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Fennessy brothers to depart Shine Australia ahead of merger with Endemol

Mark and Carl Fennessy to exit production company after 5 years, and hint at their "next adventure."

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Mark and Carl Fennessy are to leave their roles as joint CEOs of Shine Australia later this year.

The brothers have led the establishment of Shine Australia since its establishment in 2010, originally as a property owned by Elisabeth Murdoch. Prior to launching Shine they were joint CEOs of FremantleMedia Australia and their own production company Crackerjack.

The company produces some of the country’s biggest TV brands including MasterChef Australia, The Voice, The Bachelor, The Biggest Loser, Australia’s Next Top Model, Gogglebox, So You Think You Can Dance, Shark Tank and INXS: Never Tear Us Apart.

Last year 21st Century Fox and Apollo Global Management agreed to an international merger with Shine and Endemol to create a ‘super-indie.’

Endemol Shine Group plans to create a combined Shine and Endemol business within Australia from later this year. In a statement, the company said the structure, leadership and start date of the new entity will be announced in due course. Both Shine Australia and Endemol Australia will continue to operate independently until a consultative process led by Martha Brass, Co-CEO International Operations, Endemol Shine Group, is completed.

Mark and Carl Fennessy said: “We have loved our time at Shine and remain immensely proud of the business we have built. We sincerely thank our brilliant, loyal and dedicated team who have worked beside us every day on this extraordinary journey. We wish the Endemol Shine Group every success in the future and look forward to a welcome break ahead of our next adventure.”

CEO, Endemol Shine Group, Sophie Turner Laing said: “Mark and Carl have built Shine Australia into a great business for which they deserve much credit, but I understand and am respectful of their decision to move on at this juncture. They truly deserve a break before deciding what their longer-term future holds and we wish them the best for whatever that may be. We continue to explore the best way for two talented, brilliant teams in Australia to come together, the plans for which we look forward to announcing in the forthcoming months.”

Mark & Carl Fennessy will see out executive duties on the current slate of programming before leaving later this year.

One Response

  1. I first said it more than 20 years ago, and it is still true today…..Mark Fennessey is the best dressed man in television! Good on you boys!

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