Imagination Productions has, over the years, consistently produced award-winning, critically acclaimed comedy specials and original movies for both Showtine and HBO. We have also afforded many notable comic talents their directing debuts such as Danny DeVito, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer and Denis Leary. They are among the multitude of performers, writers and directors that have worked with Imagination to provide innovative and ground-breaking comedy.
David Jablin is a critically acclaimed, award-winning producer & director who was one of the pioneers of original programming for Pay-Cable. He created and produced the ground-breaking comedy anthology series, “Likely Stories” for HBO/Cinemax, which featured the directing debuts of Rob Reiner, Danny DeVito, Christopher Guest, Billy Crystal Penelope Spheeris, and Harry Shearer. Cablevision touted that it “Ranks with the best of SCTV & SNL.” The Los Angeles Times called the series “the most innovative program developed yet for Pay-TV.
Jablin produced Showtime Network's first original movie, “The Ratings Game” which starred Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman. The project marked DeVito's feature directing debut, as well as garnering a WGA Award for Best Original TV Comedy Movie, and an International TV Movie Festival Award for Best Comedy. The Boston Globe called it “One of the funniest, best written comedies since, ‘Tootsie.’
During Jablin's long-term exclusive association with the Showtime Network, he continued to produce and direct unique comedy films and specials that received multiple CableACE Awards and achieved both critical & ratings successes for the premium channel.
His film, “Public Enemy #2” was selected by Time Magazine as one of the 10 Best of TV for the year. The program was nominated for four CableAce awards including “Best Director” for Jablin. It also won the international “Cine Golden Eagle” award for best television comedy.
His production of Larry Gelbart’s “Mastergate” was named the Best Television Movie Of The Year by Entertainment Weekly. Time Magazine called it “George Orwell meets the Marx Bros.” The production won a CableAce award for production design as well as that years Casting Society of America Award.
The Showtime comedy special, “That Time of The Month” was heralded as a “comedy classic” by the LA Times. The program was nominated for 3 CableAce Awards including “Best Director” for Jablin.
Following this string of satirical successes Showtime signed Jablin exclusively to Executive Produce a series of original “National Lampoon” movies for the network. The series was praised by Variety for returning the Lampoon to its former hey-day of biting humor and cutting edge satire.
"National Lampoon’s Attack of the 5 Foot 2 Women" drew the networks highest ratings for a made-for-pay film to that date. It starred Julie Brown in a musical send-up of Tonya Harding and Lorena Bobbitt’s debutante debacles. "Attack" was nominated for 2 CableACE awards.
"National Lampoon’s Favorite Deadly Sins," stars Denis Leary, Joe Mantegna & Andrew Dice Clay in a trio of tantalizing tales. The production was nominated for 2 CableACE awards and won for “Best Director.”
Jablin both produced & directed the well-received mob-comedy, “The Don’s Analyst” about a depressed Godfather seeking some “family therapy.” It predated both the similarly themed, “Sopranos” and “Analyze This” by several years. The film starred, Kevin Pollak, Robert Loggia, Joe Bologna, Sherilyn Fenn and Angie Dickenson.
Jablin is currently developing the feature film satire, “High Alert,” an updating of the comedy classic, “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming” to be directed by the original’s director, film legend, Norman Jewison. Attached are Eugene Levy, Dan Ackroyd, Bette Midler and Annette Benning.
