Former Warner Bros. Exec Launches Production Company Big Owl Pictures in Australia
Shaun Murphy, former head of television at Warner Bros Australia, on Wednesday announced the launch of television and film production company Big Owl Pictures. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the venture has received backing from private equity group, Balance Vector.
Murphy will serve as CEO and executive producer at the new outfit. He says Big Owl Pictures will aim to develop and produce all genres of unscripted content, as well as select scripted and film projects. The company is expected to announce an executive team and first slate of projects in the coming months.
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Balance Vector is the privately held firm of Steve Luczo, former CEO of hard-drive giant, Seagate Technology. The group is involved in technology and environmental investments, real estate development, sports ownership, music, television and film production. Balance Vector has taken a stake in Big Owl, with Luczo acting as a senior advisor.
Murphy previously spent three years as an executive producer at Shine Australia. At Warners he was responsible for executing The Masked Singer, The Bachelor, First Dates, Who Do You Think You Are, Back In Time For Dinner, Celebrity Apprentice, The Bachelorette, Little Big Shots, Dancing With The Stars and other titles. He also executive produced Australia’s Next Top Model, Dying For Everest, the syndicated Coolfuel Roadtrip and produced the Emmy-nominated Crips & Bloods: Made In America.
“Whether it’s an intimate story or a giant global format, at Big Owl we’ll look at everything as a story that can be built into something magnificent,” Murphy said in a statement. “Our strategic partnership with Balance Vector, led by the phenomenal Steve Luczo, gives us access to a vast array of content ideas to explore across sport, property, communications, tech and talent.”
Added Luczo : “Shaun is a world-class content creator and leader, with his teams known for executing to the highest of quality. Having worked on content previously with Shaun and seeing him and his teams supercharge so many of the world’s great formats, we’re excited to see the team grow its slate and be part of the Big Owl adventure.”
