A+E extends scripted copros with ‘Influence’ drama from ‘Tinder Swindler’ firm Raw

Alexandra Finlay

A+E Media Group is expanding its scripted investments with a new show from UK-based Raw, the All3Media-owned production firm behind Tinder Swindler and Encounter.

Influence is being written by Thomas Martin (Ripper Street) and is thriller about a ‘Dadfluencer’ who, after his child is kidnapped, is forced to examine every choice he’s made since first posting pictures of his family on social media.

Executive producers of Influence are Sara Murray and Dimitri Doganis for Raw; and Patrick Vien, Alexandra Finlay, and Hannah Dal Pozzo for A+E Media Group. No broadcaster/streamer has yet been announced.

A+E has been extending its investment in scripted co-productions recently, notably with a deal confirmed earlier this year that saw it become sales partner on The Kollective, the show from Dutch prodco Submarine and The European Alliance (France Télévisions, Rai Fiction Italy, and ZDF Germany). It has already been sold to Hulu in the US.

A+E also recently partnered with Stockholm Syndrome and Endor Productions for a returnable series adaptation of Tony Parsons’ novel Your Neighbour’s Wife, written by UK screenwriters Rebecca Pollock and Kas Graham.

Alexandra Finlay, VP of international scripted co-productions at A+E Media Group, described the show as “a deep examination of a modern family in crisis, telling a serial mystery that adds humor to dark emotional beats”, adding that it “perfectly represents A+E’s commitment to bringing bold, globally-resonant stories to life.”

Martin added: “The inspiration for Influence came when a friend lost his job and confided in me about a deep fear of how his family would see him now that his success was gone, and his need to rapidly regain that status.

“I recently became a father myself so while Influence is a fun and exciting mystery thriller — it’s also an exploration of the pressures, challenges and anxieties of being a man and a father in a rapidly changing world.”