Beach House Pictures Opens Beijing Outpost

SINGAPORE/BEIJING: Production outfit Beach House Pictures (BHP) has announced plans to expand into China by opening an office in Beijing.

The new production office will aim to strengthen BHP’s ties and content partnerships in China’s quickly expanding content and pay-TV market. Heading up Beach House Pictures China (BHPC) is Felix Feng, formerly the head of business development at Discovery Channels China and originally a senior producer at BHP sister company NHNZ.

As general manager of BHPC, Feng will spearhead creative development and strategic partnerships in China, while working closely with Maxine Lu, the general manager of Beach House Pictures Taiwan and Jim Ribbans, the head of business development at BHP, in order to grow regional opportunities.

“We have spent a decade working in China and with the huge success of our recent series like China from Above, we believe that this latest expansion is timely,” said Creative Director Donovan Chan. “The country now has a genuine appetite for local content of an international quality, across multiple platforms.”

BHP also announced that Beach House Kids is welcoming new key staff. John Marsh joins as its new development producer/staff writer, working alongside Susan Oliver, the head of the division. Marsh replaces senior development producer Marc Checkley, who is relocating to Geneva in August. Checkley, who has been with the company since 2014, will continue to work with BHP on specific projects and creative development.

“2016 continues to be a very busy year across all our divisions,” said managing director Jocelyn Little. “We are delivering 90 half-hours of kids’ content for Mediacorp’s OKTO and Channel 9 in Australia, launching a major global series for Nat Geo International and producing a groundbreaking Borneo series for Discovery Channel. Expanding our talent pool and territories enables us to remain competitive and maintain our international growth.”