Astronaut lands on Fremantle first-look deal

Astronaut Films, the UK indie formed by former Pulse Films executive Jon Alwen last year, has signed a first-look distribution deal with European production and sales outfit Fremantle.

Jon Alwen

Alwen was senior VP of non-fiction programming at Pulse prior to founding Astronaut in July last year.

He previously worked at Lion TV and Voltage TV and his credits included Inside Misguided: Made in Manchester (Channel 4), Countdown to Partition (BBC) and One Deadly Weekend in America (BBC).

The deal with Fremantle will see Astronaut Films secure the best creative talent and IP for a mix of specials and premium feature documentaries that Fremantle will distribute internationally.

Céire Clark, Fremantle’s senior acquisitions manager for international, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Fremantle to invest in and develop an exclusive distribution relationship with a fast-rising premium production company like Astronaut Films. Jon brings a wealth of experience in non-scripted production and I’m delighted to welcome him and Astronaut to the Fremantle family.”

Astronaut CEO Alwen added: “This is a brilliant deal for us and I’m thrilled to be partnering with Fremantle. Astronaut has got off to a great start but we’re ambitious and want to expand quickly, Ceire and her team’s expertise and Fremantle’s reach will be instrumental in helping us do that”.

The company has already had The Assassination of JFK commissioned by Channel 5. It is also in production on two series and in advanced development on multiple projects featuring UK and international talent for a range of broadcasters globally.