Incoming Nine chairman David Haslingden buys Northern Pictures
The incoming chairman of the Nine Entertainment Co has bought an Australian production company adding to his stable of recent Australasian production acquisitions.
David Haslingden purchased Sue Clothier’s Northern Pictures following his acquisition of New Zealand-based NHNZ and Singapore’s Beach House Pictures in October, under his Racat Uno Pty Ltd holding company.Northern Pictures is the production company behind the Once Upon A Time in… series, screened on SBS.
Haslingden was formerly president and COO of Fox Networks in the US but stepped down in August, returning to Sydney.
Clothier will remain managing director of the production company with the name staying in place.
She said Haslingden’s stable is the perfect fit for her company which she started in 2010.
Clothier said: “I have been an admirer of NHNZ and BHP for many years and have always felt there were obvious synergies between our companies and people. Australia, New Zealand and Singapore locales give us distinct Southern Hemisphere advantages.”
Northern Pictures is currently in production of Once Upon A Time in Carlton, which looks at the Italian community in Melbourne and Once Upon A Time in Punchbowl, the Lebonese community in Sydney.
The company is already in production with BHP on a four-part series called Kakadu for the ABC.
