Tag Archives: Cottage Life

Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Cottage Life’s latest original special, The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence, goes on a quest to solve the 400-year-old mystery of a lost English colony

From a media release:

Cottage Life’s original documentary special, The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence, follows renowned British archeologist Professor Mark Horton and local historian Scott Dawson as they dig for evidence that could help solve one of America’s oldest and most controversial mysteries: what happened to the first English colony on Roanoke Island? Featuring fascinating interviews, never-before-seen archeological evidence and cutting-edge scientific analysis, the special offers compelling theories on the fate of the first European colonists in the Americas, who settled on Roanoke Island in 1587 and suddenly vanished without a trace three years later. The Canadian broadcast premiere of The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence airs Friday, July 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT as a two-part documentary special on Cottage Life.

In 1587, a group of 117 men, women and children set sail for America from England. Arriving three decades before the Mayflower, they were on track to become American heroes. Instead, they became the subject of America’s first mystery. According to myth, many of the colonists were murdered; the rest had fled. One of the only clues to their fate: a coded message carved into a tree. The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence gives audiences exclusive access to a new excavation site on the Island, piecing together centuries-old clues and compelling archeological evidence for the first time to reveal the truth of the settlers’ disappearance. The documentary unravels a story filled with hope and inspiration, reflecting a bond between the English settlers and an Indigenous Croatoan tribe that will forever change the history books.

The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence is a co-production between Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company and BriteSpark Films, part of Argonon Media. Nick Godwin, Michael Kot, Betty Orr and Steve Gamester serve as Executive Producers. Overseeing the series for Cottage Life TV is Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content for Blue Ant Media’s Canadian channels. Blue Ant International oversees licensing for The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence.

The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence premieres on July 1st as part of Cottage Life’s “Mystery Marathon” programming stunt during the Canada Day long weekend. The two-part special will air alongside popular series Mysteries from Above, What on Earth?, Unearthed, Strange Evidence and Mysteries of the Abandoned.

Cottage Life is a Blue Ant Media multi-platform brand, with its own dedicated Cottage Life specialty television network celebrating the people, activities and places that make leisure time special.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant Media unveils new greenlights for its Canadian TV platforms

From a media release:

Blue Ant Media announced today three new greenlights and one renewal set to air across its homegrown Canadian specialty TV platforms: Cottage Life, T+E and Love Nature. The new wave of greenlights reinforces Blue Ant Media’s ongoing commitment to creating premium, engaging content with global reach and scale. Overseen by Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media, the originals lineup includes a mix of world broadcast and Canadian premieres with all four series available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International.

Love Nature’s commitment to creating emotional connections between its audience and the natural world is realized once again through its latest original series, Cub Camp (World Broadcast Premiere), which introduces passionate animal lovers to the orphaned cubs at Black Bear Rescue Manitoba. Produced by Merit Motion Pictures, the six-part series offers audiences the unique opportunity to follow adorable orphaned black bear cubs, from the moment they’re rescued to the day they’re released into the wild. Cub Camp is a Love Nature global commission slated to air in Canada and roll out worldwide on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms. Filming begins spring/summer 2023.

The second greenlight is American Doomsday (wt) (Canadian Broadcast Premiere), slated to air on Cottage Life alongside an existing roster of successful extreme weather and survival series. The new three-part documentary series examines Mother Nature’s sheer power of destruction in an in-depth analysis on weather phenomena and natural forces and its effects on humans and the geology of our planet. Renewed for Cottage Life is the hit original investigative series, Mysteries from Above (Season 2; World Broadcast Premiere) which will land on the channel in summer 2023. The second installment comes off the back of Season 1’s success, which currently sits as the #1-rated new series on Cottage Life this year. The series captures breathtaking, aerial footage from modern sites to remote and untouched locations across the globe, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers.

Finally, on T+E, Canada’s home to paranormal programming, Blue Ant Media has greenlit the original series Haunted Lost and Found (wt)(World Broadcast Premiere), a treaty co-production between Singaporean producers Beach House Pictures, Momo Film Co. and Vancouver-based De Vries Production. The new six-part series features first-hand accounts from unlucky individuals who purchased, found or were gifted an item, only to discover their newfound possessions were haunted or cursed. Each episode features three mysterious and chilling stories, ranging from items found on the dark web to those discovered in dark alleys.

