See-Saw’s head of TV & COO depart to launch new prodco 60Forty Films

State Of The Union

See-Saw Films head of television Jamie Laurenson and TV COO Hakan Kousetta are setting up their own firm after revealing they are leaving the UK and Aussie prodco, whose slate includes Apple TV+ drama Slow Horses and the BBC’s The North Water.

Laurenson and Kousetta are departing to set up new venture 60Forty Films, but will continue as executive producers on See-Saw projects including Colin Farrell-starring drama The North Water and Gary Oldman’s Slow Horses.

Hakan Kousetta

The duo have been integral to See-Saw’s expanding TV slate, which also includes Jane Campion’s Top Of The Lake: China Girl, shortform comedy series State Of The Union starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd, and Rachel Gardner’s Australian slate.

The latter includes two seasons of live action family adventure series The New Legends Of Monkey for Netflix and The End, starring Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor for Sky Atlantic and Foxtel.

See-Saw is also behind The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+, as well as the recently announced Heartstopper for Netflix, and has previously produced features including The King’s Speech.

See-Saw rejig

Kousetta and Laurenson’s exits will see See-Saw’s TV output being overseen by UK-based Elinor Day, Patrick Walters and Joanna Laurie, and Gardner in See-Saw’s Sydney office.

The upcoming slate also includes Operation Mincemeat, directed by John Madden and starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald, and The Power Of The Dog, written and directed by Campion. It stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons.

Jamie Laurenson

“Jamie and Hakan have done an extraordinary job over the last eight years in growing See-Saw’s television slate and building a team of incredible executive producers,” said Iain Canning and Emile Sherman.

“See-Saw is in an exciting position as we go into this year with a robust and impressive slate in no small part because of the hard work of Hakan and Jamie. We will miss them but are so excited to see what they do next, and thankfully it’s not goodbye as we’ll be continuing to collaborate on select See-Saw projects.”

Laurenson and Kousetta added: “We’ve had a wonderful time working with the brilliant people at See-Saw and we will miss them all. We are excited to start this new venture and are really happy to be continuing our collaboration with See-Saw on the projects we are
exec producing.”

The See-Saw group also comprises two global joint venture businesses, with production duo I Am That with Garth Davis and Picking Scabs with Samantha Strauss. Cross City Films is the firm’s in-house sales company.