Fremantle grows prodco roster

FremantleMedia has continued its strategy of funding production start-ups by investing in a London-based firm led by drama producer Laurence Bowen.

Laurence Bowen

Bowen, previously co-founder and creative director of Feelgood Fiction, is setting up Dancing Ledge in Notting Hill.

His slate already includes drams from a slew of UK writers such as Mark Gatiss, Guy Hibbert and Chris Lunt, and a development deal with actor Martin Freeman (The Office, The Hobbit, Sherlock).

Bowen also has a limited event-series development commission from History in the US, which is being written by Simon Block.

FremantleMedia has taken a 25% stake in the firm for an undisclosed fee, the latest in a string of investments and acquisitions by the company over the last 12 months.

This includes stakes in Israeli outfit Abot Hameiri; Naked Entertainment, Man Alive Entertainment, Full Fat TV, Corona Pictures and Dr Pluto in the UK; Dutch producer No Pictures Please; French indies Fontaram and Kwai; scripted producer Wildside in Italy; and, most recently, UK digital media company Squawka.

Bowen’s list of previous credits includes The Hello Girls, The Eichmann Show and Surburban Shootout.

“I wanted to build on the success of The Eichmann Show internationally and work closely with a top international distributor who could provide investment and help grow the new company,” Bowen said.

“Dancing Ledge is only ever going to be as good as the writers it works with and we are lucky enough to already be working with some of the very best in the UK.”