eOne & Virgin Produced Align in First-Look Deal

LOS ANGELES/TORONTO: Entertainment One (eOne) has struck a deal for the exclusive rights to all scripted TV development projects from Richard Branson’s Virgin Produced.

The two-year first-look deal covers the scripted output from Virgin Produced, the production arm of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. Virgin Produced was co-founded 11 months ago. The company also has a first-look deal with E! Entertainment Television, for all non-scripted development.

“Virgin Produced’s exciting new relationship with eOne marks the ambitious beginning into the scripted television business, similar to what has been achieved in film,” said Branson. “Jason and Justin are smart to continue to forge studio alignments with like-minded partners who understand the brand and also to continue fostering an environment that embraces terrific talent. I am ready for some good TV!”

John Morayniss, the CEO of eOne Television, commented, “We are excited to be working with the talented team at Virgin Produced led by Jason and the head of scripted television, Michael Foreman. Their experience, creative vision and ability to attract high-quality projects and talent, coupled with the support of Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin Group’s key marketing platforms, which span airlines, mobile, radio and social media offers a terrific opportunity to promote, develop and launch high-quality content to the international marketplace.”
 
He added, “With a number of high-profile projects already in active development, Virgin Produced has very quickly established itself within the creative community. This deal fits perfectly with our strategy at eOne to partner with innovative content creators and the best in the business.”

Virgin Produced’s CEO, Jason Felts, and chief creative officer, Justin Berfield, remarked, “As a leading independent television studio, John and eOne are doing business differently and this, in addition to their international focus was very attractive to us. Additionally, our respective teams seem to have a matched creative sensibility; which is an added bonus.”

"We’re so excited to get to work with eOne,” commented Michael Foreman, the head of scripted television at Virgin Produced. “The brilliance of their creative team is surpassed only by their good looks… And as far as the kinds of shows they do, the creative goals are in complete lockstep with ours. For us at Virgin, it’s about taking a world or genre and figuring out how to expose the audience to a view they haven’t seen before. Not the easiest task, but certainly the most gratifying once we crack it.”