Northern Ireland production companies selected for US visit

Two Northern Irish independent production companies, Brian Waddell Productions Ltd (BWPL) and Extreme Production, have been selected to participate in an international market awareness trip to New York and Washington in February 2004.
Extreme Production’s latest network commission was ‘Britain’s Top Crime Families’, a series for five presented by undercover reporter Donal MacIntyre. The company are also filming a controversial documentary for Channel 4 about assisted suicide in the United States.
BWPL's recent productions include the travel-challenge series 'Chasing Time In...' for National Geographic Channel and ‘Life After Baywatch’ for five, distributed internationally by Freemantle.
The Northern Ireland Film & Television Commission are sponsoring the pilot initiative from PACT, Channel 4 and The Research Centre.
NIFTC Chief Executive Richard Williams said: “We are very excited to be sponsoring this initiative, which should act as a real catalyst in assisting the companies involved to access exciting international markets. The application process for Northern Ireland was highly competitive and we are delighted that two of the top Northern Irish independent production companies have been successful in securing a place on the trip.”
David Malone, Managing Director of Extreme Production, said: “The visit is a real opportunity to open doors into the American television market. Thanks to the involvement of the NIFTC and the Research Centre in Glasgow, we are going to meet the very top people at America’s major networks. It’s a chance to show what we can offer them and what they can offer us.”
(GB)