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

LOVE NATURE

Cub Camp (6×60’; HD)
World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Merit Motion Pictures
Cub Camp gives viewers an inside look at the Black Bear Rescue Manitoba rehabilitation program, a unique centre that rescues and rehabilitates black bear cubs left orphaned as a result of losing their mothers due to human encroachment on their territories and natural disasters. The cameras follow adorable orphaned cubs, from the moment they’re rescued to the day they’re big enough to be released back into the wild. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

COTTAGE LIFE

American Doomsday (wt) (3×90’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Wildflame/Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company
A three-part documentary series that looks at how the epic rise of super weather phenomena and natural forces and how it could devastate those living in New York, Miami and the entire west coast. The series provides fascinating insights and grave predictions, which include New York City underwater by 2050, the entire city of Miami sinking into the sea, and a mega-earthquake poised to hit the west coast from California to Canada. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Mysteries from Above, Season 2 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for summer 2023 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company
Mysteries from Above takes to the skies to offer Canadian audiences a chance to see the world from fresh and exhilarating perspectives. The series explores remote, hard-to-reach locations as drones explore strange geological occurrences, unique man-made structures, curious creatures and lost civilizations, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

T+E

Haunted Lost and Found (wt) (6×60’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producers: Beach House Pictures, a Blue Ant Media company, Momo Film Co. and De Vries Production
Haunted Lost and Found explores what happens when a found, purchased or gifted object brings terror into the lives of those who acquired it accidentally without knowing its sinister past. The six-part documentary series features first-hand accounts and dramatic reenactments of those whose lives took a horrific turn as a result of their newfound possessions being haunted or cursed. Each hour-long episode features three chilling stories ranging from items found on the dark web to those discovered in dark alleys. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

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Industry News, Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Cottage Life captures a rare glimpse into vibrant cultures, landmarks and landscapes with new original investigative series Mysteries from Above

From a media release:

Cottage Life’s new original investigative series Mysteries from Above (10×60’; HD) takes to the skies to offer Canadian audiences a chance to see the world from fresh and exhilarating perspectives. The series explores remote, hard-to-reach locations as drones explore strange geological occurrences, unique man-made structures, curious creatures and lost civilizations, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers.

Each episode follows four unique storylines from developed and isolated aerial vantage points, with in-depth analysis and narration from world-leading experts including Dr. Karen Bellinger, Anthropologist and Historical Archaeologist; Dr. Cylita Guy, Ecologist and Data Scientist; Dr. Dan Riskin, Evolutionary Biologist; Anthony Morgan, Science Communicator; Dr. Jean Li, Archaeologist; George Kourounis, Explorer-in-Residence for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society; and many more.

The world broadcast premiere of Mysteries from Above airs Sunday, March 27, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on Cottage Life during the channel’s eight-week free preview event, running now until May 1 across 8 million Canadian households.

Engage with Cottage Life: @cottagelife #MysteriesFromAbove

The first two episodes of Mysteries from Above include:

Episode 1 – Accidental Discoveries
March 27 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Using drone operators and satellite imagery enthusiasts find a vanished Neolithic structure in an Irish farmer’s field, an ancient oasis in the remote reaches of a Chinese desert, a centuries-old buried treasure in the UK and a dreaded predator makes nice in the Pacific Ocean. All of these events are discovered by accident.

Episode 2 – Military Mysteries
April 3 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Military mysteries are revealed from above; a Nazi weapon designed to turn the tides of WWII in Northern France, a secret Russian military tower in the shadow of the Chernobyl disaster, a forgotten Australian tunnel rumoured to hide a nuclear lab and something shocking buried under San Francisco’s infamous Alcatraz Prison.

Mysteries from Above is a Cottage Life original series, produced by Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company. Sarah Zammit serves as the Series Producer. Michael Kot, Betty Orr, Pam McNair and Tara Elwood serve as Executive Producers. Suzan Yum serves as Director on the series.

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Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary

Blue Ant Media greenlights two new original productions and orders four renewals for its Canadian TV platforms

From a media release:

Producer, distributor and channel operator Blue Ant Media announced today from Prime Time two new greenlights and four renewals set to debut in 2022 and 2023 across its Canadian specialty TV platforms: Cottage Life, T+E and Love Nature. The new additions reinforce Blue Ant Media’s commitment to create compelling, diverse and scalable series that offer a unique voice and perspective. Overseen by Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media, the originals lineup includes a mix of Canadian and world broadcast premieres with several series available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International.

To mark Cottage Life’s 35th anniversary this year, Blue Ant Media has greenlit the new documentary special Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt)(World Broadcast Premiere), which chronicles a year in the life of the common loon. The beloved Canadian bird, synonymous with cottage country, has been the long-standing icon for the Cottage Life brand. Returning to Cottage Life is Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet (Season 2), a Blue Ant and APTN co-production that has been renewed for a second season. The series profiles rural Alberta-based veterinarian Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith as she rescues and rehabilitates animals while also exploring her newly-discovered Métis heritage.

