Guillane hits U.S.

Allcroft chips in $50 mil for distrib effort

By RAY RICHMOND

Looking to establish a U.S. presence in television programming, U.K.-based Gullane Pictures has opened offices in L.A. and Gotham with the intention of widening its Britt Allcroft Co. base via a variety of animated and live-action projects for TV and film.

Primary mission of Gullane is to develop, produce and distribute films and TV programming for the U.S. marketplace, using a minimum $50 million in financing from Britt Allcroft.

Allcroft is the creative force behind numerous international entertainment properties, including kid shows "Shining Time Station" and "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends."

Gullane enters the U.S. market with a slate including the animated "Britt Allcroft's Magic Adventures of Mumfie" for Fox Kids Worldwide, as well as the company's first feature film, "Row Your Boat," starring Jon Bon Jovi --- produced in association with Preferred Films, 49th Parallel Prods. and Waterstreet Prods.

Also in development are "Spaced Invaders," live-action TV series based on the 1990 Touchstone release, as well as an animated series and movie based on cult classic "The Blob."

"Our intention is to launch in the U.S. a slate of diverse screen stories, both fiction and fact in live-action and animation, that can appeal to audiences of all ages all over the world," Allcroft said.

"We have the strength of the bigger companies in terms of financing, distribution and co-productions," added Charles Falzon, CEO of the Gullane-affiliated financing company Catalyst Entertainment & Distribution of Toronto. "But we're not in the tonnage business. We can be very selective."