Studiocanal has taken a majority stake in one of the UK’s most successful independent producers, Red Production Company.
Since its creation in 1998 Red has produced drama series: from Queer as Folk for Channel 4, to the ratings-winning Scott & Bailey for ITV and most recently Last Tango in Halifax, which returns to BBC One for a second series this month.
Red Production Company’s day-to-day operations and productions will continue to be led by Nicola Shindler alongside managing director Andrew Critchley.
Nicola Shindler, founder and executive producer at Red Production Company, said: “When I first set up Red in the late 1990s I wanted to work with the best writers in the industry to produce the very best drama content. This is still my priority and the day to day running of the company will be unchanged. The significant investment from Studiocanal gives us at Red the opportunity to meet our growing ambitions without compromising the core values of the company. I am looking forward to working with Studiocanal on producing ambitious, daring and engaging content – both in the UK and internationally – as well as accessing their extensive library of film content.”
Studiocanal, which also has a majority stake in German-based producer Tandem, continues its development into international TV series. The company’s ambition is to replicate the successful business model developed for feature films, for TV series.
Olivier Courson, chairman and CEO of Studiocanal, said “Partnering with ed is a step forward in positioning Studiocanal as a European leader in content production. Nicola Shindler’s strong track record of developing acclaimed and popular British TV series is the perfect fit for our ambition to develop British and international content out of the UK. Thanks to Red and Tandem, Studiocanal will be able to provide broadcasters and platforms with high quality international TV programmes.”
