News 2006

RDF Media Group is delighted to announce the establishment of a new LA-based management company, Pangea Management Group. Focusing on the American market, it will seek to maximise the intellectual property rights of scripted and reality formats through its relationship with the best of British and European producers. Pangea will be run by Chris Coelen, a partner at the United Talent Agency, one of Hollywood's largest and most successful agencies.

Based in Santa Monica, Coelen will also become CEO of RDF USA Inc, overseeing all RDF's production in the US.

'This is a hugely exciting appointment,' says RDF's Chief Executive, David Frank. 'We have big ambitions for our US operation and we're delighted that someone of Chris' considerable experience and standing within the industry has agreed to spearhead our growth. He is a perfect fit for this dual role.'

'I'm thrilled to have this opportunity to work with RDF and many of Britain's best producers,' says Coelen. 'I want Pangea to become synonymous with the best of British and European ideas. By being an independent management company, we'll be free to do deals in the US with wherever the talent lies. We'll have a close relationship with most of RDF Rights clients and we'll work with leading advertisers to create new integrated marketing opportunities that harness the powerful formats and talent we represent.'

Coelen joined UTA in 1996 and formed UTA's alternative TV department in 2001. Consisting of nine agents and over 100 clients, Coelen's department has helped launch and or package more than 60 scripted and non-scripted series into network, cable and syndication, including Wife Swap, Supernanny The Contender, Surreal Life and Average Joe as well as the upcoming Ex-Wives Club (ABC), Survival of the Richest (WB), Sexual Healing (Showtime), World Series of Pop Culture (VH1) and The Greg Behrendt Show (syndicated-Sony).

Coelen and his team rep some of the biggest players in reality television, including RDF, Ricochet (Supernanny), Michael Davies (Who Wants To Be A Millionaire), Stuart Krasnow (Average Joe), Andrew Glassman (Three Wishes), the Gantz Brothers (Taxicab Confessions), Dreamworks (Miracle Workers) and World Of Wonder (Showbiz Moms and Dads), as well as hot newcomers like R-Lab (Pimp My Ride), Liz Bronstein (American Inventor), Simon Andreae (Ebaum's World) and Greg Johnston (The Osbournes).

Coelen's group has also become heavily involved in the scripted international format business, successfully working with U.K. heavyweights like Shed (Footballer's Wives), Red (Queer As Folk), Touchpaper Television (Weekend), Wall To Wall (New Tricks), and Monkey Kingdom (Swinging), all of whom have set up scripted projects in the US this season. Coelen's group also reps publishing magnate Judith Regan and talent clients like Greg Behrendt, Paige Davis, Carmen Electra, Graham Norton and Pamela Anderson.

'I've loved my ten years at UTA' says Coelen. 'They are a clever, dedicated group of agents and I look forward to working with them in my new role. In the five years since we formed the alternative department, we've seen it grow into one of the biggest, most dynamic groups in American tv.'

Prior to joining UTA in 1996, Coelen was an agent at the Agency for the Performing Arts, which he joined in 1992. There, he created the agency's first division representing news producers and on-air hosts. Prior to that, Coelen was a news producer at Fox Entertainment News. He was made a partner at UTA early last year.

RDF Media has been producing in the US since 2000 for network and cable companies, including ABC (Wife Swap), the WB (forthcoming Survival of the Richest), Fox (Banzai), VH1 (Gene Simmon's Rock School and forthcoming Rap School), TLC (Junkyard Wars & Faking It), ABC Family (Perfect Match: New York), Court TV (Fake Out), Spike (I Hate My Job) and Lifetime (The I Do Diaries). Additionally, the company recently had its first fully scripted pilot, The Weekend, picked-up. The series is set-up at CBS and Paramount through its subsidiary Touchpaper Television.

As CEO of RDF USA Inc, Coelen is charged with growing RDF's US production by selling RDF UK shows, as well as growing the US development infrastructure. RDF will make deals with US, UK and European producers. Production will be run from RDF's new offices in Santa Monica, where Coelen will be based, or out of RDF's existing New York production office headed by Wendy Roth, who executive produces Wife Swap and Rap School.

RDF's Chief Creative Officer, Stephen Lambert says, 'We've worked closely with Chris while he was at UTA, so we feel very confident that he is the right person to increase our American production. We have a thriving New York production office, now when Chris sells a show we can decide whether to give it to the New York team or work with one of LA's top showrunners. We're planning to grow our US development infastructure and we also expect to do more deals with third parties than ever before.'

'The chance to join RDF was irresistible,' says Coelen, 'they are a successful, smart, entrepreneurial company with a strong foothold in the United States. They possess the resources and appetite for tremendous worldwide growth.'