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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant Media celebrates 10-year anniversary with 10 new and returning original productions for its Canadian broadcast channels

From a media release:

To mark Blue Ant Media’s 10-year anniversary this September, the international producer, distributor and channel operator announced today 10 new and returning originals to premiere on its portfolio of Canadian specialty networks. The new premium programming lineup includes outdoor lifestyle and survival shows, paranormal anthology series, compelling documentaries and relevant specials with several programs available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International. Overseen by Sam Linton, Head of Original Content, Blue Ant Media, the new commissioning slate will begin airing on the media company’s Canadian channels this fall and into 2022, with several series premiering during nationwide free preview events.

Cottage Life’s highest-rated original, Life Below Zero: Canada (Season 2; World Broadcast Premiere), has been renewed for a second season. Based on the Emmy® Award-winning format Life Below Zero, created and produced by BBC Studios’ Los Angeles production arm, the Canadian adaptation follows a diverse group of individuals surviving in the coldest and most remote regions of Canada. The second installment is co-produced by Blue Ant Media, Quebecor Content and APTN. Also returning to Cottage Life, the Blue Ant Media and APTN co-production Merchants of the Wild (Season 4; Broadcast Premiere) has been renewed for a fourth season. The series follows six Indigenous Adventurers who spend 25 days living off the land in the vast territory known to the L’nu (Mi’kmaq) people as Kespukwitk (lands end), and known to non-Indigenous people as the Southern Nova Scotia. They must use the teachings from the L’nu Elders and Knowledge Holders, who they meet along the way, to help them on their journey and reconnect to who they are as Indigenous Peoples. Finally, Blue Ant Media has greenlit a third installment of Ice Vikings (Season 3; World Broadcast Premiere), which follows fearless descendants of Icelandic Vikings as they battle the elements to keep ice fishing alive on Manitoba’s Lake Winnipeg, reeling in big fish and fat paycheques along the way. Blue Ant Media has also acquired Seasons 1 and 2 of the Ice Vikings franchise to air on Cottage Life. Both Life Below Zero: Canada, Season 2 and Ice Vikings, Season 3 are scheduled to premiere on Cottage Life during the channel’s nationwide free preview event in spring 2022.

On T+E, Canada’s home to paranormal programming, the new original anthology series Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life (Season 1; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) examines horrifying real-life stories of hauntings experienced by everyday people. Executive produced by the award-winning film director, producer, writer and actor Eli Roth (Inglourious Basterds, Hostel, The Last Exorcism) and Cream Productions, the Blue Ant Media and discovery+ co-production features chilling eyewitness accounts and dramatic reconstructions reminiscent of Roth’s vivid cinematic masterpieces. Also new on T+E, The Lost Colony of Roanoke (Season 1; Canadian Broadcast Premiere), follows a team of archaeologists as they dig for evidence that could help solve one of America’s oldest and most controversial mysteries: what happened to the English colony on Roanoke Island? Featuring exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archaeological evidence and cutting-edge scientific analysis, the series offers compelling theories on the fate of the first European colony in the Americas, who settled on Roanoke Island in 1587 and suddenly vanished without a trace. The Lost Colony of Roanoke will premiere in spring 2022 during T+E’s nationwide free preview event.

The new documentary series Griff’s Great Canadian Adventure (Canadian Broadcast Premiere) marks the first original commission for BBC First in Canada since Blue Ant Media launched the channel in partnership with BBC Studios in March 2021. The six-part series, co-produced by Nikki Ray Media Agency and EQ Media Group, in association with Blue Ant Media, Channel 4, Abacus Media Rights, Quiver Entertainment, Australian Broadcasting Corporation and The History Channel (NZ), follows Welsh comedian and travel enthusiast Griff Rhys Jones on an epic journey across the commonwealth country as he explores Canadian cultures and traditions.

