Twickenham Studios sells 50% stake as brand goes global
US-European media fund, APX Group, has acquired 50% of Twickenham Film Studios, with plans to rebrand its global studio network under the iconic Twickenham Studios name.
The group will also accelerate expansion plans to acquire additional studios and land suited for studio construction across Europe and the US, under the Twickenham name, ahead of its planned public listing on New York Stock Exchange later this year.
The equity structure of the transaction has been made together with APX Group’s and UK partner and production arm Herd International Productions and the partners Shelley Hammond (also global CEO of APX Group), Hollie Richmond, Ben Dillon, and Iggy Ellis. Both APX Group and Herd International have moved their head office to Twickenham Film Studios.
This acquisition comes on the heels of APX Group’s transaction with the owner of Twickenham Film Studios, Sunny Vohra, whereby Vohra became a shareholder in APX Group.
APX Group’s recent acquisitions include a significant stake in Next Wave Studios, the joint venture between Leo Matchett and Roman Coppola’s Decentralized Pictures and Stephen Murray’s Bingeable, and the development slate of Burning Wheel.
Chairman of Twickenham Film Studio Vohra added: “Twickenham Studios was saved from liquidators and demolition by myself and a group of like-minded film-buffs approximately 10 years ago. Now we all look forward towards worldwide expansion and growth between our current management and the APX Group team. The Twickenham brand lasted gloriously for the past 100 years, and we are committed to the next 100 years.”
Shelley Hammond, global CEO, APX Group, said: “As CEO I’ve made it the goal of our group to expand our production network into fresh territories and to complete a successful public merger,” says Hammond. “Twickenham Film Studios is a cultural institution of film production and as such will be a jewel within our production portfolio.
“The work completed over the 100 plus years while the studio has been active is seminal. As partners, APX Group intends to secure the next hundred years and actively expand the brand to enable continuing award-winning service to the creative industry. In short - the Twickenham brand is historic, its reputation iconic, and our vision is global.”
Photo: Bohemian Rhapsody, filmed at Twickenham, by Nick Delaney - © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film.
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