On T+E, Canada’s home to paranormal programming, the horror anthology series Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life (Season 2; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) has been renewed for a second season. 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 debuted to much success on T+E last October. To keep up with the paranormal demand, T+E’s original hit series, Haunted Hospitals (Season 4; Canadian Broadcast Premiere), returns for a fourth installment this fall 2022. The hit franchise saw Season 3 wrap as a top 10 primetime series on T+E. Finally, the all-new T+E eight-part docu-series Mission: Unexplained (Season 1; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) follows military veterans as they share the terrifying, unexplained events they witnessed on the front lines. The greenlight is part of the Blue Ant Media and Content Catalyst Fund (CCF) joint venture that backs women-led creatives in unscripted content, from development to production and distribution, for the Canadian and global marketplaces.

Returning to Love Nature, the 12-part documentary series Battle of the Alphas (Season 2; Canadian Broadcast Premiere) offers audiences an in-depth look at animal conflict, competition and the battle for supremacy. Season 2 of Battle of the Alphas is a Love Nature global commission, slated to air in Canada and roll out worldwide on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms in 2023.

Alongside the new original commissions, Blue Ant Media announced from Prime Time two current projects in development for Blue Ant Media’s Canadian broadcast channels, with the potential for licensing both series to other content companies via Blue Ant International. The projects, Haunted Goldrush (working title) and Expedition Great White, are unscripted, original documentaries that span the paranormal, wildlife and nature genres. Haunted Goldrush, executive produced by Sean De Vries, follows paranormal investigators Corine Carey, Leanne Sallenback and Kelly Ireland as they make their way up British Columbia’s historic and mysterious Gold Rush Trail. The route which runs through the famed Fraser Canyon up to the gold rush town of Barkerville was a bustling, wild and often violent place in the 1800s. But as soon as the gold was gone, so were the people. However, many locals believe some never left. On the east coast, Expedition Great White examines the dramatic rise of great white sharks spotted in Nova Scotia waters during the fall and summer months. The documentary is produced by Edward Peill, Tell Tale Productions (The Curse of Oak Island) and Ken MacDonald, former Vice President and General Manager for Discovery Channel in Canada. Overseen by Sam Linton, both development projects underpin Blue Ant Media’s commitment to work with regional producers across Canada and invest in high-quality, distinctive programming that resonate with audiences coast to coast.

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

COTTAGE LIFE

Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt) (1×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Yap Films
Loons: A Cry from the Mist (wt) chronicles a year in the life of Canada’s iconic bird, the common loon. Through the lens of cottagers, citizen scientists and bird experts, the documentary special examines the perils impacting the loon population—from global warming to boat traffic and big wakes disturbing their habitat. The special spotlights how Canada’s beloved loon is under threat. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet, Season 2 (13×30’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023
A Blue Ant Media and APTN Co-production • Producer: Wapanatahk Media in partnership with Great Pacific Media
The series picks right back up at Alberta’s Rocky Rapids Veterinary Service, where mixed animal practitioner, Dr. Savannah Howse-Smith, rescues and rehabilitates a wide range of household pets and exotic wildlife. Dr. Savannah oversees new animal emergencies everyday at work, while also trying to learn more about her recently-discovered Métis heritage in her personal life.

T+E

Eli Roth Presents: A Ghost Ruined My Life, Season 2 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
A Blue Ant Media and discovery+ Co-production • Producer: Cream Productions
Executive produced by award-winning film director, producer, writer and actor Eli Roth, the original horror anthology series unveils shocking stories of real-life hauntings that have left emotional (and sometimes physical) scars on those unlucky enough to have experienced them. Horrific and evocative, each hour-long episode exposes viewers to the stories of survivors who have been dragged through hell and back and now struggle to rebuild their shattered lives.

Haunted Hospitals, Season 4 (10×60’; HD)
Scheduled for fall 2022 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: BGM Inc., a Sphere Media company
Haunted Hospitals recounts the chilling stories of paranormal activity inside hospitals, nursing homes and morgues. In each episode, nurses, medical support workers and patients give first-hand accounts of the supernatural, such as deceased patients who return from the grave, ghost children who stalk medical staff and territorial spirits who lay claim to hospital hallways. As these personal testimonies unfold, the mysteries behind the troubled souls and hauntings become more alive than ever.

Mission: Unexplained, Season 1 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Blue Ant Media and Content Catalyst Fund (CCF) joint venture • Producer: Blue Ant Studios
Mission: Unexplained follows military veterans as they share the terrifying, unexplained events they witnessed on the front lines. From mystifying lights to vanishing civilians, frightful apparitions to mechanical mysteries and more, the series gives audiences a front row seat to the action as veterans recount their harrowing experiences. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

LOVE NATURE

Battle of the Alphas, Season 2 (12×30’; HD)
Scheduled for 2023 • Canadian 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 season delves into the science behind animal conflict. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

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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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