Avalon has acquired a minority stake in Adolescence and Boiling Point director Philip Barantini and producer Samantha Beddoe’s indie, It’s All Made Up Productions.
With offices in London and plans to open an office in their home city of Liverpool, Co-Founders Barantini and Beddoe have a slate of productions in development with all major broadcasters, studios and streaming platforms in the UK and US. The slate will focus on TV drama, film and documentaries with Barantini and Beddoe “committed to championing lesser-known and underrepresented voices and stories.”
It’s All Made Up Productions’ Executive Producer, Samantha Beddoe said, “We’re delighted to be announcing our partnership with Avalon. They have a really good understanding of how we want to work; we’re an independent company that values creativity above all else, working with the best of the best to make dramas, films and documentaries with a global ambition. Avalon can help us do this and we look forward to the journey ahead with them.”
The Bafta and BIFA nominated director Philip Barantini said, “We want to tell powerful stories that resonate and provoke through film, television and documentaries on the biggest scale possible. We are deeply passionate about the industry and where we come from and this partnership with Avalon will take us to the next level.”
Avalon CEO, Laura Kennedy, added, “Sam and Phil are incredibly talented producers, with exceptional taste and creative vision. We are thrilled to be partnering with them on the growth of their company, and their slate of upcoming projects.”
Barantini began his film and television career acting in acclaimed dramas Band of Brothers, Dream Team, Chernobyl and films including Ned Kelly. He then moved behind the camera directing the multi-award-winning feature Boiling Point and TV shows such as The Responder (BBC), Boiling Point (BBC) and Malpractice (ITV) as well as his Netflix feature film Accused. The four-parter, Boiling Point was streamed on Netflix in the US in 2024. Barantini’s recent four-part Netflix drama Adolescence had 96.7 million views after only three weeks and the limited series is already in Netflix’s global top 10 all-time most popular TV shows.
Beddoe began her career in Production Finance, controlling and running production budgets for companies including Disney, Lucasfilm, FX Networks and BBC. She executive produced the Boiling Point film as well as co-produced Accused with Barantini for Netflix. Additional credits include What’s Love Got To Do With It, Atlanta and The Acolyte.
It’s All Made Up Productions was advised by Hasham Khan, ABP Advisory, “I’m proud to have advised Phil and Sam on this deal. This is just the start for us on this journey to build a transatlantic production powerhouse, and in Avalon, I believe we’ve identified the perfect partner. Phil and Sam’s development slate is stacked with premium projects with global appeal and A-list talent attached from both the UK and the US. This deal will allow them to invest in the company’s infrastructure to produce shows in-house, maximise rights retention and ultimately, build their own studio.”
It’s All Made Up Productions is repped by Independent Talent in the UK and by CAA and Johnson, Shapiro, Slewett & Kole in the US. The company is managed by Untitled in the US. Lucy Strauss, Alistair Mavor and Ria Sadrudin from Lee & Thompson handled the deal. Avalon was advised by David Strong at Marriott Harrison.
Jon Creamer
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