Fremantle Invests in Israel’s Silvio Productions

Fremantle has picked up a majority stake in Silvio Productions, the Israeli outfit behind doc titles such as Shadow of Truth, Coastal Road Killer, After Midnight, The Baby Daddy and Buried.

Formerly known as EGG Films, Silvio Productions was founded by award-winning Israeli-based director-writer-producers Yotam Guendelman and Mika Timor. They will work closely with Fremantle-owned Abot Hameiri in Israel, with Guy Hameiri becoming chairman of Silvio Productions.

Guendelman and Timor commented: “This is a truly unique opportunity for us. To join forces with the incredibly talented Fremantle team, with its unrivaled international infrastructure, and to work with Guy and the Abot Hameiri team, who are without doubt one of the best production companies in Israel. The cultural, creative, and business rationale is natural, and we look forward to working closely with Andrea (Scrosati, Fremantle’s COO and CEO of continental Europe) and Guy (Hameiri). With their support and the global reach of Fremantle, we will take our business growth trajectory and our ambitious slate to the next level.”

Scrosati added: “Fremantle is committed to working with the very best talent and creative minds in the business. Yotam and Mika and the team at Silvio Productions have a proven track-record and take great pride in their filmmaking and storytelling. We welcome them into the Fremantle family at this important time, as we look to scale-up our global documentaries capabilities. I would like to thank Guy (Hameiri) for his leadership and continued focus in growing and optimizing our valued business and IP in Israel. I believe Silvio Productions will perfectly complement Abot Hameiri’s premium scripted and formats divisions, and we are extremely excited to see both businesses benefit from this collaboration.”

Hameiri added: “We have known Yotam and Mika for a long time and been a great admirer of their work. They bring creative excellence, and a real flair for important storytelling. Their projects not only connect with a local audience, but importantly globally, which has been recognized by international outlets including Showtime and Netflix. When this opportunity arose, it was obvious to see the synergies, and we are all looking forward to embracing this new partnership with Silvo Productions and the many opportunities it represents.”