Former CEO of Nine Entertainment, Hugh Marks, has teamed up with Carl Fennessy, the co-founder of Endemol Shine Australia, to launch Dreamchaser.
The studio is backed by Endeavor Content and bills itself as “Australia’s first full-service scripted and non-scripted studio”.
Dreamchaser said it will create partnerships in scripted, factual and entertainment genres under one portfolio, with a focus on driving global projects out of the Australian market.
Marks was CEO of Nine Entertainment, including the Nine Network and streaming video on demand service Stan, until last year. Prior to that, he spent time as CEO of production company Southern Star, now part of Endemol Shine Australia.
Fennessy, meanwhile, launched production company Crackerjack alongside brother Mark, which was eventually sold to Fremantle Media. The brothers then launched Shine Australia and oversaw the merger of Shine and Endemol. The brothers stepped down from their roles as CEO of Endemol Shine Australia in September 2020.
Dreamchaser said Marks and Fennessy bring an unrivalled mix of experience to the company, a sentiment echoed by Chris Rice and Graham Taylor, co-CEOs of Endeavor Content.
“We are excited for Hugh and Carl to bring their combined industry experience to launch Dreamchaser, harnessing Australia’s flourishing creative and production communities,” they said.
“With Dreamchaser, Australia solidifies its standing as a major global destination for best-in-class content, bringing next-level storytelling from new and established voices from the continent to export there and to the world beyond.”
Marks and Fennessy, meanwhile, said there has never been a greater opportunity for global content to be developed and sold from this market.
“We’re seeing an explosion of global demand for premium content from new and traditional television platforms that shows no signs of slowing. At the same time, Australian creatives are at the forefront of many of the biggest shows in the world,” they said.
“With Endeavor Content’s strategic partnership, Dreamchaser will be a unique home for our creative partners to realise all of their ambitions and for content commissioners to have confidence that Dreamchaser will be the Australian studio where those ambitions can be delivered.”
Dreamchaser also announced a number of senior appointments to the company.
Sara Horn, formerly the managing director of production and operations at Endemol Shine Australia and director of production at Crackerjack and then Fremantle Australia, will come on board as chief operating officer.
Megan Rees-Williams will be chief financial officer, following over 20 years’ media experience at the likes of Endemol Shine Australia and ITV in Sydney, London and Los Angeles.
Monique Keller, meanwhile, will be head of development. She joins from Fremantle Australia were she was a development executive across factual and scripted projects.
Marks and Fennessy thanked the new team for coming on the ride.
“We’re grateful to the amazing and highly experienced team that have agreed to go on this journey with us,” they said. “Their expertise and proven track record will help achieve Dreamchaser’s ambition of taking Australian creatives and their stories to the world.”
Dreamchaser said it will announce a number of new projects in the coming months.