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A+E Networks has made a minority investment in Range Media Partners, with which it will also partner strategically, said Paul Buccieri, president and chairman, A+E Networks Group and Peter Micelli, chief executive officer, Range Media Partners in a joint statement on Friday.
A+E Studios President Barry Jossen will serve as co-production partner for scripted television projects with Range Media Partners. A+E Networks and its affiliated studios also set up a first-look deal with Range on all factual television content for its unscripted content creation unit, which includes Category 6 Media and Six West Media. Range Media will provide A+E Networks with access to its talent.
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“We are thrilled to partner with Peter Micelli and Range Media Partners, whose passion and creativity in pursuit of unlocking global value for artists and fostering a forward-thinking culture of innovation aligns with our vision of the future. We were drawn to their impressive team and roster of entrepreneurially-minded talent and believe this investment will create strategic opportunities to accelerate the growth of our scripted and nonfiction content creation unit on a global scale,” said Buccieri in a statement. “Our investment underscores both our confidence in the trajectory of the industry and more specifically, the role Range will play within it. This alignment will enable diversification of our storytelling and content, amplify our efforts to shift from curator to creator, and bolster our ultimate goal to become a global IP powerhouse.”
Point72 Ventures is also a minority investor in Range Media.
Founded in 2020, Range Media Partners represents such clients as Emilia Clarke, Bradley Cooper, Benicio Del Toro, Gabrielle Union, Michael Fassbender, Tom Hardy, Vince Vaughn, Naomi Ackie, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Jerrod Carmichael, Stephan James, Anna Kendrick, Shailene Woodley, Danny McBride/Rough House Pictures, Michael Shannon, Ramy Youssef, Taron Egerton, Kiersey Clemons, and Keira Knightley, writers and filmmakers including Amy Aniobi, Michael Bay, M. Night Shyamalan, Luca Guadagnino, Martin McDonagh, Damon Lindelof, Gareth Edwards, Tim Van Patten and Alma Har’el, and musical artists Jack Harlow, Justin Tranter, Midland, Wale and more.
“We are humbled to partner with remarkable artists, who are driven by the need to know more and do more. We are privileged to be joined by the like-minded team at A+E Networks (some of whom we have worked with for decades), who share our passion for innovation, business strategy and compelling storytelling, as we enter this next chapter,” said Micelli, also in a statement.
A+E Studios produces such scripted series as Big Sky for ABC, UnREAL for Lifetime and The Liberator and You for Netflix. Upcoming projects include David E. Kelley’s The Lincoln Lawyer for Netflix and Avalon for ABC, on which Kelley is partnering with author Michael Connelly. A+E Studios also has more than 70 projects in development for Netflix, Showtime, Peacock, HBO Max, AMC, Fox and NBC as well as for international platforms.
“A+E Studios is a proven supplier of high-quality television productions,” said Jossen, also in a statement. “We are proud to provide our services and creativity as a growth engine for Range’s expansive ambitions. Range Media Partners and A+E Studios have White House Doctor in development at Fox. We have a large roster of projects ready for the marketplace, all of which perfectly fit the Range Media Partners/A+E Studios strategic alliance of bringing together high-end artists to create and produce in a talent-friendly environment to bring their visions to the screen.”