Endemol Australia

Endemol Australia, formerly known as Southern Star Group, Southern Star Productions, Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia and Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd, was a major Australian independent television production, distribution, and syndication company. On 26 July 2015, the company was merged with Shine Australia to succeed it as Endemol Shine Australia.

Endemol Australia

Formerly	Hanna-Barbera Australia (1972–1983) Taft-Hardie Group Pty. Ltd. (1983–1988) Southern Star Group Pty, Ltd. (1988–2013)
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Animation Television production
Founded	1972; 52 years ago (1972)
Founder	Kevin Weldon (as Hanna-Barbera Australia) Neil Balnaves (as Southern Star Group Pty, Ltd.)
Defunct	2015; 9 years ago (2015)
Fate	Merged with Shine Australia
Successor	Endemol Shine Australia
Headquarters	Sydney, New South Wales
Key people	Mark and Carl Fennessy (2016)
Owner	Hamlyn Group (50%) (1974–1978) James Hardie Industries (50%) (1978–1988) Southern Cross Broadcasting (2004–2007) Fairfax Media (2007–2009) Endemol (2009–2015)
Parent	Hanna-Barbera (1972–1988)
Subsidiaries	Endemol Southern Star (2000–2009)

History

Southern Star logo used from 1989 to 2013

The company began in 1972 as Hanna-Barbera Pty Ltd (Australia), an Australian division of Hanna-Barbera (which was founded by Kevin Weldon). In 1974, the Hamlyn Group's Australian division managed by Kevin Weldon acquired 50% of Hanna-Barbera Australia and appointed Neil Balnaves as managing director. In 1978, James Hardie Industries acquired the Hamlyn Group, and in 1979, Balnaves was promoted to managing director of the entire Hamlyn Group.^[1]

In 1983, James Hardie Industries and Hanna-Barbera corporate parent Taft Broadcasting reorganised the division as Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd. In 1984, the company established a division in Los Angeles known as Southern Star Productions, founded and headed by Buzz Potamkin. Programs produced by this division would be animated at Hanna-Barbera's studios in Sydney, and carried the name Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia. It co-owned CIC Video's Australian video unit called CIC-Taft Video and launched a video label, THG Video, in 1984, then renamed to Taft Video in 1987. In 1987, it made a $42 million bid for Communications and Entertainment Limited, but it never realised.^[2]

In 1988, Neil Balnaves led an A$11 million management buyout of Taft-Hardie, reorganising the company as Southern Star Group. The home video division was renamed to Southern Star Video in 1989. The Sydney animation facilities were also sold, while the Los Angeles division continued to operate until 1991 when it was sold to Turner Broadcasting System.

In January 2000, Endemol formed a joined venture with Southern Star Group called Endemol Southern Star.

In April 2004, the company was acquired by Southern Cross Broadcasting and in 2007 by Fairfax Media.

In January 2009, Endemol acquired Southern Star Factual from Fairfax Media in a transaction worth A$75 million,^[3][4] effective shuttering Endemol Southern Star.

Southern Star Productions's founder Buzz Potamkin died from pancreatic cancer on 22 April 2012.^[5]

On 11 December 2013, Southern Star announced it would rebrand as Endemol Australia, completing the rollout by February 2014. The change was brought about by Chief Executive Officer, Janeen Faithfull.^[6][7]

On 15 November 2016, Mark and Carl Fennessy were appointed joint CEOs of Endemol Australia as well as its parent company, Endemol Shine Australia.^[8]

Southern Star Group's founder Neil Balnaves died in a boating accident on 21 February 2022.^[9][10]

Hanna-Barbera Pty Ltd (Australia)'s founder Kevin Weldon passed away peacefully 'content to have lived a full, lucky and blessed life', surrounded by family and loved ones, in November 2023.

Programs

Prime-time drama

As Hanna-Barbera Pty Ltd / Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd

• Deadline (1982, TV movie)
• Return to Eden (1983–1986)
• The Last Frontier (1986, TV miniseries)
• Shark's Paradise (1986, TV movie)

As Southern Star

• Party Tricks
• Offspring
• Return to Eden
• Love My Way
• The Surgeon
• Blue Heelers
• The Secret Life of Us
• Always Greener
• Water Rats
• Marking Time
• Police Rescue
• Murder Call
• Rescue: Special Ops
• Wild Boys
• Rush
• Young Lions
• Blue Murder
• Dangerous
• Out of the Blue
• Fireflies
• Spirited
• Rain Shadow
• The Alice
• Tangle
• Puberty Blues
• Bed of Roses
• Big Sky
• Howzat! Kerry Packer's War
• McLeod's Daughters (2001–2009)
• City Homicide
• Echo Point
• The Beautiful Lie
• Cody
• Which Way Home
• Good Vibrations
• Gallipoli
• Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo
• Paper Giants: Magazine Wars
• Children of the Dragon
• Beaconsfield
• Power Games: The Packer-Murdoch War
• Police Crop: The Winchester Conspiracy
• On the Beach
• Joh's Jury
• Dripping in Chocolate
• Hard Knox
• Do or Die
• Police State
• The Last Frontier
• Remember Me
• A Difficult Woman
• Marshall Law

