Testimonials

Every one of our clients is contemplating a transformational event in their lives and in the history of their business. Each is unique and we treat every client accordingly. We share our clients’ ambition and bringing our collective personal experience of delivering landmark transactions to the TV Production, Kids IP, advertising, marketing and creative services industries is where we stand out.

Eagle Eye

“We are absolutely delighted to partnering with ITV Studios. Our company has been built over returnable, formatted scripted shows and it had reached a point in its growth trajectory which required the scale of a bigger partner with a global footprint to support further expansion. Tom, Alex and the wonderful team at Helion have been incredible strategic advisors, helping us to shape the approach to identifying the most suitable partner and then marshal a complex transaction to completion, with incredible thoughtfulness, dedication and attention to detail. Their input was absolutely invaluable, and they made the process enjoyable throughout.”

Walter Iuzzolino, Jo McGrath, Jason Thorp
Co-founders, Eagle Eye

Eleventh Hour Films

“Tom and Alex at Helion were sharp-minded, engaged, pro-active, knowledgeable and, above all, a friendly duo to work with. Their attention to detail was first rate and they were incredibly responsive, completing an attractive transaction in an efficient and expedient manner. I would definitely recommend them to other producers looking for advisors to navigate them through the complex process. Whilst we’ve known Sony for a long time, we couldn’t be more excited about the next phase of the journey with them.”

Jill Green
Founder, Eleventh Hour Films

Werner Film

 “We’re thrilled to be joining the global powerhouse BBC Studios and the brilliant team at BBC Studios Productions Australia. Helion have been pivotal in helping us negotiate the deal and ensuring our financial interests have been protected throughout the deal process. Their knowledge of the Australian production market has been invaluable to us as we take this important next step.”

Joanna Werner
Founder, Werner Film

The Forge

“Tom and his team were brilliant at thinking alongside us throughout the sale process. Always responsive, imaginative, flexible and diligent, they charted a path through the choppy waters with professionalism and flair. I couldn’t recommend the Helion team more highly”

George Faber
Founder, The Forge

Rabbit Track Pictures

“We are very excited to be partnering with Banijay. In the ever-changing landscape of film and TV, we want to build a distinct and dynamic company that champions brave storytellers, who create character driven narratives, and Banijay is our perfect partner to help us achieve this. Tom and the team at Helion provided an invaluable role in helping us quantify our aspirations for our company, and in skilfully guiding us through the negotiations with our various suitors to generate a very attractive deal for us.”

James Norton and Kitty Kaletsky,
Co-founders, Rabbit Track Pictures

Lingo Pictures

“We couldn’t have felt in better hands working with Helion. Tom, Alex and the team were absolutely fantastic to work with – very engaged, detailed and communicative, and supportive every step of the way. They provided robust solutions to difficult negotiating points, navigated us through the complexities of deal structuring, taxation, production refinancing and provided significant support to our finance function. We would not have been able to close this deal without them.”

Helen Bowden and Jason Stephens,
Co-founders, Lingo Pictures

Vertigo Films

“Tom and Alex at Helion played a vital role in managing our sales process. Their advice and structuring expertise was invaluable in formulating a transaction that was attractive for all parties. We really appreciated how they ran the process with great efficiency and expediency keeping us informed at all times.”

James Richardson and Allan Niblo, Co-founders,
Jane Moore, CEO
Vertigo Films

House Productions

“Whilst we already knew BBC Studios well, Tom and Alex at Helion have played a key role in negotiating and navigating us through the transaction and their experience in the drama sector has proved invaluable. They have been wonderfully efficient and expedient in this process and always with good humour, ensuring the sale was completed in a timely manner. We very much look forward to continuing our successful relationship with BBC Studios in the years to come.”

Tessa Ross and Juliette Howell, Co-founders, House Productions

Drama Republic

“Although Tom and Alex at Helion didn’t get involved in our sale until relatively late in the process, their sage advice and specialist knowledge was invaluable in negotiating the final elements of our deal including our surplus working capital position and in ensuring the complex earn-out formulae and working capital arrangements were properly captured in the legal documentation. They also prepared highly detailed worked examples to ensure the calculations all worked as expected and everyone had clarity on what they should expect to receive at each stage. Their support and advice at such a pivotal point was absolutely critical!”

Denis Wray, Drama Republic

Red Planet Pictures

“Tom and Alex’s advice and help have been immeasurable in helping us find a great partner and in negotiating the deal. Their strategic approach and well thought through modelling have been hugely supportive to us in taking this next step for Red Planet Pictures. In Asacha we have found a partner with whom we can further our ambitions in producing high quality, popular drama that resonates on a global stage.”

Tony Jordan, Founder & Executive Chairman
Alex Jones & Belinda Campbell, Joint Managing Directors
Red Planet Pictures

Silverback Films

“All of us at Silverback Films are absolutely delighted to be joining forces with All3Media. Tom Manwaring and his team have done a wonderful job in helping us find just the right partner for our business. They really took the time to understand the specialist nature of our company. Their attention to detail and their wise advice throughout the process has been invaluable. We never would have achieved such an exciting outcome without their help”

Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey
Co-founders, Silverback Films

The Agency

“I would not hesitate to recommend the services of Tom Manwaring and his team at Helion Partners to anyone in the entertainment industry seeking to refinance, redefine or sell their business. Tom has acted for us twice in 4 years and each time he has brought a calmness and a sense of precision to the process. His extensive commercial knowledge of the media sector, together with his ability to resolve complex legal, tax and financial issues with innovative solutions make his services indispensable in this market.”

