CATALYST GLOBAL MEDIA PARTNERS WITH WARNER MUSIC FOR SLATE OF MUSIC THEMED BIO-PICS AND FEATURE DOCUMENTARIES
London, England / Los Angeles, CA – August 6th, 2015 – It was revealed today that Catalyst Global Media, a multifaceted film and television financing and production company with an integrated music division has extended its existing partnership with Warner Music, one of the world’s largest record labels, to include identifying and developing a slate of feature biopics and documentaries based on Warner Music’s artists.
The multi-year, multi-picture arrangement will explore Warner Music’s extensive catalog and is expected to result in a number of new accounts of some of the most iconic artists of all time. Catalyst will develop and finance the projects and oversee worldwide distribution.
Al Hardiman, co-founder of London-based Catalyst Global Media and President of the company’s music division will oversee the slate alongside Catalyst CEO Charlotte Walls. Hardiman and Walls will work hand-in-hand with Warner Music executives Rich Robinson, SVP, Synchronization, Europe and Jen Moss, Senior Synchronization Manager to explore the Warner library for material to tell the real life stories of artists and performers in big screen adaptations and documentary features.
The relationship between Catalyst and Warner Music began with Warner Music handling the music supervising services for several projects including sci-fi conspiracy thriller “Residue,” which was released by Netflix earlier this year.
Catalyst and Warner anticipate the first productions will start early next year.
Said Hardiman, “Music is a key part of the DNA here at Catalyst, and we are thrilled to be partnering with Warner Music to bring a selection of compelling stories to the screen based on musical legends past and present. The power of music to capture the human spirit and to speak to audiences across the world is unrivalled and this co-venture provides a wonderful opportunity in film to explore these artists, their lives and their work in a very inspiring way.”
Walls added, “This co-venture, born out of successful collaborations to date, is a great opportunity for Catalyst and Warner to seek out some brilliant stories from much loved artists. You never know, we might help uncover the next ‘Searching for Sugarman’ or a poignant love story in the way that ‘Walk The Line’ brought to audiences new and existing”
Robinson commented, “Al, Charlotte and their team are experts in creating memorable moments, they bring scripts to life, design stunning visuals and have the ability to really pull audiences into the worlds they create. Our rich catalogue will provide lots of inspiring and exciting material – from the influences and passions of Warner’s iconic artists to the making of legendary songs – and I look forward to seeing the stories that result from our partnership. ”
Catalyst’s Al Hardiman is a classically-trained professional multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, songwriter and producer. He has recorded and toured with artists for Universal Music, Warner Music, EMI, Island Records, indie labels Ninja Tune, Tru Thoughts and Rough Trade for various artists including Radiohead, Florence Welch, Bonobo, The Who and Sixto Rodriguez. His introduction to film came via providing music arrangements for director Richard Eyre for his Academy Award® nominated film “Notes On A Scandal.” Since that time Al has composed viral short form and commercial content for brands including the Coca-Cola Company, scoring feature films and a Netflix-distributed TV series before co-founding Catalyst Global Media and starting up the company’s music publishing arm with a remit to finance and produce music and music-related content for film and television.
About Warner Music Group
With its broad roster of new stars and legendary artists, Warner Music Group is home to a collection of the best-known record labels in the music industry, including Asylum, Atlantic, Big Beat, East West, Elektra, Fueled by Ramen, Nonesuch, Parlophone, Reprise, Rhino, Roadrunner, Rykodisc, Sire, Warner Bros., Warner Classics, Warner Music Nashville, and Word, as well as Warner/Chappell Music, one of the world’s leading music publishers, with a catalog of more than one million copyrights worldwide.
About Catalyst Global Media
Headquartered in London, Catalyst is a hybrid, multifaceted film and television financing and production company making high-end, mainstream films and TV series for the global marketplace. Seasoned entertainment executive Charlotte Walls is co-founder of Catalyst and runs the company as its CEO. Al Hardiman and Gideon Lyons are co-founders with Walls and serve as principal partners. Catalyst operates with a mandate to serve as a top-tier supplier of commercially viable projects for the studios, networks, digital platforms and major independent distributors worldwide. Catalyst develops/finances/produces four to six projects a year across feature films and digital/television series. Budget ranges will vary depending on the size and scope of the individual projects.
Currently in production is “Peter & Wendy” based on the novel Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie, written by the BAFTA-winning writer Adrian Hodges (‘My Week With Marilyn’) and starring Academy Award®-nominated actor Stanley Tucci and international pop star Paloma Faith as Tinkerbell. The television special is produced by Headline Pictures (‘Quartet’, ‘The Invisible Woman’) in partnership with Catalyst Global Media and Great Ormond Street Hospital for ITV studios.
Catalyst is also producing the sci-fi thriller “Genus,” which is being directed by “Brain Hack” writer/director Joseph White. Based on the acclaimed novel by Jonathan Trigell (writer of “Boy A,” dramatized by Film Four and The Weinstein Co. and recipient of four BAFTA Awards), “Genus” is a gripping and action-packed sci-fi thriller set in a bleak and dangerous future.
Also announced is a feature adaptation of the best-selling novel “Pomegranate Soup” by the late Iranian novelist Marsha Mehran, being adapted by Academy Award®-nominated writer Kirsten Sheridan (August Rush) who is also attached to direct.
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