Lionsgate UK Takes Equity Stake In UK-Based Potboiler Television

London, 26 January, 2017. Diversified filmed entertainment company Lionsgate UK took another step in ramping up its television business as it announced today an equity investment in Andrea Calderwood (The Last King of Scotland, HBO’s Generation Kill) and Gail Egan’s (The Constant Gardener) new high end television drama company, Potboiler Television.  Lionsgate will partner with the renowned producers on their expanding television slate and has also signed a first-look deal for global distribution of Potboiler’s television product.

The deal marks the latest step in the continued global expansion of Lionsgate’s television business.  In the UK, the Company has recently invested in production companies Primal Media & Kindle Entertainment, co-financed the hit Channel 4 comedy Damned and hired leading ITV executive Steve November as Creative Director of UK Television.

The investment into the new television arm, Potboiler Television builds upon the relationship between Lionsgate and Potboiler Productions, who have collaborated on several successful film projects including Alan Rickman’s acclaimed feature film A Little Chaos, starring Kate Winslet and Matthias Schoenaerts, Trespass Against Us, a feature film slated for March 2017 release in the UK starring Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson, and the critically-acclaimed A Most Wanted Man, starring the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdam, released in the US in partnership with Lionsgate’s sister company Roadside Attractions.

Zygi Kamasa, CEO of Lionsgate’s European office commented, “Lionsgate UK has a reputation for boldly supporting British product and talent, investing more in its home territory than any other distributor. This partnership with Andrea and Gail, two renowned film and television producers, and the Potboiler team deepens that commitment and extends both companies’ diversification into scripted television product created for a global audience.”

“Potboiler is an acclaimed film brand now bringing its focus to thought-provoking and entertaining television dramas with world-class talent,” said Lionsgate Television Group Chairman Kevin Beggs.  “This deal is a perfect example of the building blocks Zygi Kamasa and his team are assembling as they develop a robust television business alongside their premier film brand.  We look forward to collaborating with them in creating premium quality programming for audiences in the UK, the U.S. and around the world.”

“We’re proud to grow our relationship with Zygi Kamasa and the Lionsgate UK team, with whom we’ve partnered on a number of successful films, as we grow the new television company  and to leverage the great talent relationships we have in common,” said Calderwood and Egan.  “Lionsgate and Potboiler have similar entrepreneurial cultures and a shared vision of the opportunities that lie ahead of us in reaching a global television audience.”

One of the largest independent television businesses in the world, Lionsgate’s slate encompasses nearly 90 series on 40 different U.S. networks, including the ground-breaking Orange is the New Black, fan favorite Nashville, which is achieving record ratings on CMT, Casual, The Royals, Greenleaf and Graves along with eagerly-anticipated new series such as Dear White People for Netflix, White Famous for Showtime, Step Up for YouTube Red, Kicking & Screaming for Fox and Candy Crush for CBS.

The deal was negotiated for Lionsgate by Executive Vice President TV Operations & Corporate Development Laura Kennedy and Alexandra Keen, Executive Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs together with Reno Antoniades and Oliver Shipton for Potboiler.  Consultant Marc Lorber brought the deal into Lionsgate UK.

For Further information please contact:

Lorna Mann: LMann@lionsgatefilms.co.uk