Pukeko Pictures

BBC Three online deal Oz drama Cleverman

BBC Three has acquired its first overseas drama since moving to an online, over-to-top distribution model in February. The UK channel has bought Cleverman, the Australian-shot drama that Red Arrow International sells globally. British pubcaster the BBC will launch the show later this year, with head of programme acquisitions Sue Deeks saying: “Cleverman is an […]

Cleverman studio appoints scripted dev chief

Pukeko Pictures, the New Zealand-based producer behind new drama Cleverman, has appointed a head of scripted development. Lisa Chatfield (pictured) will work closely with chief creative officer Martin Baynton and head of production Angela Littlejohn after joining the Wellington-based prodco. Chatfield was most recently at the New Zealand Film Commission, where she was head of […]

SundanceTV, ABC board sci-fi drama

SundanceTV in the US and Australia’s ABC are attached to a new big-budget drama epic set in the near future. The channels are working with Germany’s Red Arrow International, Australia’s Goalpost Pictures and New Zealand-based Pukeko Pictures on the 6x60mins series, Cleverman, which debuts internationally at MIPCOM. The series is set in a near-future in […]

Pukeko names new chief as Smith exits

New Zealand’s Pukeko Pictures has named a new CEO after previous incumbent Andrew Smith took a post as chief executive of a mobile services developer. Andrew Smith is joining Wellington-based Touchtech as CEO in August, which has led to Clive Spink being named new chief exec at the Thunderbirds Are Go production company. On August […]

China: taking care of business

Pukeko Pictures’ CEO Andrew Smith questions how well international executives understand the Chinese film and TV market, and outlines some basic facts on coproducing in the world’s largest television market. When asked to write this article on China, it got me thinking – how much do people really know about the Chinese film and TV […]

News brief: WotWots returning to Channel 5

UK free-to-air broadcaster Channel 5 has ordered a second series of animated kids series The WotWots. The first series of the preschool show went out last year on the broadcaster’s Milkshake! kids strand and it will return for a second outing, starting in August. The series, which follows two siblings from outer space, SpottyWot and […]

International Studios: Drama Studies

For a week in May the attention of the TV world is focused on Hollywood studios as they present their new shows to international buyers at the LA Screenings. While the acquisitions folk are spending time – and money – with the Majors, an increasing amount of high-end drama is coming out of the LA […]

China’s CCTV buys more WotWots

Chinese public broadcaster CCTV has acquired more episodes of The WotWots, the preschool series produced by Pukeko Pictures. The live-action and animated kids show will air on CCTV 11’s Happy Playhouse block. CCTV has taken 78 episodes of the show, 26 of which were coproduced with Pukeko Pictures’ Chinese partner, Grand Entertainment Ltd (GZ).  Chinese […]