John Edwards to launch TV production company Roadshow Rough Diamond
The man behind some of Australia’s biggest TV franchises Offspring, The Secret Life of Us and Police Rescue, John Edwards, is set to launch his own production house within Village Roadshow.
Village Roadshow announced the move this afternoon, confirming that Edwards, who departed production company Endemol Shine late last year, will join Roadshow Films to setup Roadshow Rough Diamond, together with his son, former ITV Studios and Endemol executive, Dan Edwards.
“John Edwards is without peer in the Australian television landscape – probably one of our country’s few ‘brand name’ producers who creates benchmark series for every network,” said Chris Chard, CEO of Roadshow Entertainment and Roadshow TV.
“We are thrilled to have his expertise and eye steering our course as Roadshow re-enters the television production arena. We intend to bring the same level of quality an commitment to our TV productions as we do with our films.”
The new production company will create original long-form television and feature film content for domestic and international audiences from July 1, 2016. It is not yet clear what its first projects will be.
Edwards is one of Australia’s most respected TV production executives, having delivered the Hector Crawford Memorial Lecture last year when he warned the industry that TV networks are opting for the safe route by commissioning only short eight-to-10 episode series and also chastising local television producers for the size of the budgets they expect.
John Edwards,
In a speech last year you mentioned stagnation and “same old writers”‘.
I’m a new (to tv) writer with an idea – and first episode scripts- for a tv drama series. When I call your office on Monday, will someone tell me I need an agent before you’ll look at it?
What I’m saying is, great tv drama is, above all ,about the writing, and the agent system is stopping new writers get through. What will Roadshow Rough Diamond do to get around this problem?
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