Blue Ant Media has greenlit two new Canadian documentary specials, The Digital Divide (working title) (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere) and Strange Creatures (working title) (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere), for its premium factual channel, BBC Earth. This is the first time Blue Ant Media has commissioned originals for BBC Earth in Canada since the channel launched in partnership with BBC Studios in 2017. The Digital Divide (working title) explores the growing chasm between the have and have-nots of digital, mobile and satellite technology. The timely documentary special looks at how COVID-19 exposed the underlying reality that not everyone can afford essential digital devices and examines the significant implications it has on society when there is not an equal playing ground to access technology. The special will have a digital premiere on the MobileSyrup website, a Blue Ant Media-owned company and Canada’s leading technology news website, before airing on BBC Earth. Strange Creatures (working title, a nature and wildlife documentary, is a one-hour spinoff special to Blue Ant Media’s hit YouTube series, Animalogic. Hosted by Animalogic’s scientific illustrator, Danielle Dufault, the special explores Canada’s unusual and fascinating creatures. Both documentary specials are scheduled to premiere in spring 2022 on BBC Earth during the channel’s nationwide free preview event.

On Smithsonian Channel in Canada, the Blue Ant Media and Channel 5 co-production, World’s Most Scenic River Journeys (Season 2; Canadian Premiere) has been renewed for a second season. Narrated by Golden Globe®, Tony and BAFTA award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), the documentary series takes audiences on a visually stunning trip alongside some of the most beautiful and famous rivers around the world. Also new is History by the Numbers (Canadian Broadcast Premiere), an energetic, fast-paced 20-part series about the extraordinary and often overlooked numbers that help us decode world history. Each episode delves into the numbers to give audiences unimaginable numerical facts and top stats behind a different subject – from the massive growth of the global fast-food empire to the wealth and bloodshed of the world’s top crime bosses, the herculean numbers behind Mount Everest, the lives of the richest people on earth, and so much more. The series offers a fresh perspective on how the world adds up today. History by the Numbers is scheduled to premiere in winter 2022 on Smithsonian Channel in Canada during the channel’s nationwide free preview event.

Additional original commissions will be announced by Blue Ant Media in the coming months.

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Industry News

Blue Ant Media announces latest original slate for Cottage Life, T+E, Love Nature and Smithsonian Channel Canada

From a media release:

Blue Ant Media, an international producer, distributor and channel operator, announced from Prime Time Online today a series of greenlights for its suite of lifestyle and factual TV channels: Cottage Life, T+E, Love Nature and Smithsonian Channel Canada. The 2021-2022 programming slate underpins Blue Ant Media’s commitment to create compelling original content that appeals to viewers at home and on a global scale. Overseen by Sam Linton, Head of Original Content (Canada), the lineup includes four world broadcast premieres with several series available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International.

On Cottage Life, Blue Ant Media has greenlit three new series to premiere in spring 2022 during the channel’s nationwide free preview event, two of which are co-productions with APTN, Canada’s national Indigenous television network. The first co-production, Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet (working title) (Season 1; Broadcast Premiere), profiles rural Alberta-based veterinarian and everyday hero Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith as she takes care of animals while also exploring her newly-discovered Métis heritage. Blue Ant and APTN will also co-produce the third installment of Merchants of the Wild (Season 3; Broadcast Premiere), which follows six Indigenous adventurers pitted against the perils of an ancient waterway trade route used by the Syilx People. Blue Ant Media has also acquired from APTN seasons 1 and 2 of the Merchants of the Wild franchise to air on Cottage Life. Finally, Blue Ant Media has greenlit Mysteries from Above (working title) (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere) for Cottage Life, which is a 10-part original documentary series investigating mysterious phenomena from the vantage point of drones. The series provides an in-depth analysis of never-before-seen drone footage, from lost civilizations to curious animal behaviour.

