The See-Saw group includes in-house sales arm Cross City Films and film and TV financier Fulcrum Media, as well as creator-led joint venture Picking Scabs with writer Sam Strauss (The End), and I Am That with director Garth Davis (Lion), which is currently in production on sci-fi thriller Foe for Amazon Studios. See-Saw’s recent television output has included Slow Horses for Apple TV+, adapted by Will Smith, directed by James Hawes, and starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas, with a second season set to air later this year, directed by Jeremy Lovering, and a further two seasons commissioned Heartstopper for Netflix, created and written by Alice Oseman, directed by Euros Lyn, starring Kit Connor and Joe Locke, which has been commissioned for a further two seasons and The Essex Serpent for Apple TV+, adapted by Anna Symon, directed by Clio Barnard and starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Before Heyday, Winchester was Creative Director at DNA Films, which produced Alex Garland’s Devs for FX and the BBC’s Black Narcissus. Previously Winchester served as a producer on the upcoming FX series Shogun, which is filming in Vancouver.
This February, Heyday announced a straight-to-series order for Apples Never Fall, the latest novel by Big Little Lies author Lianne Moriarty, at NBCUniversal’s Peacock. Winchester also executive produced The Capture, the first series of which was the BBC’s biggest original drama of 2019, with a second series currently in production. Jeremy Gawade of Lee & Thompson acted for Hamilton Hodell and Michael Brader of Wiggin for Tom Winchester.Īs President of Heyday Television, which is owned by NBCUniversal, Winchester hired the London and LA-based teams and oversaw a slate of international dramas including US-set Clickbait, which was one of Netflix’s biggest shows globally in 2021, spending two consecutive months in the No.1 spot on Netflix in America. The Pure Fiction deal was brokered on behalf of See-Saw by its COO, Simon Gillis. Tom has a bold vision for his company, and we support that.” We are particularly excited to create opportunities for our clients through Pure Fiction, but we are also excited for Tom to team up with other creatives throughout the industry. Iain Canning and Emile Sherman of See-Saw Films said, “Tom is a clear creative and entrepreneurial force, and we are excited to support him with our resources from See-Saw as Pure Fiction grows.”Ĭhristian Hodell, CEO of Hamilton Hodell, said “My partners and I are delighted to take part in this creative venture. When Tom approached us with this concept and it became clear that he would be collaborating with the brilliant team at See-Saw, we agreed that this was an undeniably attractive proposition. We believe in celebrating collaboration, so that everyone benefits and we make the best work possible.”
Winchester said, “At Pure Fiction we want to reflect the changes afoot within our industry by redefining how partnerships work with talent. See-Saw’s COO, Simon Gillis, will take a seat on Pure Fiction’s board. See-Saw Films will provide business affairs and production support on Pure Fiction’s early productions as it build its company and slate. Pure Fiction will be focused on producing “prestige commercial content” for the British and global markets and will offer strategic partnerships to those writers, actors and directors seeking a greater say in the development and production of their own work. The company will be creatively and financially autonomous but is founded with minority investment from See-Saw Films, and talent agency Hamilton Hodell. Tom Winchester has left his role as President of Heyday Television to set up a new production company, Pure Fiction Television.