Press Releases

London, 22 August, 2013 - Multi award-winning television producer, Simon Andreae, is returning from the US to the UK to launch a new production company called Scarlet Media. The new venture is backed by Sony Pictures Television (SPT), which will hold a majority interest and distribute its output internationally.

Based in London, Scarlet Media will develop original factual and factual entertainment formats, with series and one-off specials, for UK and international broadcasters. It becomes the fifth UK production company in SPT's international production portfolio which now grows to 19 companies across 14 countries. Andreae becomes managing director, reporting into Andrea Wong, president, international production at SPT.

Announcing the launch, Simon Andreae said: "SPT is the perfect fit because the scale is so global but the structure, so personal. Scarlet Media will combine the best of British and American non-fiction sensibilities, producing the sort of smart, spicy content at which the Brits excel but on a scale and with the sheen for which US producers are rightly celebrated."

Wayne Garvie, chief creative officer, international production, at SPT said: "Simon has an utterly unique mind, one that has produced and commissioned some of television's most innovative shows on both sides of the Atlantic. As a global production business we are constantly building up our creative capital to meet international demand, so partnering with proven leaders in their field is pivotal to our growth strategy."

Andreae was most recently senior vice president, development and production, west coast, for Discovery in the US. Titles developed during his tenure include ratings hits Naked and Afraid and Fast N Loud, as well as the multi-award winning Curiosity series hosted by some of Hollywood's biggest names, including Robin Williams, Eli Roth, and Samuel L Jackson. He first moved to the US in 2005 when he set up independent production company, The Incubator, which made factual shows for broadcasters including Spike, USA, Vh1, Discovery, History, Channel 4 and TLC, among them the Emmy-nominated Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman, now in its fifth season.

Before moving to the US, Andreae was head of science and education at Channel 4 where he commissioned some of the channel's most popular and innovative programming including breakthrough content such as The Autopsy, Anatomy for Beginners and smash hit series BodyShock as well as supervising the perennially popular Scrapheap Challenge and Time Team.

Andreae was a founding partner of UK indie Optomen Television, helping drive the company's growth into one of the UK's largest non-scripted prod-cos with a broad mix of programming including Police, Camera, Action!, The Naked Chef, Anatomy of Desire and Gore Vidal's American Presidency.

SPT's international production business produces scripted and non scripted content for broadcasters all over the world, serving local markets in Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Its other UK production companies are Left Bank Pictures, Gogglebox Entertainment, Silver River and Victory Television.

About Sony Pictures Television
Sony Pictures Television (www.sonypicturestelevision.com), a Sony Pictures Entertainment company, is one of the television industry's leading content providers. It produces and distributes programming in every genre, around the world and for a multitude of platforms. In addition to one of the industry's largest libraries of award-winning feature films, television shows and formats, Sony Pictures Television (SPT) boasts a current program slate that includes top-rated daytime dramas and game shows, landmark off-network series, original animated series and critically acclaimed primetime dramas, comedies and telefilms. In addition to its US production business, SPT has 18 wholly-owned or joint venture production companies in 14 countries and also maintains offices in 33 countries. SPT's worldwide television networks portfolio includes 124 channel feeds available in 159 countries, reaching more than 840 million households worldwide. SPT also creates original content for and manages SPE's premium video website, Crackle. Additionally, SPT owns US production company Embassy Row and is a part owner of cable channel Game Show Network (GSN), 3D channel 3net, premier horror/thriller website and VOD service FEARnet and national U.S media sales company ITN Networks, Inc. SPT advertiser sales is one of the premier national advertising sales companies and handles the commercial inventory in SPT's syndicated series as well as in U.S. digital businesses including FEARnet, DrOz.com and PlayStation.

Contact:
Mark Macdonald
Executive Director, Communications
mark_macdonald@spe.sony.com
+44 207 533-1363