As the home of paranormal programming in Canada, T+E has lined up two spine-tingling paranormal documentaries to scare viewers across the country. Scheduled to premiere this fall on T+E, the paranormal documentary special Bathsheba (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere), follows the chilling true story of Bathsheba Sherman, a witch made famous by the hit horror film, The Conjuring. The special delves into the true tales that served as inspiration for the film and unearths the archives of well-known paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, who attempted to help the Perron family from being terrorized by Bathsheba’s presence. Also new to T+E, Blue Ant Media has greenlit Eyewitness: UFO (working title) (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere), an eight-part docuseries that breathes new life into the decades-long conversation as to whether or not extraterrestrials have visited Earth. The series weaves together powerful and credible first-hand accounts of UFO encounters with interviews, authentic visual footage and dramatic paranormal reenactments, while expert contributors explore the world-shattering realities of the witnessed events. The greenlight comes at a pivotal time when skepticism has shifted and people are open to new findings and evidence of interstellar visitors.

New on Love Nature, the 12-part documentary series Battle of the Alphas (Season 1; World Broadcast Premiere) offers viewers insight into the competitive world of animal life, giving an inside look into an important part of animal behaviour. Battle of the Alphas is a Love Nature global commission, slated to premiere in Canada and roll out worldwide on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms in early 2022.

Finally, on Smithsonian Channel Canada, the documentary special Treasures from the Maya (Canadian Broadcast Premiere), treks deep into the jungle to investigate the mysterious collapse of the ancient Maya civilization. Using the latest science and technology, Treasures from the Maya uncovers how an ancient civilization ruled by god-kings ended in warfare. The special is slated to air next spring 2022.

For a full list of original programming highlights, please see below.

Cottage Life

Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet (working title) (9×30’; HD)
Scheduled for Spring 2022 • Broadcast Premiere
A Blue Ant Media and APTN Co-production • Producer: Wapanatahk Media in partnership with Great Pacific Media
The series follows the adventures of veterinarian Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith as she keeps rural Alberta’s pet and animal population healthy, all while learning more about her recently confirmed Métis bloodline and adjusting to her new cultural identity.

Merchants of the Wild, Season 3 (13×30’; HD)
Scheduled for Spring 2022 • Broadcast Premiere
A Blue Ant Media and APTN Co-production • Producer: Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures/Buck Productions
Merchants of the Wild is a vivid 13-part documentary series mixing culture, survival and adventure, as the cameras follow six Indigenous adventurers pitted against the perils of an ancient waterway trade route used by Interior Salishan People of the Colombia Plateau including the Secwepemc, Syilx, Kitunaxa and Sinixt Nations. In an attempt to reconnect to the land, the adventurers begin their journey with nothing and must survive 25 days in the wilderness using the teachings from Elders and Knowledge Keepers, who will be imperative to their success.

Mysteries from Above (working title) (10×60’; HD)
Scheduled for Spring 2022 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Studios company
Mysteries from Above is a compelling documentary series investigating mysteries from the unprecedented vantage point of drones. From remote, hard-to-reach locations, the drones explore strange geological occurrences, unique man-made structures, curious creatures, and even lost civilizations, revealing fascinating never-before-seen footage to the viewers. Each episode will answer the question “what is that?” with an in-depth analysis from the world’s leading experts. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

T+E

Bathsheba (2×60’; HD)
Scheduled for Fall 2021 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Cream Productions
Inspired by the 2013 horror film, The Conjuring, which scared and scarred audiences worldwide, the paranormal documentary special, Bathsheba dives into the true tales that served as inspiration for the film. The storyline begins in the 1970s and follows the famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, founders of the New England Society for Psychic Research, as they attempt to help the Perron family who are terrorized by an evil paranormal presence, a witch named Bathsheba Sherman, at their remote Rhode Island farmhouse. Responding to the TV industry’s goal to achieve gender parity, Blue Ant Media and Cream Productions are committed to hiring an all-female production team with the aim to create training and mentorship opportunities for women in production. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Eyewitness: UFO (working title) (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for Summer 2021 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Studios company
The documentary series tells the stories of the most incredible UFO encounters of the modern era. Combining the most compelling audio and visual evidence of UFOs – mobile phone footage and photographs – with the first-hand accounts of those who were there, Eyewitness: UFO distills the biggest mystery of the modern era into riveting, experiential storytelling. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Love Nature

