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Pat Ferns, cofounder and former president of the Primedia group of companies, has been bought out by Douglas Dales, chair of Primedia and president of P.S. Production Services. Ferns has established a new production company, pat ferns productions, and Dales has assumed 100% of Primedia’s catalogue, debt and the company name.

The future of Primedia, a production and distribution company which focused on television drama and documentary series, is up in the air, says Dales. ‘Whether we continue production, whether we get bigger or smaller, I can’t say. We are entertaining all the options.’ Either way, Dales says the company’s future will be decided by Sept. 1. In the meantime, Dales says he is examining ways to exploit the company’s near 400-title catalogue (the company’s strongest asset), ‘largely to pay the existing, sizable debt.’

Primedia Pictures president Annette Cohen has purchased pp’s properties, including the feature Laidlaw now at the first draft stage. Cohen will change the name of the company under which she now operates, as will Claude Heroux of Productions Heroux-Primedia.

Ferns will continue in his role as executive producer, under his new company, on Anatomy of Love, a four-hour series for Turner Productions in the u.s., and on The Magic of Canada, a one-hour magic special for cbc.

As for his loss of Primedia, Ferns says that while there is grieving, he aims to focus on tv drama and will be talking to some of the bigger distribution companies in Canada. Ferns also says he and Cohen will be working together in the future.

Dales bought into 50% of Primedia over a year-and-a-half ago when Ferns was looking for some working capital and a partner. The ex-partners agree that differing agendas caused the split.

In the meantime, Ferns has gone through an interview for Telefilm Canada’s head position and continues to lobby for the job. PC