Objective co-founder steps down

The co-founder and director of All3Media-owned Objective Productions, which has been behind comedy series Peep Show and gameshow format The Cube, is leaving the company.

Michael Vine, who founded light entertainment specialist Objective alongside Andrew O’Connor in 1996, will now pursue movie and TV projects through his talent agency Michael Vine Associates.

All3Media acquired Objective in 2007 and its two co-founders were locked into the company until 2012 as part of the deal.

LA-based O’Connor remains associated with Objective on a creative basis, liaising between London and All3Media’s US hub, a spokesman for the prodco told C21.

In the UK, former Channel 4 (C4) exec Andrew Newman, who joined Objective in late 2009 and became CEO in January 2011, will lead the prodco following Vine’s departure, with Paul Sandler serving as MD and Stuart Duthie as financial director.

Objective has grown its reputation around hit formats such as The Cube for ITV, as well as long running C4 comedy Peep Show and specials focused on illusionist Derren Brown.

All3Media itself was acquired earlier this year after US cable giant Liberty Global joined forces with US factual giant Discovery Communications to take over the London-based producer and distributor in a 50/50 joint venture costing £550m (US$897m).

Objective recently appointed Ben Caudell, co-founder and creative director at Endemol-owned prodco Zeppotron, as its new head of comedy to replace the outgoing Ben Farrell, who departed in July to join the BBC’s in-house comedy unit.

Vine said: “It has been seven years since we sold to All3Media and working with Steve Morrison and Farah Ramzan Golant along with their team has been a fascinating journey. I am leaving Objective in very good shape with a highly talented team lead by Andrew Newman.”