TVREAL
The U.K. factual company Zinc Media Group has confirmed the launch of the new production label Supercollider, led by award-winning director Mike Christie.
Supercollider brings together the creative innovation of Christie with the factual production experience of Zinc to create content that is “adventurous, daring and intelligent.” Supercollider builds on Christie’s work in making films and live/event television in music, sports and arts, and high-profile short-form branded films. Christie has previously worked with such brands as Red Bull, Pepsi and broadcasters such as Sky, the BBC and Channel 4.
Christie comes to Supercollider from his ChristieHQ, whose projects include the forthcoming New Order concert film Education Entertainment Recreation; the Grierson-shortlisted Sky Arts feature Hansa Studios: By The Wall 1976-90; and Danny MacAskill’s Imaginate for Red Bull.
Supercollider becomes the sixth label in Zinc’s portfolio alongside Blakeway, Brook Lapping, Films of Record, Red Sauce and Tern Television.
Greg Sanderson, director of London television at Zinc Media Group, said: “Mike has been making amazing programs for over 20 years. Now, with the support of Zinc Media, I think there’s a great opportunity to build and expand on the incredible work he’s been doing so successfully on his own. Anyone who knows Mike knows that he’s truly unique. An instinctive blender of genres, he’s mixed factual and sport, action and art to create huge event pieces for television. He has also led very high-profile projects for some of the world’s most exciting brands. Supercollider, with Mike’s wealth of cross-genre expertise, brings a whole new angle to our family of labels. Supercollider will very much build on the tone and style of Mike’s recent films for his own company ChristieHQ.”
Christie said: “There is an ever-increasing opportunity in today’s production landscape to create destination films and events—and fusing genres and creating unexpected convergences makes truly stand-out programming. We are also in a climate where brand involvement in content is fast on the rise. Zinc is doing more than many other companies in this space; I’m a huge fan of the breadth and ambition of Zinc’s work and what they have achieved in the last few years, so I’m thrilled to be working with them on the launch of Supercollider. We already have our first project confirmed—a major, branded action film—so we are beyond excited to have hit the ground running.”
Mark Browning, CEO of Zinc Media Group, added: “Supercollider is an incredibly exciting proposition. As well as creating striking and imaginative content, the launch of Supercollider allows us to further push into branded content. Our Branded Content Division, headed by Dominic de Terville, has generated some fantastic development projects since its launch last summer. Working alongside Mike and Supercollider, we’ll be able to further accelerate and broaden our work with brands, bringing something truly different to the market.”
