Latest true crime hit from pioneering indie converts to returnable series
FILMRISE to distribute in the U.S. as World’s Most Evil Prisoners
- Aidan Dunford promoted to lead development team
London/Hampshire, 3rd February 2025
Woodcut Media, the female led independent content producer and distributor has announced a double order for its hit documentary series World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners along with the promotion of senior development exec, Aidan Dunford.
Seasons 2 and 3 will follow the formula of a 10 x 60’ series and will be again distributed by FilmRise in the US under the title World’s Most Evil Prisoners with the complete series being distributed internationally by Woodcut International. The new seasons are exec produced by Kate Beale and Koulla Anastasi for Woodcut Media and Danny Fisher and Jonitha Keymoore for FilmRise and overseen by showrunner Emma Griffiths.
The new episodes will examine the stories, motives and impacts of some of the most dangerous inmates currently detained within prison systems around the world. These are offenders whose crimes earned a whole-life sentence and each episode allows the viewer to re-examine the crimes that put them behind bars. In the World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners, Woodcut Media has secured access to those who were most closely involved or related to the perpetrators as well as experts in the fields of forensic psychology and correctional facilities who give their insight into why and how these prisoners are so dangerous.
In further news, development producer Aidan Dunford has been promoted to senior development producer. Aidan started at Woodcut eight years ago as a junior exec in the development department and has contributed to the commission of dozens of series and specials. He is now charged with leading the development team, supporting creative development and overseeing both the crime and specialist factual slates and the production of premium pitch materials.
Koulla Anastasi, head of sales at Woodcut International said: ‘This double order for more episodes of World’s Most Dangerous Prisoners is testament to our ongoing ability to identify and develop stories that enthral and fascinate whilst we try and make sense of the acts of some of our most violent criminals through the lens of quality entertainment. Working with such prolific US partners assures us of an expansive audience that is clearly very much enjoying our shows. This plus our rich pipeline of news shows in development means we have a lot to thank Aidan for over the past years which is why this promotion is so richly deserved.’
Interweaving archive and exclusive interviews with experts, law enforcement and those closest to the case, the new seasons highlight stories such as that of Billy Joel Tracy, on death row for the assault of a correctional officer resulting in his death – revealing archive never seen before or outside of the trial. The case of Casey Pigge features a powerful exclusive interview with Pigge’s ex-girlfriend who is also the daughter of one of his victims and an inmate who witnessed Pigge murder another inmate on a transportation bus.
The tragic story of Ricky Dubose reveals a damning and detailed interview with the Sheriff and DA who worked tirelessly to chase, catch and put Dubose away as well as touching interviews with the victim’s wife and daughters.
About FilmRise: FilmRise is a New York City-based film & television studio and operator of an industry leading network of 600+ FAST channels and ad-supported streaming apps. FilmRise distributes content worldwide, invests in original content and works with digital creators to help monetize their libraries in the streaming space. Founded in 2012 by veteran producers and financiers Danny Fisher, Jack Fisher and Alan Klingenstein, FilmRise is a recognized market leader and innovator at the forefront of analytics-led content acquisition and distribution. FilmRise holds a leading footprint across FAST and AVOD as well as a library of over 30,000 movies and episodes across genres including drama, action, classic television, true crime, British, horror, sci-fi, comedy, holiday and many more. Original true crime productions include hit series BLOODLINE DETECTIVES HOSTED BY NANCY GRACE, KILLERS CAUGHT ON CAMERA, MURDERED AT FIRST SIGHT, I’M REALATED TO A KILLER and feature film documentary MISSING FROM FIRE TRAIL ROAD which premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Festival in NYC. www.filmrise.com
About Woodcut Media: Founded by award-winning producer Kate Beal in 2014, UK indie prodco Woodcut Media is a female-led operation with a diverse team at its core, whose main ethos is to provide an honest and trusted voice – creating programming that tells incredible human stories with creativity, authenticity, and care. As well as being one of the leading true crime doc producers in the UK, Woodcut also specialises in a broad range of standout unscripted content covering factual entertainment, specialist factual, and premium/talent led programming. Titles include Confessions of a Psycho Killer, The Murder of Meredith, Murder in the Red Light (for Amazon Prime Video), long-running series World’s Most Evil Killers/Britain’s Most Evil Killers (8 seasons), Fiennes: Return to the Nile with Joseph and Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Cut from a Different Cloth, Mandela, My Dad and Me, both featuring Idris Elba, Hitler: A Life in Pictures, and Paranormal Captured to name just a few. In 2020, Woodcut launched distribution company Woodcut International, as well as Bristol-based production operation Woodcut West which specialises in natural history and high-end specialist factual. www.woodcutmedia.com
About Woodcut International: Established in September 2020, UK based Woodcut International is the distribution division of Woodcut Media, a leading producer of a broad range of factual programming that includes True Crime, specialist factual, premium factual and factual entertainment. Woodcut International focuses on the global sales of select Woodcut Media series and specials that include new productions and library titles such as A Royal Guide To… (with 2 seasons), (K)nox: The Rob Knox Story, Forgotten War Stories, The Killer Within, the Idris Elba led docs (Cut from a Different Cloth, Mandela, My Dad and Me), and Fukushima: Nature in the Danger Zone, to name a few. www.woodcutinternational.com
