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Australian Production Company Big Owl Pictures First Look Deal With BBC Studios
The Australian production business Big Owl Pictures, formed by Shaun Murphy, the former Head of Television at Warner Bros Australia, has signed a global first-look deal with BBC Studios ahead of its annual Showcase event.
Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, BBC Studios will have first dibs on Big Owl Pictures’ slate of original factual entertainment and entertainment formats, and the two companies will work together to co-develop paper formats across BBC Studios’ global production network in locations like Los Angeles, London, Paris, Berlin, and the Nordics.
Shaun Murphy, CEO and Executive Producer of Big Owl Pictures, has worked in the industry for many years. He previously served as Executive Producer at Shine Australia and for six years as Head of Television at Warner Bros Australia, where he oversaw production of shows like The Masked Singer, The Bachelor, First Dates, Who Do You Think You Are, Back In Time For Dinner, Celebrity Apprentice, The Bachelorette, Little Big Shots, Dancing With the Stars, and many more.
In addition to producing the Emmy-nominated Crips & Bloods: Made in America, he also executive produced Australia’s Next Top Model, Dying For Everest, and the syndicated Coolfuel Roadtrip.
Matt Forde, Managing Director of International Production and Formats BBC Studios, said: “Shaun has an incredible track record in Australia producing some of the country’s most watched and talked about formats in recent years.
We are really excited to work with the Big Owl Pictures creative team to bring their dynamic slate to a global audience.
We are thrilled to be working with producers outside the UK in this way for the first time and are keen to partner with exceptional creatives like Big Owl, wherever they are in the world.”
Shaun Murphy CEO at Big Owl Pictures added: “The ability for BBC Studios to take Big Owl’s IP onto the world stage is magnificent, they are truly unmatched with their quality of shows and range of genres.
Working with the entire BBC Studios international team to broaden out our formats is a terrific prospect and we look forward to a long and fruitful partnership for both companies.”
BBC Studios has a number of first-look format deals with UK independent producers such as Magnum Media, producers of The 1% Club which been successfully adapted in six international markets, Jay Blades’ Hungry Jay Media, in addition to a development deal with Joe Sugg’s Final Straw. BBC Studios also has equity investments in Mothership, Expectation and recently took full ownership of Voltage TV.