Sarah Keenleyside

From a media release:

Serial Maven Studios, a next-generation studio and global distribution company, has acquired worldwide distribution rights to The County, a 10×60’ HD lifestyle docu-series produced by RTR Media for HGTV in Canada.

The acquisition adds a premium, returnable lifestyle title to Serial Maven’s growing catalogue, expanding the company’s offerings in home, design and aspirational living programming for international buyers.

The County follows acclaimed interior designer Sarah Keenleyside as she trades city life for country charm, launching her design firm while restoring her own 1860s Victorian “forever farmhouse” in Prince Edward County, one of Canada’s most distinctive creative regions. Set against rolling vineyards, historic lakeside landscapes and a vibrant arts community, the series blends striking design transformations with intimate storytelling and a deeper exploration of building a life, and a home, with purpose.

“The County is exactly the kind of talent-led, premium lifestyle series we’re building our distribution catalogue around,” said Solange Attwood, CEO and founder, Serial Maven Studios. “It’s a beautifully produced, returnable format with a strong central voice and a sense of place that travels. Adding it strengthens our growing slate and gives international buyers a polished, aspirational title with clear global appeal.”

“Sarah Keenleyside brings an effortless joy to the screen and fresh ideas to the design enthusiast. We’re thrilled to introduce the world to one of Canada’s hidden treasures, Prince Edward County, and take full responsibility that you’re going to want to move after watching this,” said Jenna Keane, Chief Creative Officer and Partner, RTR Media.

Led by Keenleyside, who brings a strong and engaged digital presence in the home and design space, The County offers buyers organic audience awareness alongside rich, character-driven storytelling, with each episode capturing her hands-on approach to restoration, her entrepreneurial journey, and the homes and people that define Prince Edward County.

Produced by RTR Media, The County was commissioned by HGTV in Canada and is expected to debut on the network in 2026. The series is available to buyers worldwide through Serial Maven Studios.

Serial Maven Studios is a next-generation studio and global distribution company specializing in premium content. Led by seasoned executives with startup agility, the company combines human-led creativity with a modern, tech-enabled operating model to deliver exceptional storytelling for partners worldwide. Through its wholly-owned production label, Cantina Media, and a rapidly expanding distribution division representing more than 500 hours of content, Serial Maven collaborates with producers, streamers and broadcasters worldwide.

RTR Media is a female-owned, independent television production company creating premium unscripted content for the global market, with a leading focus on home and lifestyle. Based in Toronto and led by CEO Toni Miceli, CCO Jenna Keane, and Founding Partner and Executive Chair Kit Redmond, RTR is the award-winning producer behind HGTV’s top-rated Home Town franchise, including Home Town Takeover.

Recognized with RealScreen’s Global 100 and the 2024 RealScreen Awards for Best in Home and Award of Excellence: Lifestyle, RTR is known for pairing strong creative vision with proven ratings success. RTR also leads Green Light Giving, a company-wide commitment to giving back with every production greenlit.

When I last spoke to Sarah Keenleyside and Brian McCourt, their fledgling series, Backyard Builds, was set to debut. They had joined their fellow HGTV Canada designers and builders on Home to Win but that hadn’t been broadcast yet either. They were nervous, and excited, for both projects. Now the duo is back for the sophomore go-around on their renovation series.

“To call this a family is an understatement,” Keenleyside says over the phone alongside McCourt. “The whole HGTV crew takes you under their wing. Brian and I still pinch ourselves sometimes. We’re like, ‘Dude, we’re working with Scott McGillivray and Sarah Richardson!’ These are the people we used to watch and now we’re their peers.”

Backyard Builds returns Thursday with back-to-back episodes at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT with Keenleyside and McCourt once again blowing up bad-looking backyards and turning them into something amazing. And while the transformations are truly impressiveâ€”a family full of energetic boys sees their yard turned into a basketball courtâ€”the projects add value to the home and aren’t outrageously expensive for the homeowners. Last year, I wrote that the pair are almost criminally good-looking but know their stuff, are articulate, donâ€™t talk down to viewers and have fun. That continues in Season 2, but McCourt says the projects have changed this time around.

“The projects were fun and whimsical [in Season 1] but didn’t relate to the viewer on a practical sense,” McCourt says. “This season we’ve done a lot more practical backyards and really dove into low-maintenance ideas for homeowners.” That’s a tall order when your episode clients vary from big and small families to single guys, but they relished the challenge. In Thursday’s second episode, the pair and their renovation team descend on a small bungalow owned by a dude looking to have space in the yard to entertain. The desert-like landscape and stubborn tree stump provided a challenge for McCourt but he triumphed and, with Keenleyside’s keen design flair, the homeowner ended up with a sweet outdoor pub-themed oasis.

“We have some really strong backyards this season,” McCourt says. “We did an outdoor kitchen with an outdoor pizza oven with two structuresâ€”one is a lounge and one is a secondary prep spaceâ€”and in between we actually suspended a pergola. It’s really something special.”

Backyard Builds airs Thursdays at 10 and 10:30 p.m. ET/PT on HGTV Canada.

Image courtesy of Corus Entertainment.

Tag Archives: Sarah Keenleyside

Serial Maven Studios acquires RTR Media’s The County, an original commission for HGTV in Canada

Backyard Builds returns to HGTV with more impressive and attainable renovations