EXCLUSIVE: BBC Studios has invested within the nascent manufacturing outfit co-run by the creator of Fox’s Particular Forces: World’s Hardest Take a look at.
The BBC’s industrial arm has taken an undisclosed minority stake in Samphire Movies, which was launched by Sophie Leonard and ex-BBC docs commissioner David Hodgkinson final 12 months.
The partnership will see BBC Studios help Samphire’s development plans for premium documentary and constructed factual manufacturers within the UK and U.S., whereas taking first-look international distribution and format rights. At launch six months in the past, Samphire mentioned it had landed a co-development take care of a significant U.S. community, in addition to being in funded growth on six tasks for British and worldwide broadcasters and streamers.
Leonard is a former artistic director at Minnow Movies, the place she labored throughout hit Channel 4 sequence SAS: Who Dares Wins and created the American model, Particular Forces World’s Hardest Take a look at, for Fox. Previous credit embody Ashley Madison: Intercourse, Lies and Scandal and Jerry Springer: Fights, Digicam, Motion.
Hodgkinson’s time on the BBC noticed him work throughout the likes of Lucan and Homicide Trial. Beforehand, he was artistic director at Blast Movies overseeing sequence together with Liverpool Narcos and Lacking Lifeless or Alive.
BBC Studios has a wealth of minority stakes in UK indies together with In My Pores and skin maker Expectation, Honesty Field indie Mettlemouse and Am I Being Unreasonable? producer Boffola Photos.
Kate Ward, MD for Factual Productions at BBC Studios, hailed Leonard and Hodgkinson as “the subsequent era of artistic leaders.” “They’ve a confirmed monitor document in delivering formidable and compelling unscripted tv spanning premium documentary to globally famend factual-formats,” she added. “Investing in Samphire, which in such a brief house of time has constructed a slate that speaks each to their international ambitions in addition to their extraordinary artistic breadth was irresistible.”
Leonard and Hodgkinson added: “We’ve seen large demand for our concepts and manufacturing experience from each the U.S. and the UK and sought the suitable strategic accomplice to permit us to quickly scale the enterprise in response. We’re working with main artistic and industrial expertise, constructing a forward-thinking manufacturing firm to ship groundbreaking programming that resonates with audiences globally. BBC Studios shares our dedication to innovation and artistic excellence, and we are able to’t wait to see what we are able to obtain collectively.”
Samphire Movies was supported by Hasham Khan of ABP Advisory and Peter Weiss at SMB.
