Lonesome Pine hits right note with Rainmaker music TV deals
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Editor
| 18 April 2023
In a new relationship adding three premium music titles to its MIPDOC slate, international distributor Rainmaker Content has agreed a distribution deal with UK-based indie Lonesome Pine Productions, whose slate includes both music programming and scripted TV.
Rainmaker Pete Waterman 17April2023
Headlining the Cannes offer from the company that specialises in drama, factual and special-event programming are the first titles to be taken to the international market under the new relationship, two premium music series and a musical special featuring classical soprano Carly Paoli.

Stock Aitken Waterman: Legends of Pop (3 x 60’/ 2 x 90’ - pictured) was originally produced for Channel 5 in the UK. It reunites Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, the three producers whose songs dominated the global pop music scene in the 1980s and 1990s.

Telling a story of stratospheric success, counterbalanced by fractured relationships and bitter courtroom battles, the series features exclusive new interviews with some of the trio’s biggest artists, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley and pop maestro Simon Cowell.

Greatest Albums Live (6 x 60’) is a returning series for Sky Arts that celebrates six classic albums through new performances by the original artists. Each episode explores the influences, creative process and legacy of one seminal album, to the soundtrack of live performances in original track order. Top UK music presenters Jools Holland, Edith Bowman, and Miranda Sawyer are attached to the first series, which features Stereophonics (Just Enough Education to Perform), Simple Minds (New Gold Dream), Gregory Porter (Liquid Spirit), ABC (The Lexicon of Love), Peter Frampton (Frampton Comes Alive!) and Dexy’s Midnight Runners(Too-Rye-Ay).

Carly Paoli & Friends (1 x 70’) is a musical special in which Carly Paoli, the Brit-nominated classical singer, lyricist, and star of the classical world, is joined by famous friends to perform a selection of recognisable songs at the picturesque Otterburn Castle. Featuring collaborations with Aled Jones, Tony Hadley, Mica Paris, Ben Forster, Braimah Kanneh-Mason, and the Brit School Choir, Carly Paoli & Friends is a joyful celebration of music, be it classical or pop, cinematic or West End musical.

Commenting on the deals, Rainmaker Content co-founder and chief operating officer Vicky Ryan said: “Rainmaker is in the process of formalising its relationships with its key suppliers in order to secure its pipeline of quality factual content. And when it comes to music programming, Lonesome Pine produce some of the finest — as is clearly demonstrated by these first titles to come out of our new deal with Lesley and her team.”

“Having spent some time getting to know Vicky and the team at Rainmaker, I am delighted that they are representing these titles globally,” added Lesley Douglas, co-founder of Lonesome Pine Productions. “It has been a genuinely collaborative experience and I hope there will be many more projects we work on together in the future.”