STUDIOCANAL Backs New TV & Film Production Outfit Guilty Party

LONDON: STUDIOCANAL has aligned with RED Production Company, Spencer Millman, Simon Bird and Jonny Sweet to set up Guilty Party, a new TV and film production company based in the U.K.

STUDIOCANAL is joining Guilty Party as a partner, with a 25-percent stake, and will also handle worldwide distribution. The company was created under the supervision of Nicola Shindler, executive producer and founder of RED Production Company.

Partners in the venture include Millman, a BAFTA-winning TV and film producer whose credits include Harry Hilly's TV Burp, The Mighty Boosh and The Inbetweeners 2; Bird, who is best know for starring in the Channel 4 sitcom The Inbetweeners; and Sweet, an actor/writer/performer who has starred in Babylon and Him and Her.

Romain Bessi, STUDIOCANAL's COO, CFO and head of TV series, said: "There is a fantastic opportunity for STUDIOCANAL to become the main house for European talents in TV series, so we are happy to have Spencer Millman, Simon Bird and Jonny Sweet join our family. They bring very complementary skills and experience, so with the support of Nicola Shindler, our sales and marketing teams but also our other partners, we really believe that together we can create series that will reach a global audience. This is the beginning of a nice European journey."

Millman commented: "We are hugely excited with the formation of Guilty Party Pictures and with Nicola Shindler and STUDIOCANAL behind us, we cannot wait to support and promote the most exciting new and established writers and talent in the industry and make programs we feel very passionate about."

Shindler added: "It is a privilege to be working with some of the funniest and most talented names in comedy and I am looking forward to developing a slate of new TV and theatrical content for U.K. and international audiences."