Israel’s Keshet International Sets Up Shop In London

Keshet International, the company behind the original Israeli version of Homeland, has put down stakes in the UK. The distribution arm of Keshet Media Group has hired former Sky and La Plante Productions exec Sara Johnson as executive producer and head of co-productions for scripted fare. Former Shed Media exec and Channel 4 drama editor Lee Mason is also boarding as development producer. The success of Homeland (based on Keshet’s Prisoners Of War) has increased the Israeli company’s profile in the past year. Its recent U.S. sales include M.I.C.E., a spy drama based on Keshet’s Gordin Cell that Peter Berg is writing and directing at NBC; Tribe, to be adapted by Greg Malins for ABC and based on comedy Your Family Or Mine; and Mothers Day, a comedy that Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky (Sex And The City) are writing for CBS. Keshet’s managing director Alon Shtruzman said of the move into Britain: “In light of the growing success of our formats worldwide, it’s only natural for Keshet to take a bigger position on its own shows. We are now building teams in London and Los Angeles in order to drive our productions in the UK and the U.S., independently or with partners.”

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