[London, UK – December 2021] Sony Pictures Television (“SPT”) today announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Cardiff-based production company Bad Wolf Ltd, the award-winning production company behind some of the most ambitious and globally-acclaimed dramas in recent years, including His Dark Materials (HBO/BBC), A Discovery Of Witches (Sky), Industry (HBO/BBC), The Night Of (HBO) and I Hate Suzie (Sky). The deal also includes the Wolf Studios Wales sound stage facility in Cardiff and Bad Wolf’s 30% stake in Bad Wolf America LLC.
The majority stake investment in Bad Wolf is in keeping with SPT’s strategy of expanding its production portfolio and increasing its volume of high-quality IP in recent years. This has included entering children’s programming by acquiring Silvergate Media in December 2019, broadening the company’s capability in sports and live entertainment production with the investment in Whisper Films in February 2020, and moving further into premium scripted with the acquisition of Sex Education producer, Eleven, in June 2020.
Ravi Ahuja, Chairman, Global Television Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment Corporate Development, said, “We are thrilled to add Bad Wolf to our already incredibly strong portfolio of drama producers in the UK. The business is evolving as audiences everywhere become more attuned to content produced outside of their own cultures. This deal not only speaks to the high quality of talent we are proud to work with but also to our aim to create and deliver the most outstanding UK drama programs to the world.”
Wayne Garvie, President, International Production, Sony Pictures Television, said,“In the blink of an eye, Bad Wolf has established itself as one of the world’s most admired drama producers. The quality of work, breadth of imagination and boundless ambition make it one of the great emerging production houses of our time. Jane and her team have built a tremendous business and established Wales as the home of some of the most fantastic tales of the age and now we aim to help them build still further. We are honoured that they have chosen us as their partner for the next stage of their exhilarating adventure.”
Jane Tranter, Founder, Bad Wolf, says “The last five years since launching Bad Wolf have been a hugely rewarding experience as, with the support of Access Entertainment, Sky, and HBO, we built a production infrastructure and a creative community based out of Wolf Studios Wales that could compete with any TV production in the world. Sony Pictures Television share our vision for the company going forward, and their immediate understanding and belief in the ethos of Bad Wolf make them the perfect partners for our future. With a forward-looking, global corporation like Sony investing in the future of Bad Wolf and Wales it gives us the ability to reach even greater heights in the years to come.”
Recently named as production company of the year at the Edinburgh TV Festival, Bad Wolf was founded in 2015 by Jane Tranter and Julie Gardner to create ground-breaking and ambitious drama for the global TV marketplace, coupled with a firm commitment to cement Wales’ reputation as a centre of excellence for the creative industries. From its headquarters in Cardiff, South Wales, the company has built an international reputation as one of the foremost independent production companies in the UK. In 2019 Bad Wolf received the top accolade of fastest growing business in Wales at the Fast Growth 50 Awards, as well as fastest growing creative firm and fastest growing business in Cardiff. In just over five years, the company has produced more than 50 hours of high-quality drama for broadcasters and networks including HBO, BBC, AMC Networks and Sky. Ten seasons of returning programming have achieved global recognition with over 100 nominations and 34 awards won at BAFTA, BAFTA Cymru, RTS, Emmy, Edinburgh TV Festival and the Golden Globe Awards.
Bad Wolf America (BWA) was formally set up as a separate US based sister-company in 2019 and Bad Wolf has a 30% stake in BWA. Based in Los Angeles and run by Julie Gardner, Bad Wolf America was founded to create ambitious, imaginative and relevant content for the US and global TV markets.
In the last five years Bad Wolf has brought many of the world’s most renowned producers, directors and actors to Wales to collaborate on ground-breaking TV productions. The company has created approximately 2,500 jobs and spent £121 million on local suppliers between 2015 and 2020. This has run in parallel with a firm commitment to the creative sector in Wales to build and strengthen the growing creative community through wide-ranging partnerships and training initiatives.
Enjoying a strong partnership and launched with support from Welsh Government, Bad Wolf has also founded Wolf Studios Wales, a world-class production facility in Cardiff, and Screen Alliance Wales, an education and training organisation. Screen Alliance Wales has engaged with emerging talent to grow, nurture and build skills across the creative industries and has engaged with 20,000 people since 2018.
Bad Wolf was advised on this transaction by GCA Altium, recently acquired by Houlihan Lokey (financial) and Wiggin (legal).
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