All3Media Buys Web Producer Illumina, Backs New Branded Content House

Indie TV super-producer All3Media is buying Illumina Digital, a multimedia production house, in a deal that seemed to slip everyone’s radar. The outfit has made web and TV projects for clients like C4 and TeachersTV, and is being bought by the Hollyoaks and Peep Show maker to grow its online production output.

All3Media, in its release, noted digital content commissioning is growing both by broadcasters and new social nets like Bebo and MySpace. The 10-year-old company has made sites for C4’s Empire’s Children and BBC’s Get Cooking, plus Royal National Theatre and BSkyB.

All3Media is also investing in Kameleon, a new agency to produce branded entertainment and formed by former WPP Mindshare execs Richard Armstrong, Anthony Edwards and Mark Webster. Kameleon will also help owners of existing content to profit from their productions through adding advertiser partnerships.