Endemol Australia
Endemol Australia[1] (formerly known as Southern Star Group, Southern Star Productions, Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia & Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd.) was Australia's largest independent television production and distribution group. In 2015, the company was merged with Shine Australia to form Endemol Shine Australia.
Formerly | Hanna-Barbera Pty, Ltd. (1972-1983) Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd. (1983-1988) Southern Star Group Pty, Ltd. (1988-2013) |
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Subsidiary | |
Industry | Animation Television production |
Fate | Merged with Shine Australia |
Successor | Endemol Shine Australia |
Founded | 1972 |
Founder | Neil Balnaves |
Defunct | 2015 |
Headquarters | Sydney, New South Wales |
Key people | Mark and Carl Fennessy (CEO) |
Parent | Taft Broadcasting (1972–1988) Hamlyn Group (50%) (1974–1978) James Hardie Industries (50%) (1978–1988) Independent (1988–2004) Southern Cross Broadcasting (2004–2007) Fairfax Media (2007–2009) Endemol (2009–2015) |
Website | endemol![]() |
History
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The company began in 1972 as Hanna-Barbera Pty. Ltd. (Australia), an Australian division of Hanna-Barbera. In 1974, the Hamlyn Group's Australia division managed by Kevin Weldon acquired 50% of Hanna-Barbera Australia and appointed Neil Balnaves as managing director. In 1978, James Hardie Industries acquired the Hamlyn Group, and in 1979, Balnaves was promoted to managing director of the entire Hamlyn Group.[2]
In 1983, James Hardie Industries and Hanna-Barbera corporate parent Taft Broadcasting reorganized the division as Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd. In 1984, the company established a division in Los Angeles known as Southern Star Productions, headed by Buzz Potamkin. Programs produced by this division would be animated at Hanna-Barbera's studios in Sydney, and carried the name Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia.
In 1988, Neil Balnaves led an A$11 million management buyout of Taft-Hardie, reorganizing the company as Southern Star Group. The Sydney animation facilities were also sold, while the Los Angeles division continued to operate until 1991 when it was sold to Turner Broadcasting System.
In April 2004, the company was acquired by Southern Cross Broadcasting and in 2007, by Fairfax Media.
In January 2009, Endemol acquired Southern Star Factual from Fairfax Media in a transaction worth A$75 million,[3][4] forming a division known as Endemol Southern Star.
On 11 December 2013, Southern Star announced it would re-brand as Endemol Australia.[1] Chief Executive Officer, Janeen Faithfull,[5] stated "As Endemol Australia we’ll continue to build on the heritage and successes of Southern Star."[1]
On 15 November 2016, Mark and Carl Fennessy were appointed joint CEOs of Endemol Australia as well as its current parent company, Endemol Shine Australia.[6]
The company's popular shows for kids are Bananas in Pyjamas (for ABC), The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky (for ABC and Five (UK)), Child's Farm, Ketchup: Cats Who Cook (for NHK), Gordon the Garden Gnome (for BBC, ABC and Cartoon Network), Faireez (For Ten), Classic Tales (for ABC) and The Toothbrush Family (for Ten and Nine).
Programs
Prime-time drama
- Party Tricks
- Offspring
- Return to Eden
- Love My Way
- The Surgeon
- Blue Heelers
- The Secret Life of Us
- Always Greener
- Water Rats
- Marking Time
- Police Rescue
- Murder Call
- Rescue: Special Ops
- Wild Boys
- Rush
- Young Lions
- Blue Murder
- Dangerous
- Out of the Blue
- Fireflies
- Spirited
- Rain Shadow
- The Alice
- Tangle
- Puberty Blues
- Bed of Roses
- Big Sky
- Howzat! Kerry Packer's War
- McLeod's Daughters (2001–2009)
- City Homicide
- Echo Point
- The Beautiful Lie
- Cody
- Which Way Home
- Good Vibrations
- Gallipoli
- Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo
- Paper Giants: Magazine Wars
- Children of the Dragon
- Beaconsfield
- Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch War
- Police Crop: The Winchester Conspiracy
- On the Beach
- Joh's Jury
- Dripping in Chocolate
- Hard Knox
- Do or Die
- Police State
- The Last Frontier
- Remember Me
- A Difficult Woman
Comedy
- Bad Cop, Bad Cop
- The Bob Morrison Show
- Dayne's World
- Legally Brown
- You Have Been Watching
- Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos
Children's
As Hanna Barbera Pty, Ltd./Taft-Hardie Group Pty, Ltd.
- Famous Classic Tales (1970-1983)
- The Toothbrush Family (1974)
- Taggart's Treasure (1976, live-action TV pilot)
- Dinky Dog (1978-1981)
- Drak Pack (1980)
- Deadline (1982, TV movie)
- Return to Eden (1983-1986)
- The Last Frontier (1986, TV miniseries)
- Shark's Paradise (1986, TV movie)
- CBS Storybreak (1985-1989) (co-production with CBS Entertainment Productions)
- The Berenstain Bears (1985-1987)
- Teen Wolf (1986-1987) (co-production with Clubhouse Pictures in Season 1 and Atlantic/Kushner-Locke in Season 2)
As Southern Star
- A*mazing
- Around the World in 80 Days
- Foreign Exchange
- The Adventures of Sam
- Blue Water High
- RAGGS Kids Club Band
- The Sleepover Club
- Tracey McBean
- Cake Business!
- The Missed Christmas Presents
- The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky
- Magic Mountain
- Snobs
- Bananas in Pyjamas (co-production with ABC
- Faireez
- Ketchup: Cats Who Cook
- Time Masters
- Wipeout
- Marvin: Baby of the Year (TV special)
- Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (TV special)
- Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates (co-production with TMS Entertainment and Fox Children's Productions, distributed by 20th Television)
- Mad Scientist
- Hi-5 (co-production with Kids Like Us and [[Nine Network|Nine Network Australia, season 1 only)
- Elly & Jools
- Kangaroo Creek Gang
- Don't Blame The Koalas
- Pig's Breakfast
- In Your Dreams
- Outriders
- Sea Princesses
- Y?
- A gURLs wURLd
- High Flyers
- All for Kids
- Hairy Legs
- Classic Tales
- Sumo Mouse
- Snake Tales
- Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
- Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table
- The Wayne Manifesto
- Gordon the Garden Gnome
Reality
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Factual
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Films
- beDevil (1993)
- No Worries (1994)
- The Sum of Us (1994)
- Rough Diamonds (1994)
- The Well (1997)
- Serenades (2001)
References
- "SOUTHERN STAR ENTERTAINMENT TO BECOME ENDEMOL AUSTRALIA". Endemol distribution news. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- http://www.southernstargroup.com/content/readnews.aspx?id=1510
- Prior, Alex (21 January 2009). "Southern Star: sold to Endemol (apart from some bits)". Screen Hub. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- Tabakoff, Nick (21 January 2009). "Berlusconi to own Fairfax's TV producer". The Australian. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- Tartaglione, Nancy (22 February 2012). "Australia's Southern Star Names TV Industry Vet Janeen Faithfull To CEO Post". Deadline. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- Endemol shine names Fennessy brothers as Joint Heads of Australian Unit, 15 November 2016, hollywoodreporter.com