Plimsoll Secures Investment from Private Equity Firm LDC

Plimsoll Productions, behind such factual hits as National Geographic’s Hostile Planet with Bear Grylls, has received an investment from the private equity firm LDC, in a deal valuing the company at around $100 million.

LDC has invested for a minority equity stake in Plimsoll, one of the largest indie TV production companies in the U.K. Its BAFTA-, Emmy- and Academy Award-winning team specializes in wildlife, documentary, live and factual-entertainment shows, and it is a leader in natural-history programs.

Along with Hostile Planet, its credits include Yellowstone Live (National Geographic), Rescue Dog to Super Dog (Channel 4), Britain’s Parking Hell (Channel 5), Life at the Extreme (ITV) and Sit Baby Sit (Channel 4).

Grant Mansfield, founder of Plimsoll Productions, said: “In little more than five years we have built Plimsoll Productions into one of the leading international production companies. Our focus on premium, multiplatform, multi-genre productions has enabled us to produce award-winning shows for the biggest names in the business, and it’s our passion for delivering this type of content that drives us forward.

“For us, this deal is about giving Plimsoll Productions extra support and expertise to build on our success. We will be adding to our creative firepower and aiming to create ever more entertaining and ambitious shows for our clients, and their audiences. LDC is the perfect partner to support our growth plan.”

Andy Lyndon, head of LDC in the South West and Wales, added: “It’s widely acknowledged that demand for wildlife and natural-history documentaries is higher than ever before. Plimsoll is the business meeting this demand and under Grant’s leadership, it has firmly established its international reputation as a leading producer of high-quality, beautifully shot documentaries. This has helped to deliver consistent, year-on-year growth and with further investment in the firm’s intellectual property, the expansion of its documentary division and a strong pipeline of productions, Plimsoll is well placed to deliver on its ambitions.

“We’re really looking forward to supporting the team on the next phase of their journey and helping the business to become the leading producer of premium non-scripted shows globally.”