FilmRise, Woodcut Media expand relationship
April 12, 2023
FilmRise, the New York-based film and television studio and streaming network, has announced the expansion of its relationship with Woodcut Media, one of the leading true crime TV producers in the UK, (and specialist in a broad range of standout unscripted content), with two new co-productions, resulting in over 30 hours of content. They include a second season order of the successful “Murdered At First Sight,” and the eighth season of the long-running series “World’s Most Evil Killers.” The announcement was made by Max Einhorn, SVP of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, FilmRise, and Kate Beal, Founder & CEO, Woodcut Media.
Einhorn commented: “We have seen tremendous interest and a continual increase in viewership with each new season of ‘World’s Most Evil Killers,’ our initial true crime collaboration with Woodcut Media. It has been delightful building our relationship with Kate and her talented team. Growing a fruitful partnership with Woodcut is a perfect example of how FilmRise likes to work with other independents. We build value for each other’s businesses.”
The two company’s collaboration began in 2020 with FilmRise’s licensing of the first four seasons and the co-commission of seasons five, six and seven of “World’s Most Evil Killers” plus the new 2022 series “Murdered at First Sight”, alongside Sky Crime. In this expanded deal, FilmRise will co-commission the eighth season of “World’s Most Evil Killers”, and the second season of “Murdered at First Sight” – both currently in production.
Each series will be distributed by FilmRise on broadcast, Pay-TV and streaming platforms in North America, except for “World’s Most Evil Killers”, which is distributed by FilmRise in the U.S. only with U.K. rights for season one
Beal added: “Having FilmRise on-board as a co-production partner for these series expands our ability to create programming that is in high demand for true-crime enthusiasts. Our initial collaboration with them proved incredibly fruitful and we are excited to be working with FilmRise to further consolidate our position as a leading provider of true-crime TV.”
“Murdered At First Sight” tells the first-hand stories of some of the most complex and hard-to-solve murder cases where the victim had never met the perpetrator before. “World’s Most Evil Killers” brings viewers up close and personal to the real stories of prolific killers. Each episode includes first-hand accounts, interviews, archival footage, re-enactments, and an in-depth analysis of each subject. The program has focused on: Jeffrey Dahmer, Ed Gein, Fred & Rose West, Ted Bundy, and Richard Ramirez, among others.
“World’s Most Evil Killers” is sold by Keshet International worldwide outside of the UK. Season 8 and the UK rights for Season 1 were negotiated by Fleur Wheatly, VP Sales, US, Canada, UK, and Nordics.
“Murdered at First Sight” is sold by Abacus Media Rights worldwide outside of the UK. The deal was negotiated by Managing Director Jonathan Ford. Einhorn; Cristina Guggino, Director of Unscripted Production; and Katie Carroll, Manager of Co-Productions, negotiated the deals on behalf of FilmRise.