Friday Night Dinner indie, Big Talk Productions, has rebranded to Big Talk Studios as Managing Director Matthew Justice leaves the company.
Big Talk says the new name “reflects the company’s evolution into a Global Studio to provide a comprehensive range of disciplines to support the creation, production and exploitation of original premium television and genre bending film.”
The rebrand will coincide with a management restructure. Led by CEO Kenton Allen, Christina Angeloudes will become Commercial Director with immediate effect.
Angeloudes has been with Big Talk for over 10 years and oversees all key talent deals and has put together “multiple co-productions with increasingly complex commercial arrangements.” Managing Director Matthew Justice will leave after 16 years, for a new role which will be announced in due course. Justice departs later this year and will work with Kenton Allen “on a smooth transition to a new management structure over the coming months.”
“Big Talk Studios represents the next chapter in our company’s evolution,” said CEO Kenton Allen. “We’ve just produced ‘Dinner With The Parents’, our first exclusively UK for US series all shot in London. This cements our status as a best-in-class UK producer for US buyers, bringing together all the key creative and financial benefits of shooting in the UK. I’m thrilled to have an incredible team at Big Talk, all housed under one roof, and all focussed on the creation, production and exploitation of high-quality television and film. With the demand for original programming at an all-time high, and our UK for US business rapidly growing, Big Talk Studios is perfectly positioned to be a global leader in this exciting and rapidly evolving industry.”
Led by Allen and Angeloudes, Caroline Richards is Head of Production, Lucy Mills is Finance Director and Executive Producers Luke Alkin, Saurabh Kakkar and Victoria Grew lead their development teams and will continue to develop their own slates, working to Kenton Allen and the management team.
Founded in 1995, Big Talk’s credits include the BAFTA-winning series “Rev” and ‘Him & Her’, the hit comedy ‘Friday Night Dinner’ and successful returning drama series ‘Cold Feet’ and ‘The Outlaws’. Production has just wrapped on ‘Dinner With The Parents’, the US reformatting of Big Talk’s hit comedy ‘Friday Night Dinner’. The 10×30’ series is a co-production with CBS Studios for Amazon FreeVee, and transplants the original show’s family dynamics to American suburbia and will star Michaela Watkins (‘Casual’, ‘The Dropout’), Dan Bakkedahl (‘Veep’, ‘The Mindy Project’) and Carol Kane (‘The Princess Bride’).
Currently in production are an anachronistic period comedy about the infamous highwayman Dick Turpin, starring Noel Fielding for Apple TV+ and a third season of ‘The Outlaws’, the BAFTA-nominated contemporary crime drama set in Bristol, written by and starring Stephen Merchant for BBC One and Amazon.
Matthew Justice said: “After 16 incredible years at Big Talk, it is time for me to move on to new challenges. I am incredibly proud of everything we have achieved as a company, and I will always be grateful for the opportunities and experiences that Big Talk has given me. I leave behind many friends and a talented team of producers and executives who I am confident will continue to deliver the high-quality, original content that Big Talk is known for.”
Big Talk Productions CEO Kenton Allen added: “Matthew has been a huge part of the success of Big Talk, and I am grateful for his friendship, passion, dedication, and leadership over the years. I know that he will always have Big Talk in his DNA and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours. He is a fabulous chap and leaves with my utmost support and best wishes.”
Big Talk is part of ITV Studios.
Jon Creamer
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