C4 Makes Eleven Film Investment

LONDON: Following the launch of a £20 million ($31 million) Growth Fund at the beginning of this year, Channel 4 has made its fifth investment in an independent production company, taking a minority stake in Eleven Film.

Launched in 2006 by Jamie Campbell and Joel Wilson, the multi-genre outfit has made dramas, comedies and docs for all the main British broadcasters. Its slate includes Glue for E4, Playhouse Presents: Mr Understood for Sky Arts and Candid Cameron for BBC One. The venture is currently prepping The Enfield Haunting for Sky Living, a three-part drama, and has shows in development for Sky, BBC and Channel 4. It is also developing Nazareth for FOX in the U.S.

Channel 4 previously made investments in Arrow Media, Lightbox, Popkorn and True North.

“Eleven Film perfectly represent the ambition of the Channel 4 Growth Fund, to help incredibly talented and creative British companies develop and grow their businesses and achieve their ambitions," said David Abraham, chief executive of Channel 4. “Jamie and Joel are young, dynamic TV executives who have worked themselves up from grassroots level to establish a multi-genre production company. We hope through our investment we can help them increase their stronghold in the U.K. and U.S., particularly in the competitive drama arena.”

Joel Wilson, co-founder and director at Eleven Film, added, “We are thrilled to be the first drama company Channel 4 has invested in. Channel 4 has supported us creatively since the start of our careers—providing a foundation for us to build strong relationships with a range of other broadcasters. We are hungry to accelerate the growth of Eleven and it’s great to be doing that with a partner we trust. This investment will allow us to build an even more dynamic and creative team, and to multiply our drama, comedy and factual output for all the broadcasters we work with at home and internationally.”