Damian Abraham, frontman of acclaimed punk band F*cked Up, and Emmy-winning producer Zach Feldberg have launched Cut & Paste Pictures, a new Toronto-based prodco focused on projects “rooted in music, counterculture, and outsider perspectives.”
Abraham’s career beyond music, including hosting and producing VICE’s The Wrestlers and MuchMusic’s The Wedge, and creating long-running interview podcast Turned Out A Punk, which features guests like Melissa Auf der Maur, Moe Berg, and Frank Black discussing their punk roots.
“After two decades leading a band with a swear word for a name, and years spent working across podcasting and television chasing era-defining moments, I’ve learned that the culture you want to see in the world doesn’t just happen,” said Abraham. “Cut & Paste is an extension of that mindset – a home for stories that are raw, strange, and often overlooked, and that come from incredible people we’ve encountered who trust us with bringing their fascinating stories to the world.”
Feldberg previously served as Director of Current Production, Comedy and Head of Scripted Gem Originals at CBC, where he oversaw series including Sort Of (HBO Max), Son of a Critch (The CW), Fakes (Netflix) and For Heaven’s Sake (Paramount+). Earlier in his career, he produced original content for Trailer Park Boys, Vikings, and Big Brother.
“We called our company Cut & Paste because it reflects the culture and ethos that shaped us – making things from scratch, by hand, and seeking out voices that hadn’t yet broken through and were ahead of their time,” said Feldberg. “Personally, it connects everything from releasing records and ‘zines as a teenager to working as a journalist, radio host, and later as an executive and producer in TV and film. Our aim now is to pair that creative drive with the infrastructure and partnerships needed to bring those stories to scale.”
Cut & Paste’s slate spans scripted and unscripted formats and a feature doc currently in production, with Abraham and Feldberg’s combined backgrounds across music, media, and television informing a distinct point of view.
Their unscripted development slate is led by factual series Exit Strategy, exploring life after prison for All Elite Wrestling (AEW) star Hassan “MVP” Assad. The slate also includes a genre-bending factual/lifestyle series with musician and producer Tim Hill of Indigenous DJ collective The Halluci Nation, and a feature documentary on Southern Ontario suburban punk rock from director Caitlin Starowicz (She Walks with Apes, Rebellion).
The proco’s scripted slate is anchored by feature film I Just Want to Talk to You, written and directed by Kelly McCormack (A League of Their Own, Sugar Daddy) and co-written by Tess Degenstein (The Monkey). Based on uncovered 1970s recordings by Charles K. Brown – reissued in 2021 by The Numero Group label – the film tells the story of teen angst and unrequited gay love that ultimately broke up his band. Also in development is half-hour comedy series HOSER, co-created by Abraham and Ehren “Bear Witness” Thomas (The Halluci Nation), and co-written by Graeme Wilson (Freaks on Film), about a disgraced American podcaster who accidentally relocates to Canada.
In December, Cut & Paste released short doc SNFU: A Band From Edmonton, about Canadian punk legends SNFU, in partnership with Trust Records, which had its premiere at The Punk Rock Museum in Las Vegas. The company is currently in pre-production on a feature-length documentary chronicling the unlikely lifelong friendship between Rise Against guitarist Zach Blair and pro wrestler MVP from director Scott Barber (This is Gwar).
