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Nick Curwin, a veteran of the UK unscripted television sector, is retiring after a long career building independent production companies. He will continue working with his current firm, Matisse, until the end of the year.
Leadership passes to established partners
Matisse announced that co-founder Scarlett Ewens and creative chief Edwina Silver will take over running the company. The two will focus on advising both existing clients and new talent looking to launch or grow their indies.
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The firm has supported a number of emerging producers, and the new leadership team is expected to maintain that role while managing Matisse’s day-to-day operations.
Curwin’s track record in unscripted TV
Curwin first set up production houses that became cornerstones of the UK unscripted market. He founded Firefly — now known as Dragonfly — and later launched The Garden, companies behind high-profile projects over the years.
Those businesses produced well-known unscripted titles such as Ambulance and Squid Game: The Challenge, and were later sold to larger groups. Curwin helped broker the sale of Dragonfly to Shine Group and The Garden to ITV Studios before creating Matisse with Ewens seven years ago.
Under Matisse’s banner, the company has backed smaller indies, including Dan Grabiner’s Orchard Studios and James Longman’s Jolly Octopus, supporting new independent producers in the UK market.
Reflections from Curwin and Ewens
Curwin commented on his departure: “It’s been a privilege to have had a wonderful career in television, capped by a fantastic seven years with Scarlett and Ed,” and added, “As I slope off shortly to enjoy other things, Matisse’s wonderful roster of brilliant clients remains in the most excellent, skilled and experienced hands.”
Ewens paid tribute to Curwin’s influence: “I’ve had the enormous privilege of working with Nick for nearly 20 years, from Dragonfly and The Garden to Matisse. He is quite simply one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever worked with. His creative instincts, entrepreneurialism and ability to see what makes both a great programme and a great business are incredibly rare.”
