AMR’s Managing Director Jonathan Ford co-ordinated and facilitated the funding for production of the 3 x one-hour series through his long-standing relationship with prominent media investment company Head Gear Films.
Outback Lockdown follows Ky Furneaux, the world’s greatest stuntwoman, star of Naked and Afraid and someone who can survive anywhere, and Calem O’Grady, a British chef who cooks at the great restaurants of Europe. Their whirlwind romance saw them make it to Australia just before the Coronavirus crisis hit. Now they are living together, off grid in an old stone hut on 46 thousand acres of Australian Outback. They have to forage for food, hunt goats for dinner and it’s all served up Cordon Bleu by Calem. It’s a love story… self-reliant, romantic and rugged, but it’s also about a life of challenge and chance.
Jonathan Ford comments, “When Essential came to us with this fantastic project we knew it was a special series and a meaningful one that needed to be made. With Essential’s great credentials and a fantastically relevant and engaging premise it also appealed to Head Gear and we are delighted with the result. We look forward to releasing the series to our international clients next month and believe there will be a lot of interest in a series that reveals how some have tried to stay alive and survive in 2020.”
Brendan Dahill, General Manager of Essential Media, says “We have been working closely with Ky for some time now and as soon as she told us that she was planning to see out the pandemic in the Outback we were on board. Covid has turned the world upside down – but Outback Lockdown offers the audience both escapism and optimism. It’s a survival story and a love story – set against the backdrop of one of the harshest and most remote places on Earth.”
About ABACUS MEDIA RIGHTS
Abacus Media Rights (AMR) acquires and distributes high-quality, multi-genre programming for the global market alongside working with producers to facilitate pre-sales and set up programming with financing to successfully receive commissions. Embracing a fully transparent reporting ethos, the company focuses on building strong client relationships to generate positive solutions for producers and acquisitions teams from which to deliver diverse scripted and non-scripted entertainment that counts.
About ESSENTIAL MEDIA GROUP
Essential Media Group is one of Australia and the USA’s leading producers of high-quality screen content for international audiences.
An award-winning multi-genre company, Essential Media produces documentaries, TV drama, feature films, non-scripted series and lifestyle programming out of its joint Sydney and Los Angeles head offices and its Auckland, New Zealand and Dallas-Fort Worth hubs. Platform partners include Discovery Networks, A&E Networks, Amazon, BBC, ITV, UKTV, National Geographic, PBS, Sundance, History Channel, Arte, Curiosity Stream, Netflix, Foxtel, Seven Network, SBS Australia, Network 10, ABC Australia, TVNZ, Prime NZ.
Essential Media’s recent successes include the six-part history series The Pacific with Sam Neill (Foxtel, Prime NZ, Ovation), science adventure series Body Hack (Network 10 and Discovery), Texas Flip N Move (DIY Channel), Restored (DIY Channel), Mom and Me (HGTV), Koala Rescue (Ch7), Griff’s Great Australian Adventure & Great Kiwi Adventure (ABC / Prime NZ / ITV), and the 4K TV series and feature film Living Universe (ABC, Arte France, Curiosity Stream & UKTV). Further details at: www.essential.media.
About HEAD GEAR FILMS
One of the most established UK investment and production companies, Head Gear Films has supported over 300 projects, including notable film titles such as Black Mass, Freeheld, Trespass Against Us, Churchill, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, Keepers and War on Everyone. Although primarily pursuing feature film opportunities, Head Gear is also increasingly involved in financing video games, theatrical productions, comic books, documentaries and other forms of media. Head Gear has a truly international footprint and is active in producing and financing projects in many territories around the world. Further details at: www.headgearfilms.com.