‘After a spirited auction that brought 20 suitors into play, Working Title partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner emerged victorious with a six-against seven-figure deal for People Hacker, a book that tells the story of Jenny Radcliffe. A former burglar, con artist and expert in deception and physical infiltration, she became the secret weapon of corporations trying to close security gaps that led their companies to be hacked and robbed. The security and espionage expert would demonstrate skills on her employers who would find their security codes and contents of safes in her hands.
Radcliffe learned the art of breaking and entering from her family, but her moral code left her to seek a career stopping crooks. Using skills such as an exceptional ability to read people to know if they’re lying, and psychology, stagecraft and charm to gain access to top-grade private and commercial properties, Radcliffe became a successful “people hacker,” a lucrative field comprised mostly of men. She tests security systems, speaks at conferences and TEDx talks, and was an HQ hunter in the Channel Four series Hunted.
Radcliffe took 20 meetings with the suitors for her life rights and book, which must have been interesting to suitors to be grilled with a woman whose job is to see through things like insincerity. In the end, Working Title passed her sniff test and made the deal. The aim is to use her story to craft a thriller series with a strong female protagonist.
The book’s published by Simon & Schuster. The deal was brokered by Aevitas’ Allison Warren, Kayla Grogan & Trevor Dolby. ‘
Via Deadline
The Book to Screen Club 