By Business & Finance 
Ian Hyland, owner of Catalyst Media Group in Dublin and Quartet Book Publishing in London, has acquired the iconic Windmill Lane Pictures.
Ian Hyland has acquired the Windmill Lane Pictures trading name and related brand assets from Grant Thornton via his Elevation Ventures. He will relaunch the brand as an international documentary film maker.
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 a host of 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 and, later that decade, developing its production services for features, drama and animation productions.
Pictured: Ian Hyland, owner of Catalyst Media Group in Dublin and Quartet Book Publishing in London.
Windmill Lane Pictures was the creative producer behind U2’s Zoo TV and Zooropa Tour visuals which included contributions from Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois, Allen Ginsberg, Salman Rushdie (with fatwah), Chuck Fishbein, Mark Pellington, Steve Averill, Mark Neale among others.
During the 2000’s the business worked with some major film and TV directors including Jim Sheridan, John Boorman and Neil Jordan.
Over the decades, Windmill Lane Pictures evolved into a powerhouse of film and television post-production, contributing to cinematic classics such as Brooklyn, Black ’47, and Lakelands, as well as major international TV series including Vikings, Penny Dreadful, A Discovery of Witches and Kin. The studio also became a vibrant hub for industry creatives, championing emerging talent and fostering collaboration within the screen sector.
Ian Hyland, who is also owner of Catalyst Media Group in Dublin and Quartet Book Publishing in London, will become Chairman of Windmill Lane Pictures, said: “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. 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.”
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.
In 2021, Ian Hyland acquired London-based Quartet Books, which was established in 1972 and has published over 2,000 titles. Quartet has recently published books in Dublin, London and New York.
Quartet will publish an updated edition of The Palestinians by Jonathan Dimbleby and Don McCullin next September as well as a number of other titles in Ireland and the UK throughout this year.
Mr Hyland added that Windmill Lane Pictures will look at developing the film rights of Quartet’s back catalogue as well as collaborations with international publishers and authors.
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