Bear Grylls Teams With Banijay To Launch Production Company The Natural Studios – Mipcom
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Bear Grylls has teamed with European production group Banijay to launch a new production company.
Grylls, star of Netflix’s You Vs Wild and Running Wild With Bear Grylls, which aired on NBC before moving to Nat Geo, is launching The Natural Studios with his Bear Grylls Venture partner Delbert Shoopman and Banijay, which owns production companies including Keeping Up With The Kardashians producer Bunim/Murray Productions.
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The company will focus on adventure TV series and feature films across all platforms.
Grylls and Shoopman are co-CEOs of the company, which has backed and funded by Banijay, which will distribute its titles globally.
It is the latest move into adventure for Banijay, which owns the Survivor format as well as titles including Fort Boyard, The Crystal Maze and SAS: Who Dares.
The Natural Studios’ current slate of shows includes Hostile Planet (Nat Geo), Eco-Challenge (Amazon), Running Wild with Bear Grylls (Nat Geo), You Vs Wild (Netflix) and BAFTA-winning series The Island (C4).
The deal was brokered by ACF Investment Bank, as advisors to Grylls and Shoopman.
Grylls said, “It has been such a journey for Delbert and I to get to the stage where we can build out our adventure shows under our own Studio. We stand on the shoulders of many giants. At its heart this is about building the ultimate home of adventure programming worldwide. The Natural Studios will be providing a home for the best adventure talent to help them create shows with us that inspire and move people to go for it in their lives and to never give up.”
Marco Bassetti, CEO, Banijay Group added, “In a crowded marketplace, with many new players, only strong talents can cut through and as the face of adventure globally, Bear does just this. Both he and Del bring an incredibly strong portfolio and track record in this space and fit harmoniously with our existing catalogue of world-class adventure entertainment brands. Already open for business, we are confident the new label has a strong path ahead and we look forward to collaborating on building an even bigger following for their brands across the globe.”
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