Sky Studios Invests In Julie Anne Robinson’s Longboat Pictures

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Sky Studios has taken a minority stake in Longboat Pictures, the UK-based drama producer co-founded by BAFTA and Golden Globe-nominated director Julie Anne Robinson and former ITV commissioner Victoria Fea.

The financial details of the deal and the size of the Sky stake were not disclosed. It represents the Comcast-owned company’s second drama investment in recent weeks after it partnered with The Lighthouse, the production outfit established by former BBC Studios drama chiefs Hilary Salmon, Radford Neville and Nick Betts.

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Sky said the deal will enable Longboat to strengthen and expand its creative team. The producer will work closely with Sky Studios to develop content for Sky channels and other networks.

Longboat was founded in 2018. Robinson developed and executive produced The Catch with Shonda Rhimes, and the NBC series I Feel Bad alongside Amy Poehler. Her director credits include Nurse Jackie and Orange Is The New Black, and she has a first-look deal with Universal Television through her other venture CannyLads.

Robinson has 12 network pilots to her name, seven of them going to series in the U.S. Prior to that, she directed both theatre and award-winning TV shows in the UK such as Coming Down The Mountain and Blackpool.

Fea was a senior drama commissioner for eight years at ITV, where she oversaw series including The Durrells, Victoria, Harlots, and Unforgotten.

Sky Studios CEO Gary Davey said: “Longboat Pictures has a wealth of expertise and experience in the drama field, both in the UK and U.S. We’re excited to be joining forces with them in this new partnership.”

Robinson and Fea added: “We are very happy to be collaborating with Sky Studios at such an exciting time in their development. The world needs entertaining stories more than ever at the moment, and we are looking forward to creating them in our new partnership.”

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