Graham Bradstreet

Graham Bradstreet qualified as a chartered accountant and began his career in the motion picture industry as a shareholder and Finance Director in the Working Title Group of Companies (“Working Title”) in 1986. Over the following years Working Title became the U.K.’s pre-eminent motion picture production company and was subsequently sold to PolyGram in 1993, by which time it had produced some 15 movies and seven television programs (see below). Whilst at Working Title, Bradstreet became adept at laying off risk with the use of tax advantageous legislation, subsidies, grants, rebates, co-production treaties and other “soft” monies.

Following the sale of his shareholding to PolyGram, Graham acted as a consultant to various companies including Chrysalis, Katsalas Films, Miramax, Parallel Pictures, and Pukka Films.

In 1996, having developed the concept of insurance-backed financing, he closed a five-picture deal with Phoenix Pictures. Bradstreet then formed ICE Media (“ICE”) to concentrate on the risk management of insurance-backed film financing. ICE raised in excess of $1Bn of insurance backed finance, contributing to budgets in excess of $3Bn covering approximately 100 movies (see below) including Truman Show, Face/Off, Runaway Bride and Sleepy Hollow.

End users included Paramount, MGM/UA, Orion, Phoenix Pictures, Artisan, LionsGate, J&M Entertainment, IAC, Mandalay and Seven Arts. Banks included Chase Manhattan (now JPMorgan), Société Generalé, Imperial (now CoMerica), Silicon Valley Bank, Westdeutche Landesbank and De Nationale Investeringsbank NU.

Such innovative structures have established Graham as one of the leading motion picture financiers in the world, whether for independent or studio movies. He has since advised various entertainment companies including Bed & Breakfast, Belgrave Promotions Limited (Ireland), Consolidated Pictures Group, Inc., Crannog Films Limited (Ireland), Ego Aegis Limited (U.K.), Fonu2, Inc., Hercules Entertainment, ManifeStar, LLC, (Puerto Rico), Mario BH, Medient, Inc., Monkey Wrench Films, Montage Media, Inc., Mr. Pictures Limited (U.K.), Parallel Pictures Limited (U.K.), Red Octopus, Inc., Seviinth Wave, Inc., Silencer, LLC, (Puerto Rico), TMI, Inc., Ukimwi Road Limited (U.K.), and Ulti-Media Group, Inc.

Of the 130 movies funded by Graham, 31 were major studio releases generating an estimated $3.32Bn in Box Office. 196 award nominations have been garnered (including 14 Academy Award nominations), winning 94 of them (including one Academy Award).