The Irish Times Business People of the Month: Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe

Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe have been chosen as The Irish Times Business People of the Month for May, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.

The duo recently inked a deal to sell a majority stake in their Dublin-based film and television production company, Element Pictures, to UK production giant Fremantle, owned by a division of global media behemoth Bertelsmann.

Working across production and distribution, Guiney and Lowe have keen eyes for a hit so it’s no shock that Element piqued Fremantle’s interest.

The Irish company, which has grown organically under Guiney’s and Lowe’s stewardship, has been involved in some notable films of the last decade, including Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2018 period drama The Favourite, for which Olivia Coleman scooped Best Actress at the 91st Academy Awards. Known for their close collaboration with Lenny Abrahamson, Element co-produced the Dublin director’s Best Director and Best Picture-nominated 2015 drama Room.

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More recently, Element was behind Abrahamson’s award-winning adaptation of Sally Rooney’s Booker Prize-longlisted novel Normal People. A bona fide sensation, the hit programme — which has catapulted actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal on to the global stage — achieved record viewing figures on either sides of the Irish Sea.

Commenting on the deal, Guiney and Lowe said last month that “creative freedom will sit at the very heart of this partnership”, which will support Element’s international growth.