Thursday, April 18, 2013

Tony Wood, Executive Producer Of Nickelodeon's "House Of Anubis", Leaves Lime Pictures, Sets Up Production Company With Cineflix Studios Called Buccaneer Media

The entertainment news website C21Media is reporting the news that Tony Wood, a executive producer of Nickelodeon's hit live-action mystery drama series "House of Anubis", has left the British television production company Lime Pictures, the production company which makes "House of Anubis" with Nickelodeon and Studio 100, and will now be the Cheif Executive Officer (CEO) of the new production company Buccaneer Media, a joint venture between Tony Wood and Cineflix Studios:
Cineflix builds with Wood

Cineflix Studios has linked up with the former creative director of UK indie Lime Pictures to form a new prodco, with an Eddie Izzard drama already in the pipeline.

Buccaneer Media will develop and produce a range of scripted programming for broadcasters worldwide, according to Peter Smith, board director at Buccaneer and CEO of Cineflix Studios since August last year.

The fledgling prodco will be headed by CEO Tony Wood, who left Lime earlier this year having overseen production of The Only Way Is Essex and long-running drama Hollyoaks, and was also exec producer of Nickelodeon’s House of Anubis.

“Our ambition is to build a globally focused company producing everything from family entertainment to high-quality drama and structured reality rooted in the social media landscape,” said Wood.

Buccanneer has already signed a development deal with Impact Film & Television, producer of CBBC’s one-off 2011 special Last Christmas, on four projects. They include an upcoming “dramatic, fresh new take” on Jekyll and Hyde, starring Izzard, which does not yet have a broadcaster attached.

Meanwhile, deals are also in place for two so-far unnamed “scripted family” projects with North American networks, Wood told C21.

Buccaneer’s programming will be sold internationally by Cineflix Rights, distribution arm of Cineflix Media.

“Forming this partnership with Cineflix Studios will mean I can draw on their expertise and experience in producing for US and Canadian networks while retaining the creativity and independence to achieve my ambition for Buccaneer,” added Wood.

Cineflix Studios, the scripted division of Cineflix Media, launched in 2010 and has so far coproduced period drama Copper for BBC America with Nomadic Pictures in Canada and is working on upcoming drama Will alongside Participant Media for the latter’s new Pivot channel.

Meanwhile, Cineflix Studios is looking to partner with more companies, specifically in the UK and Canada, in order to increase its drama output, Smith told C21.

Nico Franks
18-04-2013
©C21Media

GENRES: Drama
SHOWS: Copper, The Only Way Is Essex
PEOPLE: Eddie Izzard, Peter Smith, Tony Wood
COMPANIES: Cineflix Rights, Cineflix Studios
SECTIONS: C21Drama
COUNTRIES: Canada, UK
Also, from TBI Vision:
Cineflix, Tony Wood launch Buccaneer Media

Cineflix Studios has hooked up with former Lime Pictures creative Tony Wood to create a new production company that already has an Eddie Izzard project in the works.

Buccaneer Media will be based in the UK and work with the scripted arm of Canada’s Cineflix Media on developing and producing a range of programmes for broadcasters.

The company already has two deals in place with unnamed North American networks and a development deal with Lost Christmas producer Impact Film and Television.

Among four projects contained with the Impact agreement is a reworking of the Jekyll and Hyde story that has comedian and actor Izzard attached to star.

Wood was previously creative director of All3Media-owned Lime, which is behind The Only Way is Essex and Hollyoaks. He also counts Nickelodeon series House of Anubis among his credits.

He said: “Launching Buccaneer is a hugely exciting move for me. Our ambition is to build a globally focused company producing everything from family entertainment to high quality drama and structured reality rooted in the social media landscape. But at its heart, Buccaneer will have a simple philosophy: compelling characters, strong narratives and emotional underpinning all combining to create the most engaging television for as many audiences as possible.

“Forming this partnership with Cineflix Studios will mean I can draw on their expertise and experience in producing for US and Canadian networks while retaining the creativity and independence to achieve my ambition for Buccaneer.”

Cineflix Rights will sell Buccaneer’s productions on the international market.