Rogan Productions expands internationally with SA base, new leadership set-up

Soleta and James Rogan

UK factual prodco Rogan Productions is launching Rogan South Africa, a production base in Johannesburg with links to Cape Town, marking the company’s first permanent international office.

A change in leadership structure accompanies the move, with founders James and Soleta Rogan both taking on the title of co-CEO. James was previously creative director and Soleta managing director.

The pair share a long-standing personal and creative connection to South Africa. Their most recent project, Free Nelson Mandela, is a three-part Channel 4 series tracing Mandela’s journey and the global movement that fought for his release. It is now being distributed internationally by BBC Studios.

The expansion follows the delivery of Original Sin: My Son the Killer for Showmax Original and comes as Rogan builds on its growing slate of internationally commissioned work. With existing bases in London and Glasgow, Rogan’s other recent productions include Grenfell: Uncovered (Netflix) and Boom Box: Beats & Betrayal (HBO Max).

James Rogan said: “South Africa has always inspired and captivated us with its deep creativity and extraordinary stories so setting up a base here has been a long-held ambition for us. Whether in drama or documentary, there are world-class filmmakers in South Africa that we are looking forward to working with, and new platforms that are showcasing the brilliance and the potential of African stories.”

Soleta Rogan added: “With our broader footprint, Rogan is afforded the scope to deliver more stories in more formats, to more audiences. This has been an aim we have been actively working towards for the past couple of years, with the idea first being ruminated long before that. Opening in a territory that holds a personal connection is a real moment of celebration for us, and we look forward to delivering shows from our widened slate in the future.”