Munich – Red Arrow Entertainment Group has acquired a majority stake in U.S.-based production company Half Yard Productions. Since its founding in 2006, Half Yard has established itself as a leading U.S. creator and producer of reality series, factual entertainment formats and documentaries. Half Yard is well known for its wedding programming in the U.S., having created the wedding franchises Say Yes to the Dress, I Found the Gown and Randy to the Rescue for TLC. In addition, Half Yard has turned out a number of hit series for networks such as: Nat Geo (Diggers), History (How the States Got Their Shapes), Animal Planet (Hillbilly Handfishin´), and Discovery (American Loggers). Half Yard will continue to be led by founders, Sean Gallagher and Abby Greensfelder, who will serve as co-CEOs. The acquisition of Half Yard is the latest step in Red Arrow’s ongoing expansion within the U.S. production market. Existing assets include Kinetic Content, Fabrik Entertainment and Left/Right Productions.
Jan Frouman, Group Managing Director, Red Arrow Entertainment Group said: “We continue to be bullish on the U.S. production market – but we always balance bullishness with caution and selectivity. We want the right partners with the right mindset. It didn’t take us long to realise that Abby and Sean would be great additions to the group. We’re thrilled they felt Red Arrow would be the right home for Half Yard’s next chapter.”
Abby Greensfelder and Sean Gallagher, Co-founders and Executive Producers, Half Yard Productions said: “We are incredibly proud of the team we have built in just 7 years and the programmes we have created and produced. As we looked out at our next phase of growth, we wanted to team up with the right partner who had an entrepreneurial culture that would allow us to do what we do best and help us grow domestically and internationally. We found that perfect partner in Red Arrow.”
Greensfelder and Gallagher have established themselves as go-to development and production executives in the U.S. market. Prior to founding Half Yard, Gallagher and Greensfelder were Senior Vice Presidents for production, programming and development at Discovery Channel and TLC, respectively where they were responsible for commissioning hit franchises like Dirty Jobs, Deadliest Catch, and MythBusters.
