’s life story for a TV series. The duo have teamed with formerto develop the series at Universal Television, where Zwerling and Usher are under a deal. The four will executive produce, with Zwerling and Usher writing.
Fresh out of college and finding herself relegated to waiting tables in early 1980’s DC, the brash and ambitious Levinson finagled an interview with Paul Manafort and became the first female executive hired to work for Black, Manafort, Stone and Kelly – the powerhouse lobbying firm headed by Manafort and Roger Stone who were both recently convicted over matters related to the Trump campaign.
The series will largely focus on her time at the firm as a young female lobbyist pushing to find her own way and moral center while working under the tutelage of the two now infamous political operatives in the outrageous atmosphere of the Reagan 80’s Beltway boys club.“Riva is an extraordinary woman with a jaw-dropping trove of memories and experiences to draw inspiration from, and the timing for telling this story could not be better,” said Faust.
Added Usher, “Lisa and I had been looking for a story like Riva’s to tell and when Blye and Cori brought hers to us, we jumped at the chance to be a part of it.” Levinson’s career included the dichotomy of working fervently to get the first female president in Africa elected while still juggling senators, dictators, and “freedom fighters” for Manafort and Stone, a journey charted in her award-winning book, which was released on Audible in November.