Fremantle Invests in AWA

Fremantle has picked up a minority stake in Artists, Writers & Artisans (AWA) after sealing a development pact with the outfit, backed by Lupa Systems, Lightspeed Venture Partners and SISTER, last April.

AWA works across graphic fiction, film and television. Its AWA Studios arm will tap into Fremantle’s expertise to build out its slate. Its first project with Fremantle is Devil’s Highway, a thriller based on the successful comic series by Benjamin Percy and Brent Schoonover.

Matthew Anderson, co-chair and president of AWA Studios, noted, “We admire how Fremantle has built on its long-standing strengths to become an international force in scripted drama and film. AWA’s success is built on collaborating with our creators to publish their stories in their purest form and then steering them to their fullest potential in film and TV. Andrea [Scrosati] and the Fremantle team share this ethos and we are delighted for the unique opportunities this partnership will provide to our creators.”

Scrosati, group COO and continental CEO at Fremantle, added: “We are delighted to extend our successful partnership with AWA. The collaboration is a perfect strategic fit, giving AWA access to our global footprint, distribution infrastructure and production expertise and putting Fremantle at the very forefront of graphic fiction innovation. I also look forward working closely with Matthew and their world class leadership and creative teams to continue pushing boundaries and building a slate of ground-breaking projects together.”