HBO hustles pilot for 'How to Make It'

Comedy project from Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg

By Nellie Andreeva

July 30, 2008, 01:00 AM ET

Mark Wahlberg

HBO has the recipe for "How to Make It in America."

The pay cable network has greenlighted a comedy pilot from Stephen Levinson's Leverage and Mark Wahlberg's Closest to the Hole.

Penned by Ian Edelman, "How to Make It" revolves around three enterprising downtown twentysomethings who hustle their way through New York City determined to achieve the American dream.

"These guys don't want to wait for things to happen, they make them happen," Levinson said. "That's the attitude of this generation, which Ian represents very well."

In addition to Wahlberg and Levinson, Edelman's idea also attracted HBO-based producer Rob Weiss ("Entourage"), who connected to it through his experiences as a student at the Parsons School for Design.

"This show is a fun ride through the downtown scene, examining the cross section of people and how they relate to the relevant subcultures in NYC," said Weiss, who is exec producing the pilot with Edelman, Wahlberg and Levinson.

"How to Make It" joins a busy pilot slate at HBO that includes "Hung" and "Bored to Death" as well as recently picked-up "Treme," "The Washingtonienne" and "Boardwalk Empire."

It also expands HBO's relationship with Levinson and Wahlberg, who are also behind the network's series "Entourage" and "In Treatment" as well as "Boardwalk."

Edelman, who began his TV career writing and directing on-air promos for cable network G4, has penned several pilot scripts, including the Jennifer Lopez-produced "Echo Park" for FX. He is repped by ICM.