Argonon Sets Up First U.S. Joint Venture With Former ‘Duck Dynasty’ Producer and Spoke Studios Executive Joe Weinstock

Manori Ravindran
·3 min read
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Argonon, the super-indie behind “The Masked Singer U.K.” and “Hard Cell,” has launched a new U.S. production company that marks its first joint venture Stateside.

The new outfit, Rose Rock Entertainment, is a JV with producer and former Spoke Studios executive Joe Weinstock, whose executive producer credits include reality hit “Duck Dynasty” for A&E and “Assembly Required” with “Home Improvement” star Tim Allen for History Channel.

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Launching with offices on the West Coast and Oklahoma, Rose Rock will focus on delivering “cinematic Americana factual content” with an entertainment edge. The company will lean on Weinstock’s extensive track record finding talent in the heart of America, and build on his expertise of male-skewed factual.

The banner becomes the ninth global label in the group and underlines Argonon’s ambitions to boost its U.S. growth, build on its growing West Coast presence and long-term East Coast base, while opening new headquarters in Oklahoma.

Weinstock was most recently co-president at Wheelhouse Entertainment-backed Spoke Studios, where he oversaw the Emmy-nominated series “Becoming” for Disney+, “River of No Return” for Discovery, “Assembly Required” and “Inn the Works” for Magnolia Network. He’s also overseen and developed seven unannounced series at Spoke Studios for streamers and networks including Netflix and Hulu.

Prior to Spoke, Weinstock was senior VP of development for Leftfield Pictures, where he developed a slate including “Blue Collar Backers” and “Carspotting” for Discovery, “Wolves and Warriors” for Animal Planet and “Billy the Kid: New Evidence” for National Geographic.

Weinstock was VP of production and development at Gurney Productions, where he was executive producer for “Duck Dynasty” (A&E) as well as “American Diggers” and “Auction Hunters” for Spike. Previous roles included senior director of development for Discovery Channel, where he executive produced “Blue Grass Boys,” “Porter Ridge” and “Game of Stones.”

Weinstock said: “With the creative license to shine a light on heartland America and offer a window into extraordinary worlds, I am excited to partner with global independent content group Argonon to launch Rose Rock Entertainment.

“As a creative storyteller, I am incredibly ambitious for Rose Rock; we’re passionate about creating unexpected and entertaining content, offering a platform for unheard voices and discovering never-seen-before characters, all captured through a cinematic documentary lens,” Weinstock continued. “With headquarters on both the West Coast and Oklahoma, our focus is on taking authentic stories from the heart of America into Hollywood, for audiences, platforms and screens across the U.S. and beyond.”

James Burstall, CEO of Argonon, added: “Joe is a brilliant creative and incredibly gifted producer with a track record of delivering hit show after hit show for networks and streamers across America. We’re delighted to invest in a multi award-winning and world class industry talent, who joins the group to helm our ninth powerhouse label as we take our successful joint venture model into the U.S.

“The launch of Rose Rock Entertainment will add rocket fuel to our U.S. growth strategy with the opening of our third U.S. headquarters and expansion of our West Coast hub, broadening our content ambitions and connectivity across the breadth of the U.S. As one of the last truly independent global superindies, we produce content across every genre and Rose Rock will further diversify our slate for networks, streamers and platforms across the globe.”

Argonon’s portfolio of production labels include Bandicoot Scotland, producers of “The Masked Singer U.K.” for ITV; Leopard Pictures (“Hard Cell” for Netflix); Windfall Films (“Attenborough and the Mammoth Graveyard” for BBC One); BriteSpark Films (“Dispatches” for Channel 4); Like a Shot (“Abandoned Engineering” for Discovery); Leopard USA (“House Hunters International” for HGTV); Studio Leo (“Cash in the Attic” for Channel 5); and branded content arm Nemorin Film & Video, whose clients include McDonalds, American Express and Amazon.

Argonon, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2021, revealed in January that it would be rolling out a strategic growth plan in 2022, expanding internationally and forging new talent relationships.

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