New Independent Film Company CATALYST GLOBAL MEDIA Launches in London

A major new player in the world of independent film and TV development, finance, production and sales has emerged out of London as established producer Charlotte Walls has launched the hybrid-modelled production and finance outfit Catalyst Global Media Ltd. (CGM).

Catalyst is a multifaceted film and television financing and production company making high-end, mainstream films and TV series for the global marketplace. Seasoned entertainment executive and former Matador Pictures producer Charlotte Walls is co-founder of Catalyst and will run the company as its CEO. Al Hardiman and Gideon Lyons are co-founders with Walls and serve as principal partners. Catalyst operates with a mandate to serve as a top-tier supplier of commercially viable projects for the studios, networks, digital platforms and major independent distributors worldwide.

Backed by private equity sources out of London, there are no set restrictions on how or where the company allocates capital, which allows for maximum flexibility in sourcing projects and material and collaborating with various partners to build a diverse slate. CGM will develop/finance/produce four to six projects a year across feature films and digital/television series. Budget ranges will vary depending on the size and scope of the individual projects.

Since 2006, the founders have successfully launched a series of EIS companies engaged in feature film and television development and international sales, each of which will now be advised by Catalyst. Said Walls, "We are launching Catalyst with a dedicated production finance specialism and as such we will advise a number of EIS companies engaged in the business of international sales for feature films and television as well as funding the development of original film and television projects."

Devoted to fostering an artist-friendly environment for top filmmakers, show runners and talent, the company will FOCUS on creating and financing original content across the media of film, television and music, with plans to launch into the indie-gaming market within the next 18 months.

Walls continued, "At our core we seek to nurture and champion creative talent and find ourselves taking creative risks and pushing boundaries as a matter of course. Content, in all forms, is increasing in value around the world. Whether exploiting original stories, developing an epic franchise, or adapting/reimagining classic works, the strategically vetted approach to financing new films and properties is appealing to us. We're aligning high quality content with funding and business execution in a way that can maximize the exploitation and commercialization of that content for the content owners, distributors, investors and Catalyst alike."

Catalyst has wasted no time identifying the best developed material for their first feature film projects. Two best-selling novels "Pomegranate Soup," and "Genus," will be the company's first film productions.

"Pomegranate Soup" is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by the late Iranian novelist Marsha Mehran. The film is being adapted by Academy Award® nominated Irish writer Kirsten Sheridan, who is also attached to direct.

"Pomegranate Soup" is a charming and feel-good story about three beguiling Iranian sisters who through a twist of fate find themselves moving to a quirky Irish village and face the challenge of winning over the locals by opening a Persian-inspired delicatessen and café. This is a heart-warming tale of family, friendship and romance.

"Genus" is a gripping and action-packed sci-fi thriller based on the acclaimed novel by Jonathan Trigell (writer of "Boy A," dramatized by Film Four and The Weinstein Co. and recipient of four BAFTA Awards).

The film is being adapted for the screen by Mike Carey, the award-winning novelist, graphic-novelist and screenwriter who is best known for the graphic novels Lucifer, Hellblazer and X-Men: Legacy.
In the not-so-distant future, genetic selection and physical perfection are the norm - all the qualities men and women aspire to can be purchased prior to birth, and those financially unable to 'self-improve' are ostracized as an underclass in London's King's Cross (The Kross). When a series of disturbing murders shakes the Kross, the unorthodox Detective Gunt is assigned to the case. As tensions mount between the improved and the unimproved, Gunt is running out of time. But as he gets closer to the truth and uncovers a larger conspiracy, he will come to question everything he's ever known to be true.

Both films will go into production within the next year.

CGM will provide funding, services, expertise, development and commercialization platforms to third parties as well as its own content. Distribution can be handled via traditional routes yet the company is poised to embrace new models and will identify and exploit emerging and non-traditional, non-linear channels through new media, new technology and new commercial relationships representing alternative routes to the consumer market.

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