Richard Taylor’s Pukeko Pictures to Produce Content

PRESS RELEASE

Richard Taylor’s New Zealand Based Pukeko Pictures to Produce Scripted Content with FremantleMedia Enterprises
Entertainment Powerhouses to Develop Scripted Television Series

Wellington, New Zealand, March 6 2012…
Pukeko Pictures, known for international children’s hits The WotWots and Jane and the Dragon as well as being the affiliate television company of Richard Taylor’s Weta Workshop, has today announced a first look deal* with FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to produce scripted content along with the appointment of Adam Fratto as Executive Vice President, Development.

Based at FremantleMedia’s LA office, Adam Fratto will report to Pukeko Pictures’ co-owner Martin Baynton and will work alongside FME’s Senior Vice President of Global Content, Jeff Tahler and Tony Optican, Senior Vice President of Scripted Programming for FremantleMedia North America on the development of new scripted television series. These will benefit from the expertise from within the New Zealand entertainment sector, in particular the world-renowned talents of the Wellington film and television production industry and the Weta Workshop facilities.
Richard Taylor, co-owner of Pukeko Pictures, said, "We are proud and delighted to have formed this partnership with FremantleMedia Enterprises, a global entertainment leader. Together with Adam as EVP, Development, we look forward to creating high-quality and universally appealing productions. Adam brings to the partnership years of industry experience with Atticus Entertainment and Piller/Segan and we are thrilled to announce his appointment".
Pukeko Pictures is affiliated with the Oscar and Bafta award-winning Weta Workshop through founding partners Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger, known internationally for their work on films including the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, King Kong, Avatar, The Adventures of Tintin and The Hobbit and television shows Hercules and Xena and their own IP developed brands Jane and the Dragon and The WotWots.

David Ellender, Global CEO of FremantleMedia Enterprises, said, “The teams at Pukeko and Weta Workshop are respected the world over for their work at the cutting edge of the film and television industry. Adam’s appointment offers up tremendous opportunities, allowing for incredibly close collaboration between our two organisations on the development, financing and production of innovative new drama series that will appeal to audiences around the globe.”

This deal further expands FME’s global initiative, which has recently included The Wedding Band, from Tollin Productions for TBS in the US, and Hit & Miss from Abbott Vision for Sky Atlantic in the UK.

Fratto joins from Atticus Entertainment where he spearheaded television, feature and new media development under a first-look deal with HBO. He is also co-executive producer of Haven, a dramatic mystery series based on “The Colorado Kid” by Stephen King, airing on Syfy in the U.S. and more than 100 cable channels around the world.

Prior to his role at Atticus Entertainment, Fratto served as VP at Piller/Segan where he oversaw development and served as associate producer on The Dead Zone and Wildfire and co-producer on Greek. While at Piller/Segan, Adam developed and sold pilots to ABC, NBC, TNT, ABC, Family, Lifetime, Syfy, USA, and Spike and worked closely with studios including ABC Studios, NBCU Studios, Fox TV Studios, E1, and Lionsgate.

Note: Weta Workshop is not to be confused with Weta Digital, the VFX company owned by Peter Jackson. Peter Jackson is not involved with this Fremantle first look deal.

*A first look deal is an arrangement where a company enters into a commercial agreement with a studio under which they must allow the studio the right of first refusal in relation to developing and/or producing a project the individual or company is promoting. If the studio declines to take up the project, then it can be offered to other potentially interested parties.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

About Pukeko Pictures
Pukeko Pictures is an independent entertainment production house focused on the development of high quality entertainment properties for a world audience. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, the city famous for blockbuster movies such as: Avatar, King Kong and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pukeko Pictures has a close relationship with Weta Workshop through the involvement of Sir Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger. Pukeko’s first production, the WotWots, has launched to great success and is currently broadcast in 90 territories worldwide.

ABOUT FREMANTLEMEDIA ENTERPRISES & FREMANTLEMEDIA
FremantleMedia is one of the leading creators and producers of entertainment brands in the world. FremantleMedia is part of the RTL Group, Europe's largest television and radio broadcast company, which is in turn 90 percent owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of the world's major media and entertainment companies. FremantleMedia’s worldwide production arm is responsible for many of the world’s highest rated prime time entertainment, drama, serial drama and factual entertainment programmes. FremantleMedia Enterprises is the brand extension arm of FremantleMedia, offering a one-stop-shop for all Licensing, Distribution and Home Entertainment around the world. The FremantleMedia Group (which includes FremantleMedia North America, UFA, talkbackTHAMES, FremantleMedia Australia and Original Productions amongst others) has operations in 22 countries, one of the most comprehensive global networks, creating nearly 10,000 hours of programming a year, rolling out more than 60 formats and managing over 300 individual titles. FremantleMedia has some of the world’s most sought after and long running formats in its catalogue, and globally, produces such programmes as: Idols (co-produced with 19 Productions in the US), Hole In The Wall, Got Talent (co-produced with Syco in the UK and the US), The X Factor (co-produced with Syco in the UK), Take Me Out, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Farmer Wants A Wife, Gute Zeiten Schlechte Zeiten, and Neighbours.

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