Screen & Broadcast

Family Tree acquires post-production company The Edit

The Brighton facility will retain its independent operations, according to the announcement.

Translated from Dutch by AI

Family Tree Group has acquired British post-production company The Edit, it was announced on 16 October. Founder Dave Austin will take a non-executive board role; Claire Hamilton and Sharman Finn will continue to lead day-to-day operations.

The acquisition adds a specialist picture and sound post-production facility to Family Tree’s media companies. The group includes Middlechild Productions, Friday’s Child, Northern Child and Wild Child Studios. Its activities cover television production, direct-response television advertising and digital platforms. The Edit will therefore come under the same ownership as companies making programmes and other audiovisual productions, while retaining its own operations, according to the announcement.

The acquisition price has not been disclosed. Nor do the reports consulted contain specific amounts for future investment or announced expansion of capacity. The transaction therefore primarily provides clarity about ownership and management. Statements about the financial strength the new owner brings are expectations of the companies involved; they do not yet constitute a developed investment programme for new equipment, facilities or staff.

The management transition builds on the existing division of responsibilities. Hamilton, who is responsible for post-production, and technical director Finn had already been leading the business operations in recent years, according to reports. Austin will remain involved through his board role. Speaking to TVBEurope, Finn emphasises that film and television will remain central and that joining a group with both broadcast and digital activities could strengthen the company’s reach.

Family Tree chief executive David Sumnall describes the acquisition as an expansion of an existing business relationship. The group had already worked with The Edit. His comments emphasise the staff, client relationships and project organisation. The buyer is therefore presenting the existing business as the starting point for the acquisition. The reports contain no separate commitments concerning future rates, availability to external producers or contract terms.

The technical services cover multiple stages of post-production. On its own website, The Edit lists 20 Avid-based edit suites with shared Nexis storage. The company uses DaVinci Resolve for colour grading, with support for 4K and HDR. The facility also lists two purpose-built sound studios: one for Dolby Atmos and one for 5.1 and stereo mixes. This concerns the existing offering, not newly announced capacity resulting from the acquisition.

Remote collaboration is also part of that offering, according to the company. Editors can use the central media storage, while producers can monitor remotely. The Edit also provides quality control, delivery files for British broadcasters and versions for international distribution. For clients, the concrete development is therefore a change of ownership at a supplier offering several post-production stages. It is not yet clear from the announcement whether joining Family Tree will also lead to different workflows or additional services.

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