes to be less significant may also adversely affect the Company.

The forward-looking statements or information contained in this document represent our views as of the date hereof and as such information should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this document. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Accordingly, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information.

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Contacts

Julia Smith
604-803-0897
julia@finchmedia.net