Tom Brisley


TBI Weekly: How mega-mergers are set to impact third-party distribution deals

A frenzied period of consolidation is beginning to leave an indelible mark on the distribution business as more projects and producers find themselves caught in the crosshairs of mergers. Mega-deals such as Comcast’s acquisition of Sky, the impending Banijay-Endemol merger and a Red Arrow sale on the horizon are changing the face of the distribution […]

How space programming evolved from no-go zone to no holds barred

Ahead of his ‘Space On The Big Screen’ session at IBC later today (16 September), Arrow Media co-founder and creative director Tom Brisley details the trajectory of space programming from a no-go zone among commissioners to a flourishing genre with myriad partners.  It used to be that if you were pitching factual content to US […]

Arrow Media secures theatrical release for Under the Wire

Arrow Media has secured a US distributor for its feature doc Under The Wire. Abramorama has struck a deal with the British prodco for Stateside theatrical distribution of the film, which is a co-pro between A+E Networks-owned broadcaster History and the British Film Institute, in association with A&E Indie Films and BBC doc strand Storyville. […]

Arrow poaches Discovery’s Swartz

Channel 4-backed UK producer Arrow has hired Howard Swartz as executive VP, development and production. He will be based in London and joins from Discovery Channel, where he was executive VP, documentaries and specials. Swartz (pictured) is tasked with driving Arrow’s US development slate alongside Arrow’s co-founders and creative directors, Tom Brisley and John Smithson. […]

Arrow poaches Endemol Shine exec

UK indie prodco Arrow Media has poached Oliver Wright from Endemol Shine UK for a new role, head of features. As a producer, Wrights credits include Channel 4 series Embarrassing Bodies and Supersize vs Superskinny, Channel 5 doc Daniella Westbrook: Eastenders, Drugs and My New Nose and BBC Three’s Snog Marry Avoid. At Arrow, he […]

Watch this space

Almost 60 years after the Americans and Russians battled for supremacy of the stars, two new reality TV formats are engaged in their own space race, while more broadly factual space programming is becoming hot property with Nat Geo set to launch its Cosmos reboot on Sunday (March 8). Huw Fullerton reports. Who will win […]

BBC Two, Smithsonian, Discovery board Jumbo

A trio of broadcasters from the UK, US and Canada have co-commissioned a documentary about the impact of the 747 airliner, widely known as the Jumbo Jet. The doc will be known as Jumbo – The Plane That Changed the World on BBC Two in the UK and Discovery Channel in Canada, where it will […]

Travel Channel order Border Rico from Arrow Media

US cable net Travel Channel has ordered Border Rico, an original series from UK indie producer Arrow Media. The 6x30mins follows the US agencies managing access to the island of Puerto Rico. Tom Brisley, creative director, Arrow Media, said: “Securing access to, and developing a close working relationship with, agencies manning the US border and […]

Nat Geo to broadcast special Live From Space

National Geographic Channel is preparing Live From Space, a two-hour special that will be broadcast live from the International Space Station (ISS) and NASA Mission Control in Houston. The special will go out on Nat Geo channels around the world this March and be produced by UK indie Arrow Media. As well as going out […]

Channel 4, Smithsonian prepare for Terror in the Skies

UK terrestrial Channel 4 and US net Smithsonian Channel have ordered local indie Arrow Media to produce a 4x60mins series about near-collisions in air travel. Terror in the Skies will launch on Channel 4 in June and Smithsonian later this year. It will use video and audio captured on passengers’ phones and camcorders to illustrate […]