Former eOne Exec Jude Troy & Ex-ABC Australia Content Chief Richard Finlayson Launch Production Company With Cult Drama Adaptation

Peter White
·3 min read

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EXCLUSIVE: Top Australian TV execs Jude Troy and Richard Finlayson have launched a new production company and have set an adaptation of cult story In the Clearing as one of their first projects.

The pair have established Wooden Horse, which is designed to produce premium scripted Australian stories for a global audience.

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Troy is the former Head of TV Production and Acquisitions for eOne Australia, while Finlayson is the former Director of Television at public broadcaster ABC and COO at SBS.

Based in Sydney, Australia, the pair are currently working on the second season of Matt Okine’s comedy The Other Guy, commissioned by streamer Stan and airing on Hulu in the U.S, in association with Aquarius Films, and are developing a feature adaptation of Okine’s debut novel Being Black n’ Chicken n’ Chips.

The company has also set its first two original projects. It has secured the rights to JP Pomare’s In the Clearing, from Curtis Brown, a psychological thriller that draws inspiration from the infamous Australian cult, The Family.

It is also working with Giula Sandler, writer of supernatural thriller Glitch, ITV drama White House Farm and Margot Robbie’s forthcoming female focused Shakespeare-inspired series, on a British Australian co-production. The project is a co-production with eOne in the UK.

Separately, it will continue to work on a number of projects from Finlayson’s previous company Headland Media. It is working on a six-part drama for Stan written by Jane Allen (Cleverman) and based on a true crime set in Cape York, a comedy series written by James O’Loghlin and a literary adaptation of the psychological thriller An Isolated Incident by Emily Maguire.

Wooden Horse has also hired Alexandra Cameron as development and production coordinator. Cameron, a former News Corp journalist worked on season two of The Other Guy and previously worked with Jungle Entertainment.

“Our partnership is a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts,” said Finlayson. “Jude has an outstanding reputation for creative judgement and indomitable energy. Most of all, we both believe in the incredible potential of the Australian television industry and our focus will be on working with the best writers and talent, finding the best people and partners to grow with us to bring great projects to life.”

“I’m delighted to partner with Richard on Wooden Horse. He is greatly respected among our industry peers and his experience and relationships are unparalleled. Our skills complement each other perfectly and I look forward to shaping the company alongside him. At Wooden Horse, we believe in strength through collaboration and I can’t think of a better person to partner with. We also hope to leverage our local and international relationships to collaborate externally with the best of the best,” added Troy.

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