Sue Clothier.
Producer Sue Clothier has teamed with the MDs of distributor Transmission Films, Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie, to form production company Utopia, which will make factual and scripted content for all platforms.
Over her career, Clothier has produced or overseen the production of more than 500 hours of original content, including Employable Me, Life on the Reef, Changing Minds, Kakadu, 10 Days That Shocked the Nation: Cronulla Riots, Whiteley and BLUE. Clothier founded Northern Pictures in 2010, with the company then acquired by Blue Ant Media in 2017. Previously, she has worked as general manager of ScreenWorld and head of TV factual production at Becker Entertainment.
Utopia’s slate will be anchored in the factual space, but also has a number of scripted projects in development.
“Transmission Films is the leading independent distributor in the country and partnering with Richard and Andrew in Utopia has been the easiest decision I have ever made. We share a strong and united vision for the future and believe we are well placed to build on our experience to deliver distinctive content in this evolving international media and entertainment landscape,” says Clothier.
Richard Payten and Andrew Mackie say: “Sue is the ideal partner – a producer with excellent taste, and a fantastic reputation. Being longtime friends and colleagues, it made perfect sense to extend Transmission’s feature business into the factual space and beyond. We’re excited about mixing our respective experience and generating original IP across old and new platforms. This is a natural next step in the growth of Transmission brand.”