Business & Finance magazine publisher Ian Hyland has bought Windmill Lane Pictures and plans to relaunch the brand as an international documentary film maker.
Mr Hyland has bought the Windmill Lane Pictures trading name and related brand assets from Grant Thornton via his Elevation Ventures.
Windmill Lane Studios was originally founded in 1978 by James Morris, Russ Russell, Brian Masterson and Miert Avis as a recording studio and TV commercial post-production facility.
During the 1980s, the studio worked with several major artists, including U2 and Bruce Springsteen, and also benefited from the increased demand for music videos sparked by the popularity of MTV.
In the early 1990s the recording and visual and audio post-production work split.
Windmill Lane Pictures became known for some classic TV commercials. Later that decade, it developed its production services for features, drama and animation productions.
During the 2000s the business worked with some major film and TV directors including Jim Sheridan, John Boorman and Neil Jordan.
Windmill Lane Pictures has contributed to movies including Brooklyn, Black '47 and Lakelands, as well as major international TV series including Vikings, Penny Dreadful, A Discovery of Witches and Kin.
Ian Hyland is also the owner of Catalyst Media Group in Dublin and Quartet Book Publishing in London, and will become Chairman of Windmill Lane Pictures.
"Windmill Lane Pictures is an iconic creative brand with an unrivalled legacy and reach across the global creative community. It was a great tragedy to see the business so challenged for reasons out of its control," he said.
"However, it is now our intention to create a new beginning for Windmill Lane Pictures as a documentary and film-maker with an international focus. I very much look forward to building on the rich legacy and heritage that has been built by so many talented people who have worked with Windmill Lane and open a new chapter for this brand," he added.
Mr Hyland said that one of the first projects that Windmill Lane Pictures will work on is an international co-production on the history and future of Irish America.
