Workerbee agrees multi-project deal with Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald

Banijay-owned UK unscripted prodco Workerbee has inked a multi-project deal with Oscar-winning Scottish director and producer Kevin Macdonald.

Kevin Macdonald (photo: 9EkieraM1 via CC)

The deal will see Macdonald exec produce and direct premium factual projects over the next two years.

This is the first creative partnership to be announced by the newly formed Workerbee Group, which has been established under CEO Rick Murray to back up-and-coming businesses and forge new creative partnerships, with a focus on the North of England and Wales.

Macdonald’s 1999 doc One Day in September (1999), about the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

The filmmaker, who is also behind climbing documentary Touching the Void (2003), Bob Marley film Marley (2012) and Whitney Houston doc Whitney (2018), will work closely with Workerbee’s film division to jointly identify premium unscripted projects on which to collaborate.

The first project Macdonald is exec producing is a major feature doc for a streamer to be announced shortly.

Rick Murray, CEO of the Workerbee Group said: “After working closely with Kevin as co-director on Bruno vs Tyson and exec on our Janet series, we are delighted to be furthering our relationship with this deal. On a personal level, I’m huge fan of Kevin’s approach to storytelling, and his partnerships with our lead director Ben Hirsh have produced our most exciting documentary projects to date.”

Recent Workebee hits have included Janet, about Janet Jackson, for Lifetime and A&E; boxing doc Bruno vs Tyson (Sky); reality competition show The Bridge for Channel 4 and HBO Max; football doc Peter Crouch: Save Our Beautiful Game for Discovery; and Idris Elba’s Fight School for BBC Two. The company is currently working on several unannounced projects for SVoD services for 2023.

Workerbee recently restructured to focus on two clear business divisions, films and formats. Its newly established senior team includes Ben Mitchell, who joined the Manchester-based company from BBC Studios as creative director, and recently promoted MD Michelle Chappell.