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14.10.04
ALL3MEDIA acquires Company Pictures
ALL3MEDIA acquires Company Pictures to form the UK's Leading Independent Television Production Group
ALL3MEDIA is pleased to announce that it has reached an agreement to acquire Company Pictures, one of the UK's leading Independent film and
television production companies, with a strong reputation for delivering high-quality prime time TV drama and feature films.
This acquisition takes ALL3MEDIA into a pre-eminent market position as Britain's leading Independent television production group. ALL3MEDIA was
founded by a management team led by Steve Morrison, Jules Burns and David Liddiment in August 2003, when they acquired the former Chrysalis TV
Group for £45 million with funding provided by European private equity firm Bridgepoint. ALL3MEDIA as a combined group, following the acquisition
of Company, will have a turnover in the region of £140 million* for 2004.
ALL3MEDIA, through a combination of acquisitions and organic growth has, in just over a year, become the Independent TV production sector market
leader, having formed a group that represents some of the most creative talent in the market as evidenced by their award winning programmes.
Company is a fast growing TV drama production group with an outstanding reputation in the industry for delivering high quality prime-time TV drama
for the BBC, ITV and Channel Four. In both 2002 and 2004 Company won the European Producer of the Year award at the Monte Carlo International
Television Festival. Company has also produced a number of critically acclaimed feature films with some of Britain's top writing and on-screen talent.
Under the leadership of George Faber and Charlie Pattinson, both former senior executives at the BBC, Company has grown substantially, more than tripling
revenue growth since 2001. In the financial year ended 31 December 2003 revenue increased 75 percent to £20.4 million. Award-winning producers George Faber
and Charlie Pattinson, who founded London-based Company in 1998, will continue to run the business as joint Managing Directors.
Company's most recent accomplishment is The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, starring Oscar winners Geoffrey Rush and Charlize Theron, which was the only
British film selected for Competition in the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. The film opened in UK cinemas on October 1 and was co-financed by HBO Films and BBC Films.
Company is currently producing the second series of Shameless, the hit Channel Four drama series created by Paul Abbott., which recently won the prestigious
Prix Italia award and has just been nominated for an International Emmy. Other current drama commissions include The Rotter's Club and Faith for BBC 1, Rose
and Maloney, series 2, for ITV next year and Ghost Squad, Channel 4's first police series, 8 episodes of which have just been commissioned.
Upcoming productions to be aired this year include Tom Brown's Schooldays, starring Stephen Fry, Lawless, starring Trevor Eve, Uncle Adolf, starring Ken Stott,
all for ITV1, and Not Only But Always, starring Rhys Ifans for Channel 4.
The acquisition consideration will not be disclosed but it is confirmed that the vendors will receive an initial payment and will have the opportunity to earn
additional sums against the delivery of future profits. Baker Tilly advised Company on the transaction. Bridgepoint and RBS provided the finance for ALL3MEDIA.
Commenting on the transaction, George Faber and Charlie Pattinson, said:
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"This is an exciting development for Company. In a lively market that is rapidly consolidating we are able to retain our strong identity and brand under the
umbrella of an ambitious and energetic management team at ALL3MEDIA."
Steve Morrison, Chief Executive of ALL3MEDIA added:
"We are delighted that Company has chosen to join ALL3MEDIA at such an exciting time in the industry and for our group. We look forward to working with and
supporting George and Charlie and the talented team at Company as they take their business on to new levels of achievement.
Company, alongside Bentley, makes ALL3MEDIA a very significant UK drama force."
For further information please contact:
Steve Morrison tel: 020 7907 0177
ALL3MEDIA
Richard Constant tel: 020 7554 1400
Gavin Anderson & Company
Notes to Editors
About Company:
Established in 1998 Company has produced more than 90 hours of prime-time TV drama for the BBC, ITV and Channel Four, and five
feature films with some of the UK's leading, cutting edge young directing talent - Roger Michell, Shane Meadows and Lynne Ramsay.
Company's many successes include: Sons and Lovers (ITV), White Teeth (C4), Nicholas Nickleby (ITV/Bravo), The Lakes (BBC), Never Never (C4),
North Square (C4) and Shot Through the Heart (BBC/HBO).
For more information, see www.companypictures.co.uk
About ALL3MEDIA:
ALL3MEDIA is the leading UK Independent production group, founded in August 2003 and managed by Steve Morrison, Jules Burns, David Liddiment
and John Pfeil with the objective of building the market-leading business in the sector through the combination of organic growth and acquisitions.
ALL3MEDIA has in a short time compiled a group of eight TV production companies and its own programme and format distribution arm, ALL3MEDIA International.
These companies contain some of the Industry's most talented professionals in their respective genres working in the UK, Europe, Australasia and America.
In June, ALL3MEDIA successfully completed the acquisition of Lion TV Group, one of Britain's fastest growing TV production companies specialising in history,
general factual and entertainment programmes. In 2003, Lion TV recorded turnover of more than £22 million.
ALL3MEDIA's sports and factual entertainment production company, Chrysalis Television, announced its new name North One Television earlier this year and is
responsible for the production of Formula 1 and World Rally on ITV.
ALL3MEDIA's other TV production companies include Bentley, makers of Midsomer Murders and Ultimate Force, Cactus, makers of Richard & Judy, ARG, makers
of Channel Four's hit comedy Black Books, IdtV in Holland and South Pacific Pictures, New Zealand's largest TV production company. IdtV Films and SPP were both
nominated for Oscars with Twin Sisters and Whale Rider respectively. (Keisha Castle-Hughes was the youngest person ever nominated for Best Leading Actress.)
On March 4th, Sir Robert Phillis, currently Chief Executive of Guardian Media Group plc, was appointed non-executive chairman of ALL3MEDIA.
*Based on disclosed turnover figure in the Broadcast independent survey.
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