Former eOne Australia & ABC Execs Launch Scripted Producer

Jude Troy, former head of TV production and acquisitions for Entertainment One (eOne) Australia, and Richard Finlayson, former director of television at the ABC, have joined forces as co-owners and directors of Wooden Horse.

Wooden Horse will be dedicated to the production of scripted Australian stories to bring to a global audience. Based in Sydney, Wooden Horse will focus on developing a pipeline of IP that will continue to be fed as projects move into development, as well as finding and nurturing emerging creative voices.

Troy is also a former partner in Hopscotch, and Finlayson was formerly COO at SBS.

Wooden Horse has eight projects out of the gate in various stages of development with Australian broadcasters, international distributors and screen agencies. They include a six-part drama for Stan written by Jane Allen (Cleverman) and based on a true crime set in Cape York; a comedy series written by James O’Loghlin; and a literary adaptation of the critically acclaimed novel by Emily Maguire, An Isolated Incident.

Additionally, Wooden Horse has secured the adaptation rights from Curtis Brown for award-winning young novelist JP Pomare’s In the Clearing, a psychological thriller that draws inspiration from the infamous Australian cult The Family.

The team is also working with Polly Williams and eOne in the U.K. on a British-Australian co-production created by Giula Sandler (Glitch).

“Our partnership is a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts,” said Finlayson. “Jude has an outstanding reputation for creative judgment and indomitable energy. Most of all, we both believe in the incredible potential of the Australian television industry and our focus will be on working with the best writers and talent, finding the best people and partners to grow with us to bring great projects to life.”

Troy added, “I’m delighted to partner with Richard on Wooden Horse. He is greatly respected among our industry peers and his experience and relationships are unparalleled. Our skills complement each other perfectly and I look forward to shaping the company alongside him. At Wooden Horse, we believe in strength through collaboration and I can’t think of a better person to partner with. We also hope to leverage our local and international relationships to collaborate externally with the best of the best.”

Alexandra Cameron has joined the company as development and production coordinator.