Off the Fence inks US$20m doc deal

Off The Fence and newly-formed Malaysian funding and production group Ideate Media have inked a production and distribution deal worth up to US$20 million.

Kuala Lumpur-based Ideate was inaugurated last week. Backed by Malaysian pay TV platform Astro and Malaysian government investment arm Khazanah Nasional, its mandate is to develop Asian-themed content with international appeal.

Factual producer and distributor OTF will coproduce twelve documentary series with Ideate over the next three years. It will sell the resulting shows internationally.

As part of the deal, OTF will collaborate with Ideate and provide training to Malaysian producers with a programme of workshops and training covering production, sales, rights and business affairs.

Ellen Windemuth (pictured), founder and owner, OTF, said: “Coproducing content and taking these productions to broadcasters worldwide is a natural step for our continuing growth and development to look at forging even stronger strategic links with the region. The training programme will also allow us to share our knowledge and expertise with the burgeoning Malaysian production community.”

Zainir Aminullah, CEO, Ideate Media added: “Our strategic partnership with Off The Fence is well positioned to accelerate growth in the factual content space, having an international partner with global reach tapping into talented local and regional filmmakers, and using the rich and diverse subject matters that Asia can offer.”