Fremantle lays off all staff at Euston Films, Chang exits as UK industry woes continue
Fremantle has made major changes to its UK operation, resulting in layoffs at prodcos Euston Films and Undeniable and the departures of senior execs Kate Harwood, Noemi Spanos and Mandy Chang.
Noemi Spanos
All staff at Euston Films, which has a headcount of around 10 and recently produced high-end drama Nightsleeper for the BBC, have been laid off, including joint-MDs Harwood and Spanos. The news was first reported by Deadline.
Having been founded in 1971, Euston Films was relaunched in autumn 2014 with Harwood as MD, before executive producer Spanos joined her in the role in 2022.
Neil Cross’ Hard Sun for BBC One was the relaunched Euston Films’ inaugural production, with series such as Dublin Murders, Baghdad Central, The Sister and Wreck following for broadcasters including Channel 4, ITV and BBC Three.
Undeniable, meanwhile, was launched last year after former BBC Storyville editor Chang shifted from her role as global head of documentaries at Fremantle to head up the fledgling unscripted label.
The changes come as the UK television market continues to suffer from the ongoing impact of a local commissioning slow down, spending cuts at global streamers and the ongoing audience shift towards social media platforms.
Delegates at the Edinburgh TV Festival last month heard there are “too many” prodcos to survive in a UK screen sector beset by industry contraction and spiralling production costs.
UK reports emerged last week that Fremantle UK would be closing its factual indie Label1 due to the challenging economic backdrop, which has also seen the likes of Banijay and All3Media close down prodcos.
Fremantle UK is the British production arm of the RTL Group-owned production and distribution giant and includes labels such as Element Pictures, 72 Films and Dancing Ledge. It expanded its UK presence with the acquisition of Red Planet Pictures owner Asacha Media Group earlier this year.
RTL Group said last month it has been targeting a reduction in overheads at Fremantle as it dealt with the unpredictable impact of the geopolitical and macroeconomic environment.
A Fremantle spokesperson said: “As part of ongoing strategic planning, we are continuously reviewing measures necessary for creating a more effective, coordinated and streamlined approach to our business to ensure it is in the best position for future success and growth, and to continue to deliver exceptional creativity and world class content for our valued partners and clients around the world.
“As our industry evolves, we must do the same, and with this in mind, we have made the difficult decision to make changes within Fremantle. We want to take this time to thank our colleagues, who have been behind some incredible, award-winning programming, and wish them all the best for the future.”
Harwood and Spanos said in a joint statement: “We would like to thank the teams, the talent and the broadcasters we’ve worked with over the last 10 years of Euston Films and also Fremantle for the faith they have shown in us. We are very proud of the seven bold authored shows we have made in this time and are looking forward to future projects and challenges.”
Chang said in a statement: “I’m proud to have played a role in setting up and building Fremantle’s documentary division and in founding and leading the premium label, Undeniable.
“However, the time has come to move on and focus on my own slate of films in the independent documentary field. The diversity of films and people that I’ve been fortunate to work with – my own team included – has been a joy. It has been a privilege working with Fremantle’s global documentary labels and I wish them all success in the future.”
