Echo Bridge sells Scorsese, Crowe docs internationally

September 25, 2012 by Adam Benzine

Cameron Crowe

LA-based distributor Echo Bridge Entertainment has penned sales for docs from Oscar-winning directors Martin Scorsese and Cameron Crowe (pictured), with the latter’s Pearl Jam Twenty heading to the UK and Japan.

Crowe’s documentary, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011 before playing on PBS in the U.S., looks at the history of Seattle rock band Pearl Jam.

It was acquired by Belgium’s VRT, Finland’s Yleisradio Oy, Poland’s Canal+, Spain’s DTS, UK pubcaster the BBC, Latin America’s Direct TV Latin America, Japan’s Wowow, New Zealand’s Sky Network Television and Australia’s XYZnetworks.

Scorsese’s Letter to Elia, meanwhile, sees the Goodfellas director paying tribute to noted director Elia Kazan. The film was sold to territories including Latin America (Turner Broadcasting System Latin America), Australia (ABC Australia and SBS-TV), Italy (Universal Television Networks), Spain (Turner Broadcasting System Spain), Finland (Yleisradio Oy) and Sweden (Sveriges Television AB).

Echo Bridge has also expanded its doc slate with the acquisition of Jonathan Demme’s I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good, The Mad and The Beautiful; season six of the Gemini-nominated series At the End of My Leash; and travel series Next Stop.

In addition, the indie’s VP of international sales Melissa Caron has expanded her duties to include heading the documentary division, and is now charged with identifying and acquiring non-scripted programs for international distribution.

Caron joined Echo Bridge in 2008 from BBC Worldwide, and will continue to be responsible for managing programming sales across all platforms with a focus on Spain, Portugal, France and all French-speaking territories.

“Melissa is a strong sales executive who also has a very good sensibility for non-scripted programs. This is an opportunity for her to further contribute to our company’s continued growth plans,” said Dan March, Echo Bridge president of international.

Tags: At the End of My Leash, Cameron Crowe, Echo Bridge Entertainment, I’m Carolyn Parker: The Good the Mad and the Beautiful, Jonathan Demme, Letter to Elia, Martin Scorsese, Melissa Caron, Next Stop, Pearl Jam Twenty