Production
Abishag Productions was formed in 2007 by Katherine Heigl and Nancy Heigl. The production company, the fulfilment of a long term ambition for Katherine to work on both sides of the camera, has afforded her the opportunity to produce a number of projects and to seek out and develop exciting stories for both the big and small screen.
Katherine has since served as an executive producer on a number movies in which she has starred, including “One For The Money”, “Life As We Know It” and “The Ugly Truth”, and for the Netflix television series “Firefly Lane“. Under the Abishag banner, the Heigl’s also developed and produced the espionage series “State Of Affairs” for NBC, in which Katherine played a CIA analyst tasked with assembling and presenting the President’s Daily Briefing on the most vital security issues facing the United States of America.
When I read a great story it's exciting to see if we can turn it into a film. It's a very different feeling than just being a hired actor where my job is to hit my mark and do what they tell me.
— Katherine Heigl
The unusually titled company derives its name from a character in the poem “Provide, Provide” by Robert Frost, which describes the transient nature of beauty and fame in Hollywood. This is particularly illustrated in the first two stanzas of the poem:
Provide, Provide
The witch that came (the withered hag)
To wash the steps with pail and rag
Was once the beauty Abishag,
The picture pride of Hollywood.
Too many fall from great and good
For you to doubt the likelihood.
Die early and avoid the fate.
Or if predestined to die late,
Make up your mind to die in state.
Make the whole stock exchange your own!
If need be occupy a throne,
Where nobody can call you crone.
Some have relied on what they knew,
Others on being simply true.
What worked for them might work for you.
No memory of having starred
Atones for later disregard
Or keeps the end from being hard.
Better to go down dignified
With boughten friendship at your side
Than none at all. Provide, provide!
Robert Frost
The Heigl’s currently have a number of projects under development, including “Woodhull” the story of trailblazer Victoria Woodhull the first woman to run for the U.S. presidency, which they will produce in association with Oakhurst Entertainment. Katherine will also star in the limited series which is currently out to showrunners.