The North Road Company, the multi-genre studio formed by former Fox chief Peter Chernin in 2022, has completed its first major international acquisition, Karga Seven Pictures, one of Turkey’s key film and TV producers.
Turkey is one of the world’s largest global content exporters, and the Istanbul and Los Angeles based Karga Seven significantly expands North Road’s worldwide footprint.
Karga Seven’s founders Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin, and Kelly McPherson will remain in leadership roles. Wetherbee and Sahin will serve as global co-CEOs with McPherson as head of english-language content, alongside industry veteran and newly hired Ömer Müjdat Özgüner serving as Turkey CEO.
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Sahin and Wetherbee will report into North Road president Jan Frouman, who led the deal for North Road and oversees growth strategy with a focus on international expansion.
Karga Seven established itself first as a creator of factual content in the US before shifting to a global focus on scripted films and series. Two of Karga Seven’s latest streaming series — the English-language period piece Rise of Empires: Ottoman and the Turkish-language time travel drama Midnight at the Pera Palace — reached number one in Turkey and charted on Netflix’s global top 10. The company also produces leading Turkish television drama series including Hekimoglu, adapted from the U.S. series House.
Karga Seven’s slate of upcoming titles includes a Morocco-based docu-drama for Netflix, currently in post-production.
Chernin said: “Given its sheer volume of globally relevant and high-quality content, Turkey is a perfect fit with North Road’s broader international strategy, and the addition Karga Seven to our studio is a significant accomplishment.”
Sahin said: “Producing both in Turkey and internationally, our passion has always been finding ways to bridge our two worlds. From the types of stories we are drawn to, to discovering new regional talent with a fresh POV, to creating a global creative hub in the region, there is and always has been incredible potential in Turkey. We couldn’t be happier to join the North Roadteam and work with Peter, Jan and their impressive group.”
In addition to its London-based international division, led by Frouman and President of International Film & TV Kristin Jones, North Road’s portfolio includes scripted TV and film producer Chernin Entertainment, unscripted group Red Arrow Studios and nonfiction division led by Words + Pictures.
North Road’s recent releases include Netflix’s Luther, starring Idris Elba, and the final season of Apple TV+’s Truth be Told.
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