A Smith & Co


News round-up: Stellify scores new format from ‘Masked Singer’ creator; Netflix renews ‘Floor Is Lava’; Eccho takes ‘The Swap’ global

Stellify scores new format from Masked Singer creator Sony Pictures TV-owned Belfast indie Stellify Media has secured UK and US options for My Ranking, a new gameshow format from The Masked Singer creator Won-Woo Park. The studio-based format is a celebrity singing competition in which contestants are challenged to guess how a live audience will rank […]

Universal Television Alternative Studio hires Toby Gorman

Universal Television Alternative Studio has appointed Magical Elves’ Toby Gorman as president. The exec, who most recently served as interim CEO for the Tinopolis-owned prodco, succeeds Meredith Ahr, who was promoted to president of NBC Entertainment’s alternative and reality group late last year. In the new role, Gorman will look after development, domestic sales and […]

Banijay exec replaces Arthur Smith as CEO of A. Smith & Co.

Tinopolis-owned American Ninja Warrior prodco A. Smith & Co. has appointed Banijay North America’s Caroline Baumgard as CEO, replacing long-time boss Arthur Smith. Smith, who currently serves as Tinopolis USA chairman and CEO of A. Smith & Co., will transition to chairman of the prodco, which he launched in 2000. However, he will still be actively […]

Ex-NBCU unscripted chief resurfaces at Tinopolis

NBCUniversal International Studios’ former unscripted chief, David Mortimer, has joined transatlantic production group Tinopolis. Mortimer has become Tinopolis’ first director of content, overseeing content direction and performance across the Wales-headquartered production and distribution group. Placing a particular focus on popular factual and factual entertainment, Mortimer will also be tasked with group growth by identifying and […]

Tinopolis buys Top Chef producer

The Tinopolis Group has paid an undisclosed multi-million dollar sum for Magical Elves, the US-based producer behind Top Chef and Braxton Family Values. No exact figure was put on the deal, which is the latest example of international production companies buying into the US’s bank of unscripted prodcos. Magical Elves now sits in a stable […]

Tinopolis goes into business with Lee’s Tollbooth

Wales-based super indie Tinopolis has partnered with The Simple Life showrunner Kevin Lee to launch Tollbooth Group, a Burbank-based production company. Tinopolis will take an owernship stake in Tollbooth and distribute its output internationally through sales wing Passion Distribution. Based in LA, Tollbooth becomes the fourth US prodco in the Tinopolis Group portfolio. The others […]

TV M&A specialist acquires rival in int’l push

About Corporate Finance, the television-focused M&A firm that has overseen deals including Tinopolis’ acquisition of A Smith & Co and Sony’s acquisition of Left Bank Pictures, has bought rival Mediatique’s corporate finance unit. The deal will help ACF expand its advisory business into the US TV production market, which is said to be fertile ground for […]