Working Title Films
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production |
| Founded | 1983 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
| Number of locations | Ireland Los Angeles, U.S. |
| Key people | Tim Bevan Sarah Radclyffe Eric Fellner Liza Chasin Debra Hayward Natascha Wharton |
| Parent | Universal Studios |
| Subsidiaries | WT2 Productions Working Title Television |
| Website | Official website |
Working Title Films is a British film production company, based in London owned by Universal Studios. The company was founded by Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. It produces feature films and several television productions. Eric Fellner and Bevan are now the co-chairs of the company.
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Company [edit]
Working Title Films was co-founded by producers Tim Bevan and Sarah Radclyffe in 1983. In 1992, PolyGram became the company's corporate backer. Radclyffe left Working Title, and Eric Fellner, a fellow independent film producer, joined the company.[1] The company produced a variety of films for PolyGram's London-based production company PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. An Anglo-Dutch film studio, PolyGram Films became a major Hollywood competitor. In 1999, PolyGram was sold to Seagram and merged with MCA Music Entertainment, to form Universal Music Group. PolyGram Films was sold and folded into Universal Studios in 1999.
Although contractually allowed to produce any film with a budget of up to $35 million, on a practical basis, Bevan and Fellner consult with studio executive at Working Title's parent company NBCUniversal.[2] Working Title is located in London, and is known for having a limited number of employees. The company also has other offices located in Los Angeles, and Ireland.
WT2 Productions [edit]
In 1999, Bevan and Fellner launched a subsidiary company named Working Title 2 Productions, commonly known as WT2. The company is an independent film production arm run by Natascha Wharton, and has produced films that include Billy Elliot, Shaun of the Dead and The Calcium Kid.[1]
TV division [edit]
Working Title Films, the UK film production company behind box office hits including Four Weddings and a Funeral and Shaun of the Dead, is to launch a TV division.[3]
Working Title Television is a joint venture with NBCUniversal and will be based in London and Los Angeles. NBCUniversal is Working Title's parent company.
The London office will be overseen by WTTV's head of television (UK) Juliette Howell, who has worked as an executive producer in the BBC drama commissioning group and as drama commissioner and head of development for Film4, where her credits included Slumdog Millionaire and Shameless.
The company released a modernised version of the children's novels, The Borrowers in December 2011 and Abi Morgan's adaptation of Birdsong in January 2012.
1991 ITV franchise bid [edit]
In 1991, Working Title was involved in a bid for the London Weekend ITV licence. Working Title, Mentorn, Palace and PolyGram wanted to take over from London Weekend Television and broadcast to London under the name London Independent Broadcasting. In the event LWT retained its licence; London Independent Broadcasting's proposals were deemed by the Independent Television Commission, which was overseeing the bid process, to fail the quality threshold.[4]
Films [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b Higgins, Charlotte (2005-04-16). "Interview: Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan, co-chairmen Working Title Films". London: The Guardian. Text " Film " ignored (help)
- ^ "Working Title - Skillset". Text " Film " ignored (help); Text " The Guardian" ignored (help)
- ^ http://bestforfilm.com/2010/02/26/bridget-jones-the-tv-show/
- ^ Davidson, Andrew, Under the Hammer: The ITV Franchise Battle, William Heinemann Ltd., p. 297
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Working Title Films at the Internet Movie Database
- WT2 Productions at the Internet Movie Database
- Profile of the founders on BBC News
- Shaun of the Dead production company Working Title to launch TV division
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