EXCLUSIVE: Sister, the company led by Elisabeth Murdoch and Jane Featherstone, has completed its acquisition of Dorothy St. Pictures, which is behind high-profile docs including Netflix’s The Greatest Night in Pop and Pamela: A Love Story.
This comes two years after it took a minority stake in the company, which was founded in 2018 by Julia Nottingham. Sister has now increased its investment in the business.
The move is designed to help fuel Dorothy St. Pictures’ ambitions to grow its talent pool in the U.K. and U.S. and expand its development of premium nonfiction series and docs, as well as its narrative film slate, to further genres and platforms.
Dorothy St. Pictures is also behind Disney+’s Coleen Rooney: The Real Wagatha Story, Peacock’s Anatomy of Lies, Prime Video’s Desperately Seeking Soulmate: Escaping Twin Flames Universe and 30 for 30 Be Water. It also produced scripted feature film Edge of Summer, directed by Lucy Cohen and Alice Russell’s feature doc If The Streets Were On Fire.
It has also partnered with David Beckham’s Studio 99 to produce a docuseries about Victoria Beckham.
Sister is the company behind series such as Netflix’s Black Doves, Eric and Kaos and Keira Knightley thriller The Woman in Cabin 10 as well as BBC’s The Dream Lands and ITV’s Cold Water.
The Dorothy St. Pictures deal is its latest investment in a media business, having taken stakes in Richard Bacon’s Yes Yes Media, Locksmith Animation, Steph Curry’s Unanimous Media, comic book studio AWA Studios and podcast studio Campside Media.
“Creative excellence is the north star of everything we do, and Sister’s ethos of independence has been critical to staying true to that vision, and ourselves, as we have grown,” said Nottingham. “Their support has enabled us to stay adaptable as creative entrepreneurs, offering resource, experience and a shared view on the many opportunities ahead to tell more stories on a broader canvas. It’s the right time to extend our partnership, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”
“Our mission at Sister is to support creator-led businesses to truly fulfil their ambitions and potential globally” said Sister Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Elisabeth Murdoch. “Julia and her exceptional team are rightly renowned for landmark films and series that engage audiences and spark conversations around the world. They are on a roll, have big plans, and we couldn’t be happier to be extending our partnership to make these happen.”
“With cinematic vision and illuminating storytelling, Julia and the Dorothy St. team consistently capture the zeitgeist and exemplify premium in their field,” added Jane Featherstone, Chief Creative Officer, Sister. “Their creativity, passion and talent make them best in class, kindred spirits and much valued partners within the Sister group.”
