David Letterman and Worldwide Pants Incorporated Join as EPs on Feature Documentary Celebrating Legendary Bandleader Paul Shaffer

Grace Street Media, Ballinran Entertainment, and White Pine Pictures have secured the participation of David Letterman and his company Worldwide Pants as Executive Producer on the upcoming feature documentary, Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer.

David Letterman’s involvement represents a significant endorsement of the project, lending his name to a film he believes tells an important and timely story about one of the most influential figures in music and television.

“Paul Shaffer is a show business friend who became a real friend,” says David Letterman. “A comedic partner whose quickness and timing saved me night after night. A composer, arranger and performer with endless range. His vast knowledge and list of collaborators in music make him a living rock and roll hall of fame. There is no one more worthy of an examination of his life and work.”

“Any contribution I have been lucky enough to make to the world of music and comedy has only been possible thanks to my working alongside David Letterman,” says Paul Shaffer. “That’s why Worldwide Pants joining to help tell my story is a dream I cannot wait to share with all of you.”

Also joining as Executive Producer is Tom Keaney, Emmy award winning Executive Producer of Letterman’s My Next Guest Needs No Introduction for Netflix, and Executive Producer of the Academy Award shortlisted documentary ENO, directed by Gary Hustwit.

Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer will explore the musical and personal journey of Paul Shaffer, the celebrated Canadian-born band leader, musician, and producer and Letterman’s longtime friend and on-screen collaborator for more than three decades of late-night television. The film will follow Shaffer from his musical roots in Thunder Bay, Ontario, to his break as musical director on the celebrated 1972 Toronto production of Godspell, which led to his success in New York working on Broadway, Saturday Night Live and Late Night/The Late Show with David Letterman.

The production team is led by three Canadian production companies, Grace Street Media (Executive Producer, Vern Freedlander), Ballinran Entertainment (Executive Producer, Craig Thompson), and White Pine Pictures (Executive Producers, Peter Raymont and Stephen Paniccia). All three companies specialize in the production and distribution of arts-based documentary and performance content.

“Paul and Dave share an exceptional depth of knowledge and respect for rock music and popular culture, qualities that helped elevate Late Night and The Late Show into iconic television,” said Vern Freedlander, President and Executive Producer, Grace Street Media. “Those same sensibilities are at the heart of this project. We’re honoured by Dave’s endorsement and support.”

“Paul Shaffer helped define an era of television and music,” said Craig Thompson, President and Executive Producer for Ballinran Entertainment. “Having David Letterman join as an executive producer through Worldwide Pants is a powerful validation of the importance of this film.”

“White Pine Pictures is delighted and proud to be co-producing this film on the boy from Thunder Bay, Ontario who made it to the pinnacle of the world’s entertainment business,” said Peter Raymont, President, White Pine Pictures.

The documentary is represented internationally by Travis Tammero of the Independent Film Group at UTA.

The project was first announced during the Toronto International Film Festival and continues to move forward with strong creative momentum and industry interest.

About WORLDWIDE PANTS, INC.
WORLDWIDE PANTS, INC. (WPI) is the production company founded by David Letterman in 1993, which created, produced and owns more than 6000 hours of television content, and has co-produced an array of award-winning television shows, films and music performances, winning dozens of Emmy awards and multiple Peabody awards. WPI produced and owns all episodes of THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. WPI currently produces the Emmy-winning MY NEXT GUEST NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION WITH DAVID LETTERMAN, a long-form doc/interview show on Netflix, now in its fifth season, featuring iconic guests including Barack Obama, Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, JAY-Z, Robert Downey Jr., Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dave Chappelle, Miley Cyrus, Caitlin Clark, and Billie Eilish.

About GRACE STREET MEDIA
Founded in 2016 by producer and technology executive Vern Freedlander, Grace Street Media is a Toronto-based production company and media consultancy focussing on niche content and streamed distribution. The company recognizes and responds to changing demographic, sociocultural and technological shifts in the media industries that are making it increasingly challenging to reach a mass audience. Grace Street focuses on strategically converting niche audiences into fan-centric communities through the hyper-curation of content to create highly targeted solutions in SVOD, AVOD, FAST channels, DOOH, and immersive. Learn more at: http://gracestreetmedia.com

About BALLINRAN ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 1995 by former journalist and foreign correspondent Craig Thompson, Ballinran Entertainment is celebrating 30 years as Southwestern Ontario’s most prolific and enduring film and television production studio. We specialize in captivating, cinematic documentary programming for Canadian broadcasters and global platforms including Netflix, Discovery, and Amazon. Notable productions include THE TRUTH IS IN THE STARS, ALEX TREBEK: GAME CHANGERS; INSIDE WUHAN, EXCLUSION: BEYOND THE SILENCE; MOSTLY SUNNY and THE CAPTAINS. For three decades, our passion for illuminating extraordinary stories has taken us around the world. At the heart of Ballinran is a commitment to storytelling that inspires, informs, and entertains. Driven by deep industry expertise, journalistic curiosity, and a spirit of creative exploration, we continue to push boundaries through traditional production, immersive media, and innovative co-productions worldwide.  Learn more at: https://ballinran.com

About WHITE PINE PICTURES
Founded 46 years ago by Emmy-Award filmmaker Peter Raymont, White Pine Pictures is a Toronto-based film and television production company. Its documentary features include the Emmy and Sundance award-winning SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL and the Oscar short-listed GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD and A PROMISE TO THE DEAD: THE EXILE JOURNEY OF ARIEL DORFMAN. White Pine Pictures produced the TIFF and DOC NYC 2019 Opening Night Gala film, ONCE WERE BROTHERS: ROBBIE ROBERTSON AND THE BAND and the 2023 International Emmy Award-winning BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE: CARRY IT. The widely broadcast TV drama series, THE BORDER and CRACKED were also produced by White Pine Pictures. Learn more at: whitepinepictures.com