Mark Fennessy Sets Up Helium

A veteran of the Australian television industry, Mark Fennessy has founded the independent production label Helium, which will have a primary focus on premium scripted and factual.

Helium will create and produce original content for all platforms, networks and mediums. The company’s initial slate includes the highly anticipated drama series Last King of the Cross, currently in early preproduction for Paramount+; the feature film 6 Festivals, also for Paramount+; and, in advanced development, the crime thriller series Sex and Thugs and Rock n Roll.

Fennessy steered the independent production label Crackerjack before forming FremantleMedia in Australia and launching Shine with brother Carl and Elisabeth Murdoch. He oversaw the merger with Endemol to create Endemol Shine Australia.

Fennessy, founder and chief creative officer, said: “In Helium, I’m building something truly unique—an aggressive, yet lean and nimble disruptor, powered by originality through partnering with brave outliers, artists, curators and storytellers.

“There is a voracious appetite out there for compelling content—presenting enormous potential for a new player with vast experience. Helium is a contemporary label for this new landscape.”