Fremantle has acquired a minority stake in Boldprint Studios, the newly formed production company from former Channel 4 Head of Entertainment, Phil Harris.
Boldprint focuses on unscripted formats across reality, entertainment and factual entertainment for domestic and international broadcasters and streaming platforms.
Former Twofour Head of Entertainment, Lou Hutchinson, has been appointed the new company’s Creative Director.
The investment reunites Fremantle with Brown and Hutchinson who were both former executives at Thames under Fremantle UK CEO, Amelia Brown.
Harris said: “Our company blueprint will be built on creating bold, scalable global formats; an ambition which aligns perfectly with Fremantle’s global distribution plans.
Amelia Brown, Fremantle UK CEO, said “At Fremantle we are committed to working with the very best and Phil and Lou both have incredible passion, talent and commitment to not only creating the next big entertainment formats, but also in nurturing new talent. They have been behind some of the most talked about and cutting-edge shows of recent years and we are thrilled to welcome them back to the Fremantle family and look forward to supporting them in their ambitions for growth.”
Before starting Boldprint, Harris oversaw Channel 4’s entertainment and events output including Taskmaster, The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan, 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Last Leg as well as new returning brands Jimmy Carr’s I Literally Just Told You and Claudia Winkleman’s One Question.
Before Channel 4, Harris was Creative Director of Fremantle label Thames, overseeing existing brands Take Me Out, Britain’s Got Talent and The X Factor all for ITV as well as new content such as The Greatest Dancer (BBC One), the reboot of Supermarket Sweep (ITV) and Eating with My Ex (BBC Three).
Hutchinson has been Head of Entertainment at Twofour since 2021, focussing on developing, producing reality and entertainment hits including I Kissed a Boy (BBC Three), Make Me Prime Minister (Channel 4) and Loaded in Paradise (ITVX). Before Twofour, Hutchinson worked with Thames, Initial and Lime Pictures.
Fremantle has invested in companies including UK production company Dancing Ledge Productions (The Responder, Big Mood), scripted Italian production company Lux Vide (Devils, Leonardo), Irish production company Element Pictures (Normal People, Poor Things), and 72 Films (All or Nothing: Arsenal, 9/11: One Day in America).
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