TCB MEDIA RIGHTS MOVES INTO PREMIUM FEATURE-LENGTH DOCS

Distributor acquires BBC Arena film and commissions ambitious three-part doc

London, July 11, 2019 – TCB Media Rights, the London-based rights-ownership and distribution company, is broadening its offering from factual entertainment to also encompass high-end feature-length docs following a deal with award-winning UK producer Top Hat Productions. The London-based distributor has also commissioned a premium three-part documentary series from producer Conscious Life, developed in conjunction with Oscar-nominated Spring Films. Both titles will be launched at MIPCOM 2019.

TCB Media Rights has acquired Top Hat’s 90-minute documentary The $50m Art Swindle, commissioned by the BBC’s Mark Bell, for the world’s longest running art strand, Arena. Made by acclaimed filmmaker Vanessa Engle (The Funeral Murders) and slated to air on BBC Two this summer, the film was one of a string of ambitious projects unveiled by BBC Arts at last month’s Sheffield International Documentary Festival.

The $50m Art Swindle centres on rogue New York art dealer Michel Cohen who, in 2000, swindled more than $50m from the art establishment before going on the run, never to be seen again. Eighteen years later, Engle manages to track down the fugitive and persuade him to tell his extraordinary story. With the action moving between Rio, the US and France, the film is part entertaining crime caper, part real-life detective story and part exploration of greed and morality. The documentary delves into Cohen’s psyche to discover what drives a loving family man to become a reckless and unscrupulous fraudster, while shining a light on the murky underbelly of the international art market.

Also signalling TCB Media Rights’ diversification into premium documentaries is its commission of a TCB Original, How I Created A Cult, another premium documentary series from UK indie Conscious Life. Over 3 x 60 mins episodes, How I Created A Cult follows the journey of Andrew Cohen from enigmatic spiritual leader and seeker of enlightenment to the head of a global cult with absolute power over thousands of devoted followers. The series reveals how, over the course of three decades, Cohen’s spiritual utopia descended into a nightmare of life threatening punishments, mock amputations, brainwashing, extortion and extreme psychological abuse.

In 2013, his organisation, EnlightenNext, finally imploded amid bitter accusations and shocking revelations. But the story hasn’t ended there — Cohen recently announced that he intends to return to spiritual teaching and is planning to set himself up once again as a guru.

Drawn from 60 hours of original interviews with students and victims, more than 200 hours of archive footage and an unprecedented series of interviews with Andrew Cohen himself, How I Created A Cult explores why people give up everything to follow a 1 charismatic leader and how, even with the best intensions, absolute power tends to corrupt absolutely. Hannah Demidowicz will act as Executive Producer for TCB Media Rights and for Conscious Life Alex Howard and Meagen Gibson.

Jimmy Humphrey, head of acquisitions and co-productions at TCB Media Rights, said: “We certainly don’t want to forget our heartland of factual and fact entertainment, this is our lifeblood and it’s what the buyers know us for. However, with these two shows in particular it allows us to make a less clunky, more obvious move into the premium space. These two projects reflect the polarisation of the market that we now see across many platforms, that is, between big budget ‘noisy’ and lower budget higher volume. Both areas have to perform quickly however and TCB is set up to flex and exploit the unscripted market and these are two hugely stand out, well- crafted stories.”

About TCB Media Rights

TCB Media Rights was established in late 2012 by Paul Heaney. A specialist in factual and factual entertainment, the company offers a full suite of distribution services, employing its international contacts, experience and knowledge to ensure that every project fulfils its maximum potential. In October 2017, TCB Media Rights was acquired by Kew Media Group.

With more than 220 titles in its rapidly expanding portfolio, TCB Media Rights’ has more than 120 producer-partners around the world, including Like A Shot Entertainment, CJZ, Curve Media, ITN Productions, Bristow Global Media and BriteSpark Films. Its broadcaster clients span all the major factual channels and platforms, including Netflix, Science Channel, UKTV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Discovery UK, SBS, Welt, and Visat.

For further information, please contact:

Cheryl Clarke at Mushroom Media on: Tel: +44 (0)7939554109 E: [email protected] www.tcbmediarights.com

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