DANA POINT, Calif. — Toronto-based Blue Ant Media’s global distribution division, Blue Ant International, announced today it has acquired UK-based production financing and distribution company Drive Media Rights.
The announcement was made at Realscreen Summit 2022, which is being held this week in Dana Point, Calif.
“The deal represents Blue Ant International’s ongoing expansion in the UK and the distributor’s commitment to growing its pre-sale capacity, while supercharging the distributor’s network within the creative community,” reads a press release.
As part of the deal, Drive Media Rights’ managing directors Ben Barrett (above, right) and Lilla Hurst (left) will join Blue Ant International as global head of content financing and partnerships and global head of acquisitions and partnerships, respectively.
Both known as industry specialists in content financing, Barrett and Hurst will continue to operate from London, UK, and will report to Solange Attwood (centre), Blue Ant International executive vice-president.
“As the media ecosystem evolves, a distribution partner that can bring meaningful financing, allowing our partners to realize their creative ambitions, is paramount. Our combined expertise and relationships with Ben and Lilla should help our partners to do more of just that,” Attwood said in the press release.
Drive Media Rights launched in 2013 as “a production funding (pre-sale) house and evolved into a 360 global funding, sales and distribution business,” the release says.
“Joining forces with Blue Ant International, they will continue to offer a full range of commercial services, working with producers around the world to get their projects funded, produced and distributed,” the release adds.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we and our team have achieved with Drive over the last nine years and we’re excited to become part of a larger organization,” said Barrett and Hurst in the release. “Blue Ant Media consists of top quality content producers, established channels and a thriving distribution business, all of which will provide new levels of opportunity and relationships, allowing us to seamlessly grow the combined business.”
Included in the deal is Blue Ant International’s acquisition of Drive Media Rights’ library of more than 900 hours of content, consisting primarily of unscripted programming across genres such as documentary, history, science, crime, lifestyle and paranormal. With this content acquisition, Blue Ant International now offers almost 5,000 hours of programming to broadcasters and streamers.
Drive’s production clients include October Films, Oxford Films, Blink Films, Air TV and Future Studios.
Photos provided by Blue Ant Media.
