Tinopolis
Encyclopedia
Tinopolis plc is a Welsh
independent television production company, owned by its senior management and private equity
company Vitruvian Partners
.
Tinopolis produces over 2,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters.
, Wales, in 1990. It was one of the few television production companies to be publicly listed and its acquisition of major UK competitors contributed to its growth in the early 21st century.
Tinopolis purchased The Television Corporation, the parent company of Sunset + Vine and Mentorn, in 2006.
The Tinopolis division, based in Llanelli has been a mainstay of Welsh language television for many years and specialises in live programmes.
The sport division, Sunset + Vine, was founded in 1983, and won several BAFTA awards for its horse racing coverage and its cricket coverage for Channel 4
. They also provide a large amount of coverage of American sports for Five including MLB coverage from launch in 1997 until 2008.
Mentorn and Folio, the main factual brands, are amongst the longest established and respected independent producers in the UK.
Video Arts
, the training media company, was founded in 1972 by comic John Cleese
, and since trained about 100,000 organisations in approximately 50 countries.
Video Arts was purchased by Tinoplis in 2007.
In 1988, writer and director Ed Thomas founded Fiction Factory, a company now part of Tinopolis.
Shares of Tinopolis plc were listed on London's Alternative Investment Market
in 2005.
It was widely held by major institutions and purchased in 2008 for £44.7 million by management and private equity
company Vitruvian Partners
, taking the company private again.
In late 2009 Tinopolis acquired Pioneer Productions, the leading factual producer.
During 2011 Tinopolis expanded its operations overseas through the acquisition of A Smith & Co Productions in June 2011 and BASE Productions in August 2011.
, London
, Glasgow
and Cardiff
.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
independent television production company, owned by its senior management and private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
company Vitruvian Partners
Vitruvian Partners
Vitruvian Partners is a European private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies.Vitruvian invests throughout the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordic region and Benelux...
.
Tinopolis produces over 2,500 hours of television annually for more than 200 UK and foreign broadcasters.
History
The parent company, Tinopolis, was established in LlanelliLlanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, Wales, in 1990. It was one of the few television production companies to be publicly listed and its acquisition of major UK competitors contributed to its growth in the early 21st century.
Tinopolis purchased The Television Corporation, the parent company of Sunset + Vine and Mentorn, in 2006.
The Tinopolis division, based in Llanelli has been a mainstay of Welsh language television for many years and specialises in live programmes.
The sport division, Sunset + Vine, was founded in 1983, and won several BAFTA awards for its horse racing coverage and its cricket coverage for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
. They also provide a large amount of coverage of American sports for Five including MLB coverage from launch in 1997 until 2008.
Mentorn and Folio, the main factual brands, are amongst the longest established and respected independent producers in the UK.
Video Arts
Video Arts
Video Arts is a British based video production company which produces training videos for companies. It was founded in 1972 by John Cleese, Sir Antony Jay, and a group of other television professionals. The videos feature well known British actors, and humorously explain business concepts...
, the training media company, was founded in 1972 by comic John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
, and since trained about 100,000 organisations in approximately 50 countries.
Video Arts was purchased by Tinoplis in 2007.
In 1988, writer and director Ed Thomas founded Fiction Factory, a company now part of Tinopolis.
Shares of Tinopolis plc were listed on London's Alternative Investment Market
Alternative Investment Market
AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange, allowing smaller companies to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable to the main market....
in 2005.
It was widely held by major institutions and purchased in 2008 for £44.7 million by management and private equity
Private equity
Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....
company Vitruvian Partners
Vitruvian Partners
Vitruvian Partners is a European private equity firm focusing on leveraged buyout and growth capital investments in middle-market companies.Vitruvian invests throughout the UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Nordic region and Benelux...
, taking the company private again.
In late 2009 Tinopolis acquired Pioneer Productions, the leading factual producer.
During 2011 Tinopolis expanded its operations overseas through the acquisition of A Smith & Co Productions in June 2011 and BASE Productions in August 2011.
Operations
Tinopolis has production centres in LlanelliLlanelli
Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed , Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately west-north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. The town is famous for its proud rugby...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
| Company | Genre | Annual output (h) | Major titles | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinopolis | Welsh language programmes | Wedi 7 Wedi 7 Wedi 7 is S4C's nightly magazine programme. Produced by Tinopolis, it is the half-hour sister programme to a full-hour Wedi 3 .-Show contents:... and Wedi 3 Wedi 3 Wedi 3 is S4C's daily magazine programme featuring specialties from around Wales. It's produced by Tinopolis and as the show's title suggests it's broadcast at three o'clock. It has a sister show called Wedi 7.... |
||
| Daybreak Pictures | Drama | David Aukin David Aukin David Aukin is a theatrical and executive producer as well as a qualified solicitor. He has been nominated twice for British Academy Television Awards for producing films about Tony Blair: The Government Inspector in 2005 and The Trial of Tony Blair in 2007.- Biography :David Aukin was born in... and Hal Vogel |
||
| DEEM | Animation | animator Dave Edwards | ||
| Fiction Factory | Drama | Caerdydd Caerdydd Caerdydd is a Welsh language television programme set in Cardiff made by Fiction Factory for Welsh public service television station S4C... Y Pris Y Pris Y Pris is a popular Welsh language television programme produced by Fiction Factory for Welsh public service television station S4C. Described in its tagline as "The Sopranos by the seaside"... |
Ed Thomas | |
| Folio | Documentary | Traffic Cops Traffic Cops Traffic Cops is a documentary series on BBC One which follows traffic officers from various British police forces. The current series follows Bedfordshire Police. Previous series have followed Cheshire, Hampshire, Humberside, South Wales, South Yorkshire and Sussex police forces... |
||
| Mentorn | Miscellaneous | Question Time Question Time (TV series) Question Time is a topical debate BBC television programme in the United Kingdom, based on Any Questions?. The show typically features politicians from at least the three major political parties as well as other public figures who answer questions put to them by the audience... |
||
| POP 1 | Documentary Sport Children |
|||
| Sunset + Vine | Sport | 2000 | MLB on Five MLB on Five MLB on Five was a sports television programme on the British Five Network featuring live coverage of Major League Baseball games. It was usually broadcast on Sunday and Wednesday nights... NFL on Five NBA on Five NHL on Five FIFA World Cup FIFA World Cup The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body... Dubai World Cup Dubai World Cup The Dubai World Cup is a Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1996 and from 2010 at the Meydan Racecourse in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates... Volvo Ocean Race Volvo Ocean Race The Volvo Ocean Race is a yacht race around the world, held every three years. It is named after its current owner, Volvo... European Poker Tour European Poker Tour The Pokerstars European Poker Tour is a series of poker tournaments similar to those in the World Poker Tour , created by John Duthie, winner of the inaugural Poker Million tournament. It began in 2004 as part of the worldwide explosion in Texas Hold 'em popularity... Cricket on Five Gillette World Sport Eurovision Dance Contest Eurovision Dance Contest The Eurovision Dance Contest was an international dancing competition that was held for the first time in the United Kingdom on Saturday 1 September 2007.... The Grand National Steeplechase Grand National The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course... |
|
| Tinopolis Interactive | Combined media and internet for corporate clients |
|||
| Video Arts Video Arts Video Arts is a British based video production company which produces training videos for companies. It was founded in 1972 by John Cleese, Sir Antony Jay, and a group of other television professionals. The videos feature well known British actors, and humorously explain business concepts... |
Training | |||
External links
- Tinopolis – group website
- Daybreak Pictures
- Sunset + Vine