Singapore-based TV production firm, Beach House Pictures is expanding its Asian production capacity. It has acquired a majority stake in Japanese producer Vesuvius Pictures and appointed Felix Feng as GM in China.
Founded in 2012, Vesuvius specializes in premium original factual, factual entertainment, reality and scripted programming. Its credits include: an episode of Alex Gibney’s “Dirty Money” for Netflix; an episode of “Earn a Living,” an interactive web documentary series produced for ARTE and VPRO; and a feature-length documentary film, “Samurai and Idiots – The Olympus Affair.”
Deal terms for the acquisition were not disclosed, though Blue Ant said that Vesuvius co-founders Yamamoto Hyoe and Deborah Barillas will retain a minority stake and stay on as creative director and MD, respectively.
Feng is expected to grow Beach House’s broadcast, branded and digital content for Chinese audiences. Like Yamamoto and Barillas, he reports to Beach House Pictures’ MD Jocelyn Little, and Donovan Chan, its creative director.
Feng was most recently a senior producer at Chinese streamer Youku. Before that he was director of business development at Discovery Channels China and senior producer for NHNZ China. His credits include: “Eddie Peng Journey to Save Sea Turtles,” for Youku, WildAid; and Amazon Prime; “Celebration Nation,” for Tencent and National Geographic; and “China from Above,” for National Geographic and NDR. Last year, Beach House appointed a business director in China.
Beach House is part of the Blue Ant Studios production group, and specializes in factual and unscripted programming for international streamers and cable networks. Its credits include “Ed Stafford: First Man Out,” “Wild City,” “Masterchef Singapore,” “Raffles: Remaking an Icon,” and “China From Above.” Factual and general entertainment arm Beach House Entertainment was previously responsible for “Record Rides” and “Cesar’s Recruit.” The company’s 2019 move into scripted production kicked off with acquisition of the rights to Asian properties including 1970s action heroine “Cleopatra Wong” and best-selling kids horror fiction book series “Mr. Midnight.”