Battle of the Alphas (12×30’; HD)
Scheduled for Early 2022 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Yap Films
The battle of the alphas happens across the planet every day: babies compete for their mother’s milk, adolescents play-fight and adults become aggressive when their leadership is challenged or when they’re in search of a mate. From friendly competition to territorial battles, the all-new series delves into the science behind animal conflict. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Smithsonian Channel Canada

Treasures from the Maya (1×60’; HD)
Scheduled for Spring 2022 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Zoot Pictures
Treasures from the Maya uses the latest science and technology (LiDAR laser imaging) to pull back the veil and help viewers see the ancient Maya civilization as they saw it centuries ago. The documentary special travels deep into the jungle, into ancient tombs and temples, to reveal stories of god-kings and their role in the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization.

Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international content producer, distributor and channel operator. We own and operate numerous production companies in North America and Asia-Pacific under the Blue Ant Studios banner, creating content for broadcasters and streaming platforms in multiple genres including factual entertainment, natural history, documentary, adult animation and drama. Our distribution business, Blue Ant International, offers a substantial catalogue of content, including one of the world’s largest 4K natural history offerings. Blue Ant Media operates channels under nine brands including Love Nature, Smithsonian Channel Canada, BBC Earth (Canada) and more. Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with nine international offices in Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, Japan, London, Dunedin, Washington DC and Beijing. Blueantmedia.com.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Principal photography wraps on anticipated season 2 of Merchants of the Wild

From a media release:

Today, Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures Producer Daniel Fortin, announced principal photography has wrapped on season two of the highly anticipated unscripted-series Merchants of the Wild. Sean Buckley of Buck Productions is on board again as Executive Producer and show mentor. After a successful inaugural season, the docu-series has officially wrapped filming in Nova Scotia and is now in post-production with an anticipated release in 2021.

Filmed within Potlotek’s Traditional Territory, (Near St Peters, NS) and some scenes in Hiawatha First Nation, ON; Merchants of the Wild is a vivid documentary series mixing culture, survival, reconnection to the land, and adventure. The show takes viewers back in time with six Indigenous adventurers, pitted against the perils of ancient waterway trade routes used by Mi’kmaq nations. Merchants of the Wild is being developed and produced by Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures for  APTN, in partnership with the Canada Media Fund.

Season two of Merchants of the Wild is one of Buck Productions’many collaboration projects of 2019 and wraps at a pivotal time for the Toronto-based production company as it prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this month.

Synopsis
Six Indigenous Adventurers embark on the journey of a lifetime, as they spend 25 days on the land, paddling birch bark ‘gwitn’ (canoes) through the Mi’kmaq territory, ‘Unama’ki ’ (Land of Fog), known as Cape Breton, NS. Following an old waterway trade route, moving inland from the ocean at the end of summer, the Adventurers begin their difficult journey with a few necessary tools and a limited supply of food. From day one, they will need to rely on cultural teachings and the land to reach the end of their journey.

During the course of their adventure, they will meet Mi’kmaq Elders and Knowledge Holders at various camps along the ocean, rivers, and lakes, learning culture, language, and traditional Mi’kmaq teachings to help them complete their journey. Throughout the experience, each Adventurer will be impacted in different ways, with some finding the connection their spirit has been in search of, while others could succumb to the constant demands of mother nature, the physical struggle and emotional challenges that can come with living off the land, while others discover newfound strength amongst the teachings and their new friends.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Featured, Podcast

TV Eh B Cs podcast 79 — The Buck stops here

Sean Buckley is an award-winning producer and the driving force behind Buck Productions, a leading content creation company successful in feature films, television, branded content, documentaries, and commercials. As owner and CEO of one of the most diverse production houses in North America for more than 20 years, Buckley has cultivated a concept-first culture where ideas and end products are paramount.

Currently, Buckley and his team at Buck Productions are producing four 10-part unscripted series for U.S. cable network powerhouse Reelz. The first two series, The Stalker Files and It Happened Here, have both premiered. He is also in post-production on the unique docs-series Merchants of the Wild.

