Tinopolis still hungry after A Smith buyout

Tinopolis, the UK production group that today acquired Los Angeles prodco A Smith & Co, has told C21 it is looking for further US production assets to buy.

A Smith & Co, the company behind the Fox reality series Hell’s Kitchen, changed hands for a reported US$100m. However, Tinopolis CEO Ron Jones declined to confirm this figure.

“The deal gives us much more than just an outpost in LA,” Jones said. “It means we have a company that already has a broad range of clients and talent; a company that can be a springboard for further acquisitions.”

Jones said his international growth plans didn’t include the acquisition of production assets outside the UK and the US at the moment, but further expansion in the US could be expected.

Tinopolis, the Welsh company that houses UK prodcos such as Mentorn and Pioneer Productions, has previously worked with A Smith on the US versions of its reality format Paradise Hotel.

A Smith & Co, set up in 2000 by former Fox exec Arthur Smith, has also worked with the UK company on the US version of the Worst Driver format, as well as Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares with ITV Studios and All3Media-owned Optomen.

Jones said that no management changes would take place following the buyout, but said the plan is to channel Tinopolis formats into the US via the new subsidiary. “Arthur Smith is also joining the Tinopolis board,” he added.

The move follows Tinopolis’s sale to Red Dragon Acquisitions, part of venture capital firm Vitruvian.