Starlings Entertainment & StoryFirst Launch Development Fund

Starlings Entertainment and StoryFirst have formed a joint development fund covering premium drama and family entertainment.

The fund will launch with The Manager, a semi-fictional account of life in the ’70s and ’80’s music business and inspired by the lives and featuring the music of Eric Clapton and other great artists; and Sherlock’s Daughter, a murder mystery that tracks the titular daughter in her search for her detective father and what she discovers along the way.

The new joint venture provides Starlings Entertainment with a financial stake in StoryFirst, which acquired Pinewood Television in 2017. The fund will focus on mutually selected dramas, family entertainment fare and, potentially, non-scripted projects in development at both companies. Starlings Entertainment CEO and Executive Producer Karine Martin and StoryFirst Founder Peter Gerwe will oversee the decision-making process for the venture.

Martin and Gerwe will work in tandem with newly promoted Starlings Entertainment Executive VP Patricia Brown and Starlings Television President and Executive Producer Chris Philip, along with Gerwe’s fellow StoryFirst managers, former BBC Chairman Lord Michael Grade and former Pinewood Group CEO Ivan Dunleavy. The London-based Brown and veteran financier Premila Hoon, representing StoryFirst, will serve as the companies’ development fund liaisons.

Martin said: “This will allow us to tap into an additional pipeline of great projects on top of the tremendous success we have had to date with Starlings Television, further grow our ability to finance development and expand our respective networks. StoryFirst is well established in the U.K. and Europe, which provides us with access to Peter, Michael and Ivan’s market insights, experience and extraordinary talent, partner and financing relationships.”

Gerwe commented, “Our joint venture allows StoryFirst to expand our global reach with Starlings, which is very well positioned in the U.S. and Canada. Karine and Chris bring us a depth of experience and contacts, and it has been a pleasure to work with them and their entire team on several projects. We believe this partnership will greatly benefit each company’s development potential and resources and see it as a great fit.”