Sony Pictures Television takes stake in UK indie Blueprint

Editor
| 08 June 2016

The strength and attractiveness of the UK independent sector has been shown again by Sony Pictures Television (SPT) which has revealed that it has taken a minority stake in Blueprint Television.

Blueprint Pictures (BP) is run by producers Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin, who founded the company in 2005, and its most recent release is The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, a follow up to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. In 2008 BP produced Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA Award-winning film In Bruges. Other BP productions include The Riot Club; Now Is Good; and Becoming Jane. The Company’s first television drama, The Outcast, aired on BBC1 in 2015 and BP is in post-production on The Mercy, from Academy Award-winning director James Marsh.

The investment further builds on SPT’s strategy to increase its drama footprint in order to meet what it calls the increasing demand for high end drama around the world. Broadbent and Czernin and managing director Diarmuid McKeown will now team up with executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collins, who joins as head of television following his time at the helm of flagship BBC soap EastEnders. The company also has a fantasy adventure drama show The Last Dragonslayer in production for Sky1 and three series in development.

Commenting on the move, Andrea Wong, president, international production, SPT, said: “Pete and Graham are exactly the kind of people we want to partner with -- hugely creative and highly motivated. They already have an incredibly strong development slate and we can't wait to help them realise their vision for Blueprint Television.

Czernin added: “We’re excited to extend Blueprint’s reach to attract the best talent to tell longer form and returning stories. Working with Sony and Andrea and Wayne helps us fulfil the same ambitions we have when we make theatrical films: to entertain audiences around the world with the best stories.”