The Weinstein Company and Ketchum Films Enter First-Look Production and Distribution Deal

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Sep 27, 2017, 17:30 ET

NEW YORK and LOS ANGELES, Sept. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ketchum, one of the world's leading communications firms, today announced a "first look" production and distribution agreement between its Ketchum Films division and The Weinstein Company, the creative powerhouse production and distribution company.

The agreement will allow Ketchum clients direct access to work with The Weinstein Company's award-winning directors and producers, including some of the biggest names in film and television. Some of The Weinstein Company's most notable films include last year's six-time Academy Award® nominated film "Lion," Academy Award Best Picture winner "The Artist," and Academy Award Best Picture winner "The King's Speech."

Under the agreement, Ketchum Films, which is a division of Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, will share select client briefs for feature film, virtual reality and series productions with The Weinstein Company to consider for potential production and distribution partnerships.

"Ketchum's communication skills and approach to filmmaking and distribution strategies are second to none, and we're thrilled to expand this partnership into their film division," said The Weinstein Company Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein. "I've seen the dedication they have to their clients over the last few years, and we're looking forward to bringing future projects to the screen together."

As part of Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, in the past several years, Ketchum Films has developed, produced and distributed documentary feature films for a number of clients, including:

Mount Sinai Health System's "The Resilient Heart" – The story of Dr. Valentin Fuster, Mount Sinai's physician-in-chief, and his global mission to fight heart disease. Directed by Oscar-nominee Susan Froemke, the film premiered as an official selection at Newport Film Festival and is available exclusively on Amazon Prime.
"Farmland" – Academy Award-winning director James Moll's portrait of modern American farming debuted during the Tribeca Film Festival and then went on to a successful theatrical run followed by an exclusive engagement with Netflix. The film was supported by Ketchum for U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance.
Samsung's "A Fighting Chance" – Directed by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville, the short film was touted by TODAY Show host Matt Lauer during the Opening Ceremony of the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"Ketchum Films has brought the agency a differentiated offering that our clients are thrilled to learn about and leverage," said Marcus Peterzell, partner and head of entertainment, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment. "We are incredibly proud to partner with The Weinstein Company, whose iconic work we've admired for years."

About Ketchum
Ketchum is a leading global communications firm with operations in more than 70 countries across six continents. The winner of 45 Cannes Lions and an unprecedented five PRWeek Campaign of the Year Awards, Ketchum partners with clients to deliver strategic programming, game-changing creative and measurable results that build brands and reputations. For more information on Ketchum, a part of Omnicom Public Relations Group, visit www.ketchum.com.

About Omnicom Public Relations Group
Omnicom Public Relations Group is a global collective of three of the top global public relations agencies worldwide and specialist agencies in areas including public affairs, marketing to women, fashion, global health strategy and corporate social responsibility. It encompasses more than 6,000 public relations professionals in more than 330 offices worldwide who provide their expertise to companies, government agencies, NGOs and nonprofits across a wide range of industries. Omnicom Public Relations Group is part of the DAS Group of Companies, a division of Omnicom Group Inc. that includes more than 200 companies in a wide range of marketing disciplines including advertising, public relations, healthcare, customer relationship management, events, promotional marketing, branding and research.

About The Weinstein Company
The Weinstein Company (TWC) is a multimedia production and distribution company launched in October 2005 by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, the brothers who founded Miramax Films in 1979. TWC also encompasses Dimension Films, the genre label founded in 1993 by Bob Weinstein. During Harvey and Bob's tenure at Miramax and TWC, they have received 357 Oscar nominations and won 82 Academy Awards.

Since 2005, TWC and Dimension Films have released such films as VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA; THE READER; INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS; SCRE4M; SPY KIDS: THE KING'S SPEECH; UNDEFEATED; THE ARTIST; THE MASTER; SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK; DJANGO UNCHAINED; SCARY MOVIE 5; LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER; PHILOMENA; THE IMITATION GAME; PADDINGTON; WOMAN IN GOLD; SOUTHPAW; CAROL; THE HATEFUL EIGHT; SING STREET, THE FOUNDER and LION. Upcoming releases include WIND RIVER, LEAP!, TULIP FEVER, MARY MAGDALENE, and THE CURRENT WAR.

TWC boasts an active television production division with critically acclaimed projects in both scripted and non-scripted series. Weinstein Television produces the reality powerhouse Project Runway, with its spin-off series Project Runway All Stars, hosted by Alyssa Milano, as well as the critically acclaimed docu-series TIME: The Kalief Browder Story which premiered on Spike in March 2017. cripted series include the critically acclaimed miniseries War & Peace, which debuted on Lifetime, A&E and HISTORY in 2016, Scream with MTV, which premiered its second season in May 2016, Peaky Blinders on Netflix, Julian Fellowes' Doctor Thorne with Amazon, Stephen King's The Mist for Spike TV and the military drama Six for HISTORY. Upcoming series include for Waco for Paramount TV, starring Michael Shannon and Taylor Kitsch, a new series from David O. Russell, starring Robert DeNiro and Julianne Moore for Amazon, Matthew Weiner's The Romanoffs for Amazon, and an epic reimagining of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables with the BBC. TWC will also launch several new projects in 2017 across several networks, including MTV, Lifetime, and AMC. For more information on The Weinstein Company, please visit: