LA-based film and TV studio Starlings Entertainment (Departure) is partnering with the UK’s StoryFirst (Max Anger) on a new joint development fund that will finance premium drama and family entertainment.

The companies are looking for family entertainment projects for the first time, but have yet to reveal how much they are investing or what types of concepts they’re interested in.

Starlings CEO Karine Martin (pictured left) and StoryFirst founder Peter Gerwe (pictured right) will oversee the venture, working directly with Starlings entertainment EVP Patricia Brown and television president/executive producer Chris Philip, and also with StoryFirst managers Michael Grade (former BBC chairman) and Ivan Dunleavy (ex-Pinewood Group CEO). Brown and Premila Hoon, a financier representing StoryFirst, will serve as liaisons for the fund.

The partnership will also see Starlings take a financial stake in StoryFirst, but financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Besides its LA headquarters, Starlings has offices in Canada and representation in London. Through the partnership, it plans to leverage StoryFirst’s established foothold in the UK and Europe to discover new talent.