Top U.K. Producers Dominic Buchanan, Bennett McGhee Form Production Outfit Home Team
Two of the U.K.’s top producers, Dominic Buchanan (pictured, right) and Bennett McGhee (left), have teamed up to launch a new film and TV production company.
Home Team will focus on high-end, inclusive projects that champion underrepresented creatives and new voices, including filmmakers of color and female filmmakers from all backgrounds.
Buchanan is executive producer on Netflix/Channel 4 drama “The End of the F***ing World,” while McGhee’s recent film “Mogul Mowgli,” starring Riz Ahmed, recently picked up the 2020 Fipresci prize at the Berlin Film Festival, and will soon play the London Film Festival. The film was recently acquired by BFI Distribution.
The company’s development slate includes a collaboration with BBC Films on Shola Amoo’s follow-up to the critically-acclaimed “The Last Tree”; a new BFI-backed film project directed by Destiny Ekaragha (“The End of the F***ing World”) and Danielle Ward (“In the Long Run”); and Nadia Latif and Omar El-Khairy’s (“White Girl”) feature debut, the upcoming horror film “Welcome,” currently being developed with Film4 and the BFI.
Also on the slate is Rohan Blair-Mangat’s (Jay-Z music video “Centrepiece”) docuseries “The Boombox Project,” adapted from Lyle Owerko’s eponymous book; and a new television series directed by Kate Herron (“Sex Education”), which she is co-writing alongside Briony Redman (“Angry Quiz Guy”) and will be co-produced with Douglas Cox (“Host”).
Prior to Home Team, Buchanan was independently producing and building his slate of projects, striking a one-year first look TV deal with production house Eleven. Previously, he was VP of production and development at Bold Films, where he co-produced the film “Colette” (2018), starring Kiera Knightly. Buchanan also produced director Hong Khaou’s lauded 2014 Sundance film “Lilting,” starring Ben Whishaw. Buchanan conceived of the idea that grew into hit show “The End of the F***ing World,” which recently won the 2020 BAFTA TV Award for best drama series.
Meanwhile, McGhee’s previous banner was Silvertown Films, which was formed in 2015 and won the British Film Institute’s Vision Award in its first year. Silvertown’s credits include Ron Scarpello’s feature documentary “Bobby” (2016), Ed Lilly’s rap-battle drama “V’s” (2018) and “Mogul Mowgli,” directed by Bassam Tariq. Prior to Silvertown Films, Bennett was an executive at Wildgaze Films, where he worked on Lone Scherfig’s multi-Oscar nominated “An Education,” Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut “Quartet” and as associate producer on the multi-Oscar and BAFTA-winning “Brooklyn.”
McGhee said: “I’m blessed to be partnering with Dominic and starting this new venture together, and thankful for the incredible support from the team at Calculus, Stargrove and the wider industry. We’d sown the seeds of these plans for a while and it’s incredibly exciting to now see them come to fruition, and champion projects from talent we believe in.”
Buchanan added: “Home Team will be a genuine home for talent. We’re continuously driven to realise our wildest ambitions, and want to move the needle with everything we do. Fortunately, Bennett and I are now truly empowered to do so.”
The Calculus Creative Content EIS Fund is backing Home Team. The fund was launched in June 2019 in association with the British Film Institute, who awarded the fund to Calculus Capital and Stargrove Pictures. The BFI, as a charity, has no financial interest in the fund, but initiated the project to help generate new investors in the U.K. creative content industry. Film and TV specialists Stargrove Pictures acts as adviser to the fund. Led by Stephen Fuss, the Stargrove team sourced this investment opportunity.
John Glencross, chief executive of Calculus, said: “We are thrilled to be making this investment in Home Team. Dominic and Bennett are two of the most exciting producers to emerge in the U.K. in recent years and have already shown their ability to develop groundbreaking productions which are both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.”
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