Asylum Entertainment buys into Derren Lawford’s DARE Pictures

Derren Lawford (Source: DARE)

Endeavor-backed Asylum Entertainment Group has invested in DARE Pictures, the two-year-old London-based prodco launched by Derren Lawford.

The size of the investment has not been revealed but it will see DARE’s angel investors, Rosegown, exiting the business.

Lawford will continue to lead day-to-day operations, with Michelle Morgan remaining chair of the new board structure and moving to become a company director and minority shareholder of the business, which launched in 2022.

It has since been behind shows including Crypto Queen: Visionary, Victim Or Villain? for Sky Deutschland and Channel 4, as well as Dalton’s Dream, which was produced for BBC’s Storyville strand, and The Secrets Of UK Prisons, produced for Channel 4’s strand Untold.

The deal comes less than two months since Asylum bought into Ian Lamarra’s Soho Studios, following a similar deal for UK-based production company Moon&Back Media. It has also struck a creative partnership with Scott Weintrob and his Large Eyes Entertainment, following Asylum’s acquisition by Endeavor in March 2023.

Aslyum said the deal for DARE – which stands for Diversity, Allyship, Representation and Empowerment – would provide it with “access to a global portfolio while simultaneously broadening Asylum’s own network of creative storytellers”.

“Derren and his studio exemplify the vision and trajectory we value at Asylum,” said Steve Michaels, CEO of Asylum. “His enviable track record and diverse interests make him an ideal partner, and we are honored to become an essential part of DARE’s continued growth.”

Lawford added: “Steve is an incredibly shrewd entrepreneur, so the opportunity to evolve our company within Asylum’s unique global network provides us with the perfect platform to create more original and memorable stories from around the world.”

DARE Pictures was advised by Plan 9 Consultancy.