Munich/London, September 01st, 2020 – Rainmaker Content and LEONINE have closed an agreement on the worldwide distribution of PROFESSIONALS. Greg Phillips and the team at Rainmaker will take on sales for LEONINE and will launch the ten-part blue-sky action series at MIPCOM. The deal marks the first collaboration between Rainmaker Content and LEONINE.

Launched in June 2020 by Greg Phillips, Graham Begg and Vicky Ryan, Rainmaker Content focuses on global sales for high-quality scripted and non-scripted series and special event projects.

With anchor broadcaster Nordic Entertainment Group (NENT Group) premiering the series across the Nordic region on Viaplay, PROFESSIONALS already has a number of pre-sales including German broadcaster RTLZWEI pre-buying the free-TV rights, and TNT taking the German Pay TV rights.

Greg Phillips, Co-Chief Executive Officer of Rainmaker Content says: “We’re excited to team up with LEONINE to handle sales on PROFESSIONALS. This show is tailor-made for the worldwide marketplace. Created with really great production values and shot in some amazing locations, it’s fantastic to have such a broad, blue-sky action series that has been able to complete production and is ready to go, thrilling to watch, and just the escape that audiences are looking for right now.”

The ten-part action series PROFESSIONALS is ready for delivery. The series, which is an official Ireland-Republic of South Africa co-production, features an international ensemble cast including: Brendan Fraser (Trust, The Mummy, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, School Ties), Tom Welling (Smallville, Cheaper by the Dozen, Parkland), Elena Anaya (Wonder Woman, The Skin I Live In, MotherFatherSon), Saïd Taghmaoui (John Wick 3, Wonder Woman, American Hustle), Ken Duken (Inglorious Basterds, Counterpart), Lisa Loven Kongsli (Force Majeure, Wonder Woman, Ashes in the Snow) and August Wittgenstein (The Crown, Das Boot, Hidden). 

Set against a backdrop of international espionage and corporate sabotage in the 21st century’s privately-funded space race, PROFESSIONALS stars Tom Welling as a hardened former counterintelligence officer, Captain Vincent Corbo. After their advanced medical satellite explodes on deployment, billionaire futurist Peter Swann (Fraser) and his fiancée, medical visionary Dr. Graciela “Grace” Davila (Anaya), turn to Corbo, who assembles a team of experienced professionals to investigate the incident. They learn that a combination of Swann’s business rivals, corrupt government officials, and a shadowy crime syndicate could be behind the attack and represent a continued threat. Ken Duken plays a Europol agent seeking to thwart the security team’s efforts.

PROFESSIONALS was created by Jeff Most and Michael Colleary and is a production of Most Media, Subotica, Spier Films and Roadside Attractions in association with Jeff Most Productions, LEONINE, NENT Group and The South African Industrial Development Corporation. Most and Colleary both serve as Co-Showrunners and Executive Producers. They are joined by fellow Executive Producers Tristan Orpen Lynch, Michael Auret, Howard Cohen, Eric d’Arbeloff, Jennifer Berman, Maijang Mpherwane, Dipak Chiba, William Smith, Herbert Kloiber, Thomas Augsberger, Cosima von Spreti, Fredrik Ljungberg, Maxim Korostyshevsky, Daniel Wagner, Bharat Nalluri, Brendan Fraser, Tom Welling, and Elena Anaya. Hollard Film Guarantors, represented by Paul Raleigh, provided a Completion Guarantee.

About LEONINE

LEONINE is a leading independent German content house focusing on inspiring viewers with premium content and being a reliable partner for creative talents. The company was formed in 2019 from the merger of Tele München Group, Universum Film, i&u TV, Wiedemann & Berg Film and W&B Television.

With its three divisions LEONINE Production, LEONINE Distribution, and LEONINE Licensing, the media company covers the entire value chain of the content business. LEONINE produces feature films, series, TV shows, entertainment formats, infotainment formats, content for social media channels, and co-produces national and international fiction formats. The LEONINE production companies, Wiedemann & Berg, i&u TV, Odeon Film, and Odeon Entertainment are led by award-winning producers with long-term ties to outstanding creative talents. LEONINE distributes its content in theaters, digital services, in-home entertainment, and on TV channels. In this context, the company also draws on its market-leading license library which includes programs in all formats and genres. LEONINE’s independence ensures that all players in the content sector can be provided with premium content – digital streaming providers, Pay TV partners as well as public and private television broadcasters.

About RAINMAKER: 

Rainmaker Content is a global content company formed to create, finance and distribute commercially appealing scripted and non-scripted programming, collaborating with award-winning producers, production companies and directors who have proven track records of making high quality premium programming for the widest audience. 

Twitter: @rainmaker_news