THE BRIT 50 Integrated and sustainable


Building a sustainable business in the UK out of fi lm alone is a tough ask. Whether through TV production, sales or distribution, these companies have built diversifi ed revenue streams


EALING STUDIOS Marc Samuelson CINEMANX Nira Park BIG TALK


Need to know An expanding com- pany with great talent relation- ships and a strong track record in comedy, Big Talk is going to the next level with ambitious projects such as Edgar Wright’s Scott Pil- grim Vs The World and the forth- coming US-set Paul, which teams Simon Pegg and Nick Frost with a CGI alien. Founded by Nira Park in 1995, Big Talk is also a suc- cessful TV producer, with credits including Spaced and Black Books. Talent from those shows, such as Pegg, Frost and Wright, con- tinue to work with the company on features. Meanwhile Matthew Justice came on board in 2007 as managing director. In September 2009 Big Talk struck a fi rst-look deal with Optimum/StudioCanal and Film4, with which it had an existing relationship. The fi rst fi lm from this deal is Joe Cornish’s forthcoming alien-invasion story Attack The Block. It also has an on- going relationship with Working Title, with which it made Paul. On the TV side it sold a 25% stake to BBC Worldwide in 2008 and has a fi rst-look deal with 2Entertain.


■ 36 Screen International December 15, 2010


Key personnel Nira Park, Matthew Justice, Kenton Allen, head of de- velopment — fi lm Rachael Prior, executive producer — drama Luke Alkin. Incoming Next up for Big Talk is Wicked Smart, to be directed by Jeremy Lovering and written by Oscar nominee Robert Nelson Jacobs. Projects in development include the much anticipated Daisy Donovan-penned Ascen- sion Eagles; The Flawless Skin Of Ugly People written by Jack Thorne; the fi rst feature from double Edinburgh winners Tim Key and Tom Basden; the Ben Wheatley-helmed


Sightseers;


Dennis Kelly’s Blackout; and an adaptation of Jonathan Van Tulleken’s award-winning short Off Season. Nira Park says “We might be OCD on detail, but it comes out of love for getting it right and hopefully the audience responds to that. Taste-wise we always want what we produce to be popular and have broad appeal but hopefully be smart, witty and original. ” info@bigtalkproductions.com


Need to know Currently in produc- tion on TT3D: Closer To The Edge, an ambitious 3D fi lm about the Isle of Man motorcycle race which HanWay was selling at the AFM, CinemaNX has come a long way since 2007 when it was set up with the backing of the Isle of Man government, to encourage pro- ductions to shoot on the island. With its own distribution arm, CinemaNX’s titles have included Me And Orson Welles, The Disap- pearance Of Alice Creed and Chico & Rita, and a number of high- profi le projects are set to go into production in 2011 including the feature adaptation of Skins. And 2011 will see the company expand its fi nancing partnerships. Key personnel Marc Samuelson, Steve Christian. Incoming CinemaNX is co-produc- ing the feature version of Chan- nel 4 drama Skins with Film4 and Company Pictures, which CinemaNX is also teaming up with to develop a six-part TV series, The Shadow Line, for the BBC, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Christopher Eccleston. Marc Samuelson says “We’re try- ing to build a proper company, fi nancing and making excellent fi lms and TV shows but following through and putting the same kind of TLC into the distribution as we do into production.” fi lms@cinemanx.com


Need to know Ealing has all bases covered, with a healthy produc- tion slate, its own sales arm and strong links with distributors — in particular Entertainment Film Distributors which has partnered with Ealing on the St Trinian’s fi lms and Burke And Hare. Hav- ing made fi ve of the top 20 inde- pendent British fi lms of all time at the UK box offi ce, Ealing will this year focus on fi lms which ap- peal to the international market, with its long-term goal to pro- duce fi ve to six features a year. Key personnel Head of studio Barnaby Thompson, MD James Spring, head of development So- phie Meyer. Incoming Peter Cattaneo’s family comedy What The Puck, written by Geoff Deane, is due to start shooting in the spring. Also on the slate for 2011 is the Nina Simone biopic Nina, starring Mary J Blige, to be written and directed by Cyn- thia Mort, and European thriller All That Glitters. St Trinian’s Ver- sus The World is also scheduled to shoot in spring/summer. Barnaby Thompson says “In this day and age, you have to be very fo- cused on who your market is — not just in terms of audience but also in terms of distributors. The advantage of having our own sales company is that we’re talking to those distributors all the time.” info@ealingstudios.com


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Barnaby Thompson


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