Fifth Season, the film and TV production and distribution group behind Apple TV hit Severance, has acquired UK independent producer Story Collective.
Fifth Season backed Story Collective, whose credits include Disney+’s A Thousand Blows, with a minority investment when it launched in 2021.
.jpeg)
As part of the deal, Co-Founder Damian Keogh will remain as CEO of The Story Collective. He will also join Fifth Season as Senior Vice President (SVP) and Managing Director of the International Scripted department.
Story Collective Co-Founder Simon Vaughan is to step down from the company to launch a new indie, named Storyworks, which already has a first-look deal in place with Fifth Season. Co-Founder Helen Jackson also plans to step down from the company.
The Story Collective has built a series of creative partnerships since its launch, including Tom Davis’ and James de Frond’s Mighty Pebble Pictures and Ben Donald’s Cosmopolitan Pictures.
Graham Taylor, CEO of Fifth Season, said: “The Story Collective was built by Damian, Simon, and Helen on an ethos of creative collaboration, which we backed and have admired from its inception – and it feels like a natural evolution to be consolidating in this way four years later, as we double down on our ambitions as a UK studio. Fifth Season’s offering now has even greater firepower, and an undeniable nexus of talent connections and projects to put our weight behind.”
The Story Collective’s projects – which will now sit under the Fifth Season’s UK studio arm – include shows in development at Apple, BBC, Sky, Netflix, Channel 4, Britbox, and Sky Showtime.
Four top media analysts recently named collaboration and consolidation as one of their top trends to watch in 2026. Discover more here.
.jpg)
Expanded Future Tech to showcase the very best in innovation, technology and talent
After a successful debut in 2025, Future Tech returns to Hall 14 of the RAI this year, with more features, more innovation and more of the technologies shaping the next era of media and entertainment.
Netflix uses GenAI on 300 titles in 2026
Netflix has revealed that nearly 300 titles on its platform have used generative AI, from early concept stages and pre-visualisation through to post-production and release.
Poppy Dixon appointed BBC Head of Documentaries
The BBC has appointed former Sky executive Poppy Dixon as its Head of Documentaries.
Virgin Media launches AI robots to monitor TV network in real-time
Virgin Media has created its own AI robots to monitor its television network quality in real-time in a bid to quickly identify and resolve any issues when they occur.
US government seizes over 1,000 websites streaming FIFA World Cup
Global anti-piracy coalition the Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) has applauded the US government’s seizure of over 1000 illegal websites streaming the FIFA World Cup over the past month.