Comedy

• Bad Cop, Bad Cop
• The Bob Morrison Show
• Dayne's World
• Legally Brown
• You Have Been Watching
• Con's Bewdiful Holiday Videos

Kids & family

As Hanna-Barbera Pty Ltd / Taft-Hardie Group Pty Ltd

• Famous Classic Tales (1970–1983)
• The Toothbrush Family (1974)
• Taggart's Treasure (1976) (unsold pilot)
• The Flintstones: Little Big League (1978, TV movie)^[11]
• Dinky Dog (1978–1981)
• Drak Pack (1980)
• The Kwicky Koala Show (1981–1982)
• CBS Storybreak (1985–1989) (co-production with CBS Entertainment Productions)
• The Berenstain Bears (1985–1987)
• Teen Wolf (1986–1987) (co-production with Clubhouse Pictures in Season 1 and Atlantic/Kushner-Locke in Season 2)

As Southern Star

• A*mazing
• Around the World in 80 Days
• Foreign Exchange
• The Adventures of Sam
• The Beeps
• Blue Water High
• RAGGS Kids Club Band
• The Sleepover Club
• Tracey McBean
• Cake Business!
• The Missed Christmas Presents
• The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky
• Magic Mountain
• Snobs
• Bananas in Pyjamas (co-production with ABC)
• Faireez
• Ketchup: Cats Who Cook
• Time Masters
• Wipeout
• Marvin: Baby of the Year (TV special)
• Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (TV special)
• Fox's Peter Pan & the Pirates (co-production with TMS Entertainment and Fox Children's Productions, distributed by 20th Television)
• Mad Scientist
• Hi-5 (2008-2012) (co-production with Nine Network)
• Elly & Jools
• Kangaroo Creek Gang
• Don't Blame The Koalas
• Pig's Breakfast
• In Your Dreams
• Outriders
• Sea Princesses
• Y?
• A gURLs wURLd
• High Flyers
• All for Kids
• Hairy Legs
• Classic Tales
• Sumo Mouse
• Snake Tales
• Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
• Arthur! and the Square Knights of the Round Table
• The Wayne Manifesto
• Gordon the Garden Gnome

Reality RPA – (1995–2012) Ralph TV – (2007) Battlefronts – (2008) Monster House – (2008) Garden Angels – (2009) No Leave, No Life – (2009–2012) Beauty and the Geek Australia – (2010–2011) Drug Lords – (2010) Real Prison Breaks – (2010–2011) Strictly Speaking – (2010) Undercover Boss Australia – (2010–2011) Balls of Steel Australia – (2011–2012) Big Brother Australia – Network 10 (2001–2008) and Nine Network (2012–2014) Don't Tell the Bride – (2012) When Love Comes to Town – (2014) Mesmerised – (2015) Married at First Sight Australia – (2015–present) The Hotplate – (2015)

Factual & Documentary Animal Emergency Animal Lifeline Animals Did It First At the Zoo Crash Test Mummies & Daddies Elephants Empire Forensic Investigators Last Chance Surgery Next Wave Saving Africa's Witch Children Secret China Secret Nature Wild China Wild Orphans Meerkat Manor

Films

• beDevil (1993)
• No Worries (1994)
• The Sum of Us (1994)
• Rough Diamonds (1994)
• The Well (1997)
• Serenades (2001)

See also

• Television portal
• Australia portal

• List of film production companies
• List of television production companies

References

1. "Endemol Shine Australia".
2. "Taft Hardie Venture Makes Big Bid For CEL; Oz Giant Looms". Variety. 1 July 1987. p. 35.
3. Prior, Alex (21 January 2009). "Southern Star: sold to Endemol (apart from some bits)". Screen Hub. Archived from the original on 1 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
4. Tabakoff, Nick (21 January 2009). "Berlusconi to own Fairfax's TV producer". The Australian. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
5. Variety Staff (8 May 2012). "Marshall 'Buzz' Potamkin Dies at 66". Variety.com. Reed Elsevier. Archived from the original on 12 June 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
6. "Southern Star Entertainment to become Endemol Australia". Endemol Distribution. 27 December 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
7. Tartaglione, Nancy (22 February 2012). "Australia's Southern Star Names TV Industry Vet Janeen Faithfull To CEO Post". Deadline. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
8. Bulbeck, Pip (28 May 2015). "Endemol Shine Names Fennessy Brothers as Joint Heads of Australian Unit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
9. Litson, Jo (23 February 2022). "Neil Balnaves has died". Limelight. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
10. Ciccarelli, Raffaella (22 February 2022). "Former television executive Neil Balnaves dies in boating accident". 9News. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
11. "Fred's little league". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney NSW. 15 May 1978. p. 25.