Half Yard Productions, which captures and relates extraordinary stories about unique worlds and authentic characters, announced today that it is launching a new Crime and Investigation Unit within the company to complement its robust offering of real world entertainment. To lead the effort, the company has hired Sirens Media executive and veteran crime producer, Anne S. Rothwell.
Building on her notable career as an executive producer and show runner in the crime and investigation genre, Rothwell is charged with developing and producing new series that will appeal to a global audience. She has helped to create some of the most iconic crime and mystery shows in television, including A Haunting, and more recently as the production brains behind hit crime series like Nightmare Next Door, Deadly Affairs, Wicked Attraction, and FBI: Criminal Pursuit for Investigation Discovery (ID), For My Man and For My Woman for TV One, and Panic 911 for A&E.
“Crime is on the rise…on television. Half Yard saw an opportunity to branch into this exploding genre and we were able to bring in a best-in-the-business creator and storyteller to help take us there,” said Abby Greensfelder, Co-CEO & Executive Producer, Half Yard.
“When we heard that Anne was known as Sirens’ ‘crime goddess’ we knew she would be the ideal person to spearhead our newly-formed production unit in the crime and investigation space,” said Sean Gallagher, Half Yard Co-CEO.
“Half Yard is the perfect production house for a new slate of exciting crime and investigation series,” said Rothwell. “This is a specialized genre and I’m excited to bring my experience and passion for this type of storytelling to Half Yard and to help establish their new crime and investigation production unit.”
Having built award-winning series and specials across lifestyle, turbo and adventure, Half Yard, which is part of Red Arrow Studios, is strategically taking advantage of an opening in the production community to leverage the genre’s broad appeal globally. The first project the Half Yard Crime & Investigation Unit is launching is World’s Most Haunted, which Half Yard will develop in partnership with Red Arrow Studios International, the TV distribution arm of Red Arrow Studios.
Additionally, Half Yard is developing a full slate of crime and investigation series to bring to the market, some talent-led, some access-driven, that will augment its existing robust pipeline of series like The Last Alaskans and Twin Turbos (Discovery), Animal PD (Nat Geo Wild), Junkyard Empire (Velocity), Raising Tourette’s (Lifetime) and the Say Yes franchise (TLC)
Rothwell comes to Half Yard from Sirens Media where, in her tenure, she launched, show ran and executive produced over ten crime series for cable networks such as TV One, Investigation Discovery and A&E. She has also held several production roles ranging from Show Runner to Co-Executive Producer at M2 Pictures, New Dominion Pictures and BellaSwartz Productions. Through her career, she has overseen 400 hours of programming in the crime and investigation genre.