ITV, Walking Dead prodco form JV

ITV Studios America is partnering with talent management and production company Circle of Confusion to launch a scripted prodco as a joint venture.

Circle of Confusion’s global hit The Walking Dead

Circle of Confusion Television Studios aims to source, develop and produce premium scripted programming drawing on Circle of Confusion’s library of intellectual property with support from ITV Studios America.

A creative team to manage the studio’s day-to-day operations will be assembled by the two companies.

Circle of Confusion is the company behind AMC series The Walking Dead – which it executive produces with AMC Studios, Skybound Entertainment, Valhalla Entertainment and Idiot Box Productions – and its companion Fear The Walking Dead.

On the feature film side, the company has executive produced Straight Outta Compton, among others. The company’s client roster includes actor Willem Dafoe and Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.

The partnership forms part of ITV’s strategy to expand its US scripted television operations under the leadership of Philippe Maigret, president of ITV Studios America.

The new TV studio label will be headquartered in Los Angeles and complements ITV Studios America’s existing operations, namely its partnership with Tomorrow Studios and investments in Blumhouse Television and Indigenous Media.

ITV Studios Global Entertainment, the group’s distribution business, will handle sales of the Circle of Confusion Television Studios’ output.

Circle of Confusion partners David Alpert, David Engel, Frank Frattaroli, Lawrence Mattis and Brad Mendelsohn issued a joint statement saying: “We have been looking for the right collaborator with whom to expand on our success in the television space and ITV Studios America is the perfect partner to support and accelerate the growth of our TV business.

“ITV’s creative openness, financial strength and global reach will empower Circle of Confusion Television Studios to create more premium groundbreaking shows to excite audiences around the world.”

The deal was negotiated by Chris Simonian at CAA; Howard Abramson at Behr, Abramson, Levy and Paul Bernstein at Venable for Circle of Confusion; and Tom Lane, executive VP of business and legal affairs at ITV Studios America, and Michael French at Squire, Patton, Boggs for ITV Studios America.