EXCLUSIVE: BBC Studios has invested within the nascent manufacturing outfit co-run by the creator of Fox’s Special Forces: World’s Hardest Check.
The BBC’s business arm has taken an undisclosed minority stake in Samphire Films, 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 world distribution and format rights. At launch six months in the past, Samphire mentioned it had landed a co-development cope with a serious U.S. community, in addition to being in funded improvement on six initiatives for British and worldwide broadcasters and streamers.
Leonard is a former inventive director at Minnow Movies, the place she labored throughout hit Channel 4 collection SAS: Who Dares Wins and created the American model, Particular Forces World’s Hardest Check, 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 inventive director at Blast Movies overseeing collection together with Liverpool Narcos and Lacking Useless 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 technology of inventive leaders.” “They’ve a confirmed monitor file 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 area of time has constructed a slate that speaks each to their world ambitions in addition to their extraordinary inventive breadth was irresistible.”
Leonard and Hodgkinson added: “We’ve seen big demand for our concepts and manufacturing experience from each the U.S. and the UK and sought the best strategic associate to permit us to quickly scale the enterprise in response. We’re working with main inventive and business expertise, constructing a forward-thinking manufacturing firm to ship groundbreaking programming that resonates with audiences globally. BBC Studios shares our dedication to innovation and inventive excellence, and we will’t wait to see what we will obtain collectively.”
Samphire Movies was supported by Hasham Khan of ABP Advisory and Peter Weiss at SMB.
