Oz's Cordell Jigsaw, Zapruder's merge

SYDNEY -- Australian mid-size production companies Cordell Jigsaw and Zapruder's Other Films have merged to produce the nation's greatest independently possessed producer. Cordell Jigsaw Zapruder is going to be probably the most prolific companies of local skeins with 14 shows on air, including "The Gruen Transfer," pubcaster ABC's greatest-ranked show, and "Mega Truck drivers," a success for paybox A&E Australia. The merger gives the organization the heft it must undertake rival production titans. "How can you contend with the likes of Shine, possessed by News Corp., Endemol, possessed by Mediaset or Fremantle, possessed by RTL?... That's who we are rivaling and that is without their format books and depending only by ourselves ideas," stated Cordell Jigsaw's Nick Murray. The solution ended up being to band together so that they have more powerful mix-pollination of development ideas, easier retain staff and also have an optimistic knock-on effect for worldwide distribution, per Andrew Denton, topper of Zapruder's Other Films. Cordell Jigsaw released a distrib arm this past year and today, with local hit documentary series "Return to In Which You Originated FromInch and also the privileges of "The Gruen Transfer" lately coming back to Zapruder's, it features a strong slate. "What we should have is a very interesting catalog of finished shows and formats that we'll be getting to promote at MipTV in April the very first time,Inch Murray stated. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com