Fifth Season Introduces New Non-Fiction Imprint Featuring Mary Lisio

Fifth Season is set to launch a dedicated non-fiction production division, Quite Contrary, under the leadership of Mary Lisio, known for her executive production of acclaimed documentaries such as History’s Gettysburg and Netflix’s Worst Roommate Ever.

Lisio, who previously served as EVP of Non-Scripted Development and Production at a studio backed by CJ ENM, will oversee Quite Contrary, which will serve as the hub for all of Fifth Season’s non-scripted projects.

This new division represents a multi-year partnership with Fifth Season, and Lisio, who joined the company in 2022, will hold the title of President.

Joining her will be Fifth Season team members, including executive producer Elissa Johnson. Together, they will develop and produce a variety of documentary features, docuseries, and reality formats.

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Fifth Season has a strong portfolio of non-scripted projects, including the feature documentary Folktales, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the CNN miniseries Death Cap: The Mushroom Murders, and an upcoming documentary about Earth, Wind & Fire by Questlove, along with Hulu’s McCartney 3, 2, 1.

Prior to her role at Fifth Season, Lisio was instrumental at Blumhouse Television, overseeing its partnership with NBC that resulted in original scripted shows, including The Thing About Pam. She has also executive produced for Nat Geo, with works such as Killing Jesus and Killing Kennedy, and has experience with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free and R.J. Cutler’s Actual Reality Pictures.

“Quite Contrary is a natural evolution of the work we’ve done at Fifth Season for years,” Lisio stated. “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.”

Fifth Season CEO Graham Taylor praised Lisio, noting, “Mary is a singular executive. 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.”