Argonon acquires Like A Shot, targets US

L to R: Henry Scott, Bruce Burgess and Steve Gillham of Like A Shot

UK-based production group Argonon has acquired another local prodco and appointed a chief operating officer in the US.

London-based Like A Shot Entertainment joined the Argonon stable on December 29 and becomes the 11th production company in the group.

The firm was set up in 2011 and works with international broadcasters and production partners to produce and fund factual entertainment content inspired by history and science.

Shirley Escott

It was co-founded by Henry Scott and Steve Gillham alongside creative director Bruce Burgess.

It has sold and produced more than 180 hours of wholly owned content, while recent productions include Abandoned Engineering for UKTV and Discovery Science Channel USA, and Somme: The First 24 Hours with Tony Robinson for Discovery UK and SBS in Australia.

Meanwhile, Argonon has appointed Shirley Escott as US COO for Leopard USA and Tough Cookie as part of its plans to expand into non-UK territories and focus on IP, coproduction and distribution.

Escott was most recently executive VP production/co-executive producer at Stephen David Entertainment and has also held roles at Picture Shack Entertainment, BBC Worldwide and BBC Production USA.

Based in New York, she will oversee operations for Leopard USA and Tough Cookie and report to Argonon’s CEO James Burstall and COO Laura Bessell.

“Her international expertise across all scales of budget, staff size and productions means she is the perfect fit to help Argonon further build on our presence in the US,” said Burstall.

“After exceeding our first five-year goals, Argonon is now a year into its second phase of growth. With IP and maximising distribution rights at the heart of what we do, welcoming Like A Shot to the Group will further enable us to expand our network and use new ways of creating production, funding, IP and distribution opportunities,” added Bessell.

Argonon is headquartered in London with offices in Manchester, Glasgow, New York and Vancouver. Its group consists of Leopard Pictures, Leopard USA, Remedy Productions, Remedy Productions Canada, Windfall Films, BriteSpark Films, Transparent Television, Tough Cookie, Bandicoot, Barefaced and Like A Shot. Its distribution arm is Argonon International.