Stephen Durbridge
The Agency

Eleven Film

“We are absolutely delighted to be teaming up with Sony, particularly at this pivotal stage in Eleven’s growth. Tom at Helion was central to the sale process and at every step marshalled and invigorated it with exceptional insight and skill. Completing a deal of this scale in the midst of a global crisis is no mean feat, and Tom deserves huge credit for executing collaboratively, proposing robust solutions whenever challenges arose, and ultimately leaving all parties feeling incredibly positive about the outcome.”

Jamie Campbell and Joel Wilson
Co-founders, Eleven Film

Two Cities

“We are delighted to be joining forces with David Mortimer and his team at STV Productions, a business that feels totally in tune with our own, and one that can very much help accelerate our growth strategy, focusing on nations drama production. Tom and his team at Helion have been pivotal in understanding what we are looking for in a partner. They quickly saw the attractions of our business, ran an efficient process, generating a range of options for us and used their great expertise to take us through the complexities and negotiate an attractive deal. It’s difficult to see how we would have done it without them!”

Stephen Wright and Michael Jackson
Two Cities Television

Great Scott Media

“Tom was with us every step of the way guiding us through the complex process of finding a partner for our new business. His knowledge and expertise was invaluable in ensuring we found a great partner in All3Media and negotiated the funding we needed on attractive terms. He patiently explained the nuances and complexities of the different deal structures, and was able to help us understand the points that were key to us, all in a style with great humour. We look forward to partnering with All3Media, a group that gives us the backing and scale to match our ambition to create and deliver innovative, returnable and scalable formats for multiple platforms internationally.”

Leon Wilson and Ed Sleeman
Great Scott Media

True To Nature

“We are delighted to be building a closer relationship with one of the most exciting names in the broadcast sector. Like True To Nature, Sky has long been a supporter of the preservation of the natural world and I look forward to developing projects with them, alongside our strong existing broadcast and distribution partners. As a company, we benefitted greatly from the experience of Tom at Helion Partners on guiding us through the complex process of seeking a partner – he completely understood the business and enabled us to achieve an outstanding outcome during this key time in our growth. Tom and his team worked tirelessly to ensure that the process was seamless, expedient and professional, and it’s difficult to see how we would have done the deal without him.”

Wendy Darke
Founder and CEO, True To Nature

New Pictures

“I have worked with Tom for over ten years and have always found his sound advice and guidance invaluable. He worked tirelessly to make the sale process smooth, transparent and professional. The whole team benefited greatly from his expertise. This is a very exciting new phase for New Pictures. We have a long and successful history with All3Media, Jane Turton and her team and we are looking forward to working together even more closely to grow our slate both in the UK and internationally.”

Charlie Pattinson
CEO, New Pictures

Paddington Bear

“Tom and his team provided an invaluable role in understanding the opportunity to grow Paddington in all his forms and in quantifying the future value that will be available to a buyer – they very much understand intellectual property businesses. They were creative in their approach and were not fixed in being confined to conventional valuation approaches to a property with such global appeal as Paddington. They were also very astute in structuring a deal to appeal to all parties in the transaction, as well as having a wide range of relationships in the media sector to allow us to ensure we found the right partner in Studiocanal. We very much believe that Paddington is in good hands and look forward to seeing him continue to thrive.”

Karen Jankel, Paddington & Co
Nicholas Durbridge, The Copyrights Group
Stephen Durbridge, The Agency

Neal Street Productions

“All of us at Neal Street are thrilled to be joining forces with All3Media, a company whose philosophy and style feels totally in tune with our own. Tom Manwaring and his team have guided and supported us through the process of finding the right partner with incredible dedication and attention to detail. They took the time to understand our business, managed the transaction with immense professionalism and it is difficult to imagine getting to this point without them.”

Neal Street Productions

Love Productions

“We are delighted to be joining forces with one of the most exciting and commercially incisive names in the TV business. When Anna and I started discussions, we never could have envisaged doing the deal we have done with Sky, who hadn’t bought anything significant in the TV production space. Tom and his team managed the whole process from start to finish and had their fingers on the pulse every step of the way. Tom Manwaring is the best in the business. We couldn’t have done it without him.”

Richard McKerrow
CEO & Creative Director, Love Productions

Mammoth Screen

“Tom Manwaring and his team’s experience of the complexities of structuring and negotiating these types of deals allowed them to fully safeguard the objectives of all shareholders throughout the process. Their knowledge of the scripted business is unparalleled and has made the process enjoyable and easy.”

Michele Buck
Managing Director, Mammoth Screen

RAW

“We are delighted to be joining forces with Discovery in a deal that strengthens our ability to tell great stories and bring them to new audiences as well as provides the resources and freedom we need to grow Raw. Whilst we’ve known Discovery well for some time, Tom was invaluable in taking us through the complexities of the process and in safeguarding our interests at every step in the structuring and negotiation of the deal.”

Dimitri Doganis
Founder, RAW