‘Those Little White Lines’ is moving forward as a major new television drama, and the project just secured a heavy hitter from one of crime television’s biggest hits. Mark Valadez, known for his work as a writer and producer on the long-running USA Network series Queen of the South, has officially come aboard as showrunner. The series is being developed as an Australia-U.S. co-production between Red Empire Productions and Organic Media Group, with production planned for Wollongong, Australia.
The news broke exclusively on February 11, 2026, confirming that Valadez will lead the creative direction for this adaptation of Kaz Piper’s autobiographical novel. The project has been quietly in development, and this announcement signals that the series is now actively preparing to go out to buyers and streaming platforms.
What ‘Those Little White Lines’ Is Actually About
At its core, Those Little White Lines is not a glamorous nostalgia trip about the 1980s music scene. It is the opposite of that. The story follows a young woman who gets pulled into the high-risk, high-reward underbelly of the rock industry during an era defined by excess, easy money, and easy access to dangerous substances.
The narrative uses a dual-timeline structure, switching between the protagonist’s time inside that world and her later life as she works to escape it. The source material comes directly from author Kaz Piper, who lived this experience. Piper was a former insider during the height of the rock era, and the novel draws heavily from what she witnessed and survived.
Piper herself spoke openly about why this story took so long to reach this stage. She explained that for years, industry gatekeepers told her the material was too raw, too centered on a female perspective, and too honest about the price of chasing freedom at a young age. She described the adaptation process as reclaiming her own voice and finally being able to tell the truth behind the myths of that time period.
Mark Valadez Brings His Crime Drama Experience to the Music World
Valadez built his reputation on Queen of the South, the hit series about Teresa Mendoza, a woman who climbs the ranks of a drug cartel through intelligence and sheer survival instinct. That show ran for five seasons and developed a loyal global fanbase. Valadez sees a direct line between Teresa’s journey and the protagonist of Those Little White Lines.
He described the project as a character-first drama about power, addiction, ambition, and the painful process of reinvention. He emphasized that the best crime stories are not really about the crimes themselves, but about people who learn to navigate dangerous systems faster than the people trying to trap them. Setting that conflict inside the 1980s music industry, he said, makes the story visceral, dangerous, and deeply human.
This is exactly the kind of material Valadez has built his career on. His attachment as showrunner gives the project immediate credibility in the premium drama space.
The Global Production Plan and Where It Will Film
Unlike many shows that shoot in Los Angeles or New York and call it a day, Those Little White Lines is being built as a genuine international collaboration. Red Empire Productions, founded by Amie Casey in Australia, is handling physical production out of Wollongong, a coastal city south of Sydney. The location will be used to double for both contemporary settings and the period look of the 1980s.
Organic Media Group, which operates out of Taipei and Los Angeles, is co-developing the series. The company was launched by actor-producer Kelly Mi Li and musician-producer Steve Chicorel. Their entire business model is built on bridging Asian and Western markets, and this series fits that mission exactly.
Chicorel explained that developing a show across Australia, Taiwan, and the United States is not just a logistical choice, it is a reflection of how television is now made globally. Creative voices, production resources, and audiences all move freely across borders now. He said markets like Australia and Asia are no longer just places to sell finished shows, they are now part of the creative engine that builds them from the ground up.
Shari Hamrick Grewal from Organic Media Group is also attached as an executive producer, handling U.S. production and casting in Taiwan. Author Kaz Piper is listed as an executive producer as well, ensuring the adaptation remains faithful to her original work.
Why This Story Is Different from Other Music Industry Dramas
Television audiences have seen plenty of stories about the music business. What makes Those Little White Lines stand out is the source material. This is not a fictionalized take written by someone who researched the era from a distance. Piper lived inside that world, and her novel carries the weight of someone who paid the cost of admission in full.
She described her younger self as someone who wanted too much freedom too soon, and the story does not romanticize that. It shows the glamour, yes, but also the danger, the manipulation, and the slow realization that the people running the game are not your friends. The title itself is a direct reference to the physical evidence of substance abuse, the lines of powder that defined an entire generation of rock culture.
Valadez’s track record with Queen of the South proves he knows how to handle stories about women surviving in male-dominated criminal enterprises. Combining that skill set with Piper’s lived experience creates something that feels fresh, even though the era it depicts is decades in the past.
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What Happens Next for the Series
The producers are currently preparing to bring Those Little White Lines to potential buyers and distributors. Because it is structured as an Australia-U.S. co-production, the series is eligible for financing and incentives from both territories. This approach has become increasingly common for premium dramas that aim for global streaming audiences rather than traditional broadcast slots.
No network or streaming platform is attached yet, but the involvement of a proven showrunner like Valadez typically accelerates those conversations. Production is expected to be based out of Wollongong under Casey’s supervision, with casting expected to involve talent from both the United States and Asia.
Given that Organic Media Group specializes in content that travels between Western and Asian markets, it is reasonable to expect a diverse cast that reflects that international approach. No casting announcements have been made, and specific episode counts or premiere timelines have not been confirmed.
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