Banijay UK acquired part of Immovable Studios, co-founded by hip-hop artist, bestselling author, and social entrepreneur Akala and his long-time business partner and talent manager Chanelle Newman. The investment, part of the Banijay UK Growth Fund, is to support the business as it builds its premium television and content portfolio. The deal includes a first look with distributor Banijay Rights.
Patrick Holland, Executive Chair and CEO of Banijay UK said: “Akala is an extraordinary talent, a creative force whose books Natives and The Dark Lady have reimagined stories from our shared histories. We are delighted to announce this investment in Akala and Chanelle’s production company and look forward to partnering on the unique slate of projects they have been developing.”
Akala added: “I think television is a place where some of the best art in the world is being made today, where some of our favorite modern epics have been created, and I am extremely excited to delve further into this medium to do what I love: storytelling.”
Chanelle Newman said: “Championing artists and their creativity is my passion, and it is great to have the support and infrastructure from Patrick and his incredible team to continue building our vision to produce impactful content for a global audience.”
The business is committed to growing its slate, focusing on premium scripted and non-scripted content. It has a pipeline of developments, IP options, and talent partnerships with a range of global talent, networks and platforms. Alongside managing and developing the business model around Akala’s music and writing career, Newman has led the Immovable Studios television production arm and has been involved in the production of a variety of Akala-fronted TV projects to date including “Poetry: Between the Lines” for BBC (Winner of BAFTA Children’s Award); “Akala’s Odyssey” for BBC Four; and “Akala Presents: The Ruins of Empires” for BBC Two. An untitled docu-series inspired by Akala’s Sunday Times best-selling book, “Natives,” has also been commissioned by BBC Documentaries, with another major scripted series in funded development.