Sarah Madigan boards as COO; banner quietly delivers new ‘Dexter’ installments and projects for Apple TV+ and Netflix

Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns, the producing duo who built Jax Media into a boutique hitmaker, have officially launched Counterpart Studios, partnering with former MRC Television president Elise Henderson.

The company, which has been operating under the radar for the past year, sees Hernandez serve as CEO, Burns as chief creative officer, and Henderson as president. Joining the leadership team is Sarah Madigan — a Jax Media and Imagine veteran — as chief operating officer.

Counterpart’s mandate mirrors the fast, flexible, and creator-focused ethos that defined Jax Media: pairing high-quality production with nimble execution to deliver premium content at competitive price points. Like Jax, Counterpart will balance third-party production services with in-house IP development.

“We believe that high-quality, efficient production is the root of creative success, and we have built a company around that model,” Hernandez, Henderson and Burns said in a joint statement. “We center our process around the artist, stay nimble, and offer buyers premium content at the right price.”

In its first year, Counterpart has already delivered Dexter: Original Sin and Dexter: Resurrection for Paramount+/Showtime, produced the 10-episode Apple TV+ dark comedy-thriller Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed starring Tatiana Maslany and directed by David Gordon Green, and rolled out Netflix’s six-episode comedy Free Bert, toplined and co-created by Bert Kreischer.

The banner also has three internally developed projects in motion: an international action-crime thriller, an erotic thriller, and a workplace comedy — all set at major streaming platforms.

Hernandez and Burns’ Jax Media, founded in 2011, was acquired by Imagine Entertainment in 2018, with Imagine buying out their remaining interest in early 2023 — the same month the duo departed.

For her part, Henderson’s résumé includes stints as a literary agent at WMA and UTA, as well as a development executive role at Universal Cable Productions, before taking the top TV job at MRC in 2019.

Counterpart’s early slate suggests the team is aiming to replicate — and expand upon — the hybrid model that