ABOUT US
Our mission is to be on your side and help your company do better: to improve relationships with commissioning editors, to win more commissions, to make the money work, to get the company functioning more efficiently and to make the profit you deserve.
We’re very experienced, we know what we’re doing and we’re friendly, helpful and reassuring.
Nick Curwin launched, grew and sold two exceptional production companies – Dragonfly and The Garden. They were nominated for BAFTAs 7 times and won twice.
The Garden was also twice voted the UK’s best indie.
Joining forces with him at Matisse is Scarlett Ewens, who previously ran a tight ship at The Garden as MD. She looked after Production, Finance, Distribution, Operations, Personnel and much of the sale process.
Also part of the Matisse team is Edwina Silver, formerly Dragonfly’s Head of Development and then Head of Specialist Factual. Now she is responsible for bringing new clients to Matisse and in turn for helping them with development and business-winning.
We launched Matisse in April 2019.
Our advice isn’t generic consultancy. It’s detailed, experienced and bespoke. We’re involved, attentive and hands-on.
THE TEAM
Nick Curwin, Chair
With a background in print journalism, Nick began his TV career at LWT and then Mentorn, where he ran its Folio division.
He launched Firefly, now Dragonfly, with Magnus Temple in 2004. There he pioneered so-called “factual Theatre” with programmes such as the award-winning Anatomy For Beginners (C4), as well as the “rig show”, with the BAFTA-nominated The Family (Channel 4) and BAFTA-winning One Born Every Minute (Channel 4).
He sold Firefly to Shine in 2007 and left with Temple three years later to launch a second production company, The Garden, producers of 24 Hours in A&E (C4), 24 Hours in Police Custody (C4), Keeping Britain Alive (BBC2) and The Audience (Channel 4) – all BAFTA-nominated – as well as the BAFTA-winning Bedlam (Channel 4).
The Garden was twice voted the best indie in the country by its peers. Four years after ITV Studios acquired The Garden, he stood down as CEO and joined the Board of C4’s Indie Growth Fund.
After a year as Creative Mentor to investee companies and advising the channel on new investments, he left to launch Matisse.
+44 (0) 7711 324763
nick@matisse.media
Scarlett Ewens, CEO
Scarlett began her career in consumer Public Relations in the mid 90s. After a number of years as a successful PR in the UK and Australia she commenced work in the UK television production sector in 2007, firstly as a freelance Production Manager across titles such as Grand Designs and Kill It, Cook It, Eat It, and then as a staff Production Executive at Firefly (later renamed Dragonfly).
There Scarlett Line Produced some of the indie’s flagship titles, notably the multi-award-winning series The Family. In 2010, she joined Nick Curwin and Magnus Temple in launching The Garden Productions as Managing Director.
For the first three years she doubled as Head of Production as well as overseeing all of the day to day running of the business, its operations and commercial strategy. In particular, Scarlett was responsible for maximising the company’s revenue through traditional production creation and the exploitation of IP.
As Head of Production, she had oversight of some of the UK’s largest factual television series including 24 Hours in A&E, Keeping Britain Alive and 24 Hours in Police Custody.
Scarlett had a key role in the sale of The Garden to ITV in 2013. Following a successful earn-out period, Scarlett stepped down as Managing Director and COO in July 2018.
+44 (0) 7963 869775
scarlett@matisse.media
Edwina Silver, Creative Director
Edwina Silver joined Dragonfly in January 2006 as Head of Development. She later became Head of Specialist Factual in 2013.
She has devised, developed and delivered hit shows to all major UK and US broadcasters, most recently BBC2 series Surgeons: At The Edge of Life; BBC2’s Equator From The Air with Gordon Buchanan; C5’s The Great British Benefit Handout; BBC2’s The Burrowers: Animals Underground; C4’s Secret History: Cleopatra’s Lost Tomb.
Before joining Dragonfly, Edwina was a TV presenter, working on award-winning series such as Animal Hospital, City Hospital, Holiday, Pompeii Live! and Fighter Plane Live! for C5.
She combined her presenting career with a successful stint as a freelance producer, during which time she made Child of Our Time for BBC1 and ITV’s This Morning among many other shows.
+44 (0) 7970 764 933
edwina@matisse.media