Fremantle Completes Full Takeover of Passenger

Fremantle has acquired the independent production company Passenger, behind the Sky drama This England, which now becomes a fully-owned label.

Passenger was launched by Richard Brown in May 2019 with the backing of Fremantle in an exclusive multiyear deal. It will now sit within Fremantle’s global drama division.

In addition to heading up Passenger, Brown will now undertake a new creative role across Fremantle’s global drama division, where he will help drive Fremantle’s efforts in the development and production of TV and film projects, building a roster of talent relationships and collaborating with Fremantle’s rapidly expanding international network of labels.

Prior to teaming up with Fremantle, Brown had a decade-long overall deal at Anonymous Content, where he initiated, developed and executive produced the HBO anthology series True Detective and executive produced Hulu’s limited series Catch-22.

Brown said: “Fremantle has been the ideal partner over the past three years with unwavering support and a distinct vision at a transformative time for our industry. This is the natural evolution of our relationship; working closely together, we’ll be able to increase our capacity to create compelling film and TV. I’m also excited to take on a new role collaborating with Andrea Scrosati and Christian Vesper across the global drama group, which has grown into a formidable force under their impressive leadership.”

Andrea Scrosati, group COO and CEO for Continental Europe at Fremantle, said: “Richard and his talented team have built a wonderful business, and we are delighted to welcome them even closer to the Fremantle family as they continue to grow and flourish. During the years, I have personally shared great creative exchanges with Richard. He is one of the most culturally sophisticated producers I have ever worked with, so I am thrilled that we will continue to work together creating more unique content for the global stage across many genres.”