Buckley’s diverse portfolio also includes branded content as he has overseen many first-to-market formats such as Two Minutes to Transform (HuffPost Canada Studios and AOL), The 2008 Mitsubishi City Chase (CBC), the web series Canada’s Best Beauty Talent for Rogers Media and L’Oreal Paris, hosted by Supermodel Coco Rocha, MTV’s McMorris and McMorris (Red Bull), Our Family Vacation (Canon) and The Project: Guatemala (Group M). In 2017, Sean collaborated with HuffPost Canada Studios and AOL on the web series Young Money and two seasons of the hit branded web series Like A Tourist.

In addition to his work with Buck Productions, Sean joined The Coup Company as a partner and collaborates with them on all projects including the hit horror comedies Wolfcop and Another Wolfcop as well as the CBC Comedy Coup’s inaugural production – HumanTown – which made its primetime debut in 2016.

Buckley and his team at Buck Productions have been the recipients of multiple Gemini, Genie, Canadian Screen Award, Director’s Guild of Canada nominations and a number of other film, television and commercial awards as well as numerous film premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival and many other acclaimed international festivals. Buck Productions has also been named to Realscreen’s Global 100 list of independent production companies.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Buck Productions proud to support Little Bear Big Wolf Picture’s doc series Merchants of the Wild

From a media release:

Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures producer Daniel Fortin has announced the completion of principal photography of the unscripted series, Merchants of the Wild. Cameras rolled for the unique docu-series in the Constance Lake region of Northwestern Ontario.

Merchants of the Wild is a documentary series reconnecting six First Nations, Métis and Inuit adventurers with traditional skills and knowledge of the land. Mixing survival, culture, use of environment and adventure, Merchants of the Wild takes us back in time as the adventurers are pitted against the perils of the land, learning what it took to survive as they travel 16th-century fur trade routes used by Oji-Cree ancestors.

“I’m thrilled at the completion of the production. Everyone on the team feels a great honour and responsibility in sharing the beauty of the land and the cultural teachings taught by Oji-Cree Elders and Knowledge Keepers,” said director and producer Daniel Fortin. “This has truly been a unique and exciting journey that has deeply impacted all of those involved. On the production end, I couldn’t be happier to have a mentor in place like Sean Buckley. The experience Buck Productions brings has been irreplaceable.”

“Merchants of the Wild is about bravery, determination and understanding the beauty and importance of our environment,” said Sean Buckley, CEO, Buck Productions. “At Buck, we aim for involvement with engaging content that has a purpose, which is exactly what Daniel has brought with Merchants of the Wild. This was a special shoot for the team in Northern Canada, and we’re thrilled to help guide them forward and share it with the world.”

This announcement marks the inaugural series for Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures. For Buck Productions, this is the latest involvement in bringing to life over 30 originally created unscripted shows, including the five it created in-house in 2017.

Sean Buckley of Buck Productions is an executive producer and mentor for the docu-series. Merchants of the Wild was developed and produced by Little Bear Big Wolf Pictures for APTN, in partnership with the Canada Media Fund and Rogers Cable Network Fund. UK and Australian-based Beyond Distribution will handle international distribution.

Synopsis
Merchants of the Wild is a vivid reconnection to the land as six Indigenous women and men relive what survival was like on a fur trade expedition across the length and breadth of Northern Cree and Ojibway territories. Travelling in birch bark canoes, the brave group are taught by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, learning to make tools and use skills passed on orally through generations. These teachings are essential to their survival, as they take to the land with no modern technology on a 25-day voyage that will leave them forever changed. The series lets audiences experience what it took to endure perilous journeys, and gain not only cultural knowledge and appreciation, but discover ways in which they can better live harmoniously within their environment. The diverse group must use their collective knowledge and courage, alongside teachings from Oji-Cree Elders, to find food, make shelter, endure freezing nights, and overcome the entire emotional journey reconnecting them with the land.Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail