Blue Ant Studios has struck an innovative deal with leading Australian independent producer WildBear Entertainment, working in partnership to finance three new factual series. The news was announced from the World Congress of Science and Factual Producers in Marrakesh.
Brokered by Lilla Hurst, Global Head, Acquisitions & Content Strategy, Blue Ant Studios and WildBear Entertainment’s representative, Edwina Thring of Wild Thring Media, the new deal has been struck to deliver content that meets market demand in the current challenging commissioning climate. WildBear Entertainment has just gone into production on each series, led by CEO and executive producer, Michael Tear. Blue Ant Studios will retain full worldwide distribution rights, and Lilla Hurst will serve as an executive producer on each title.
The three new series, all due for delivery in Q3 2025, are a mix of history and engineering titles.
“Secrets of the Lost Cities” (6x60’) combines the latest science, leading experts and high-end graphics to explore the world’s most ancient and mysterious cities, looking to discover the secrets of their power and the reasons for their downfall. Each episode will focus on one region with a featured city plus secondary stories. For example, an episode in Egypt will examine Thebes in detail and visit additional cities such as Memphis and Alexandria.
As the 80th anniversary of the start of the Nuremberg trials nears (November 2025), “World War II: History on Trial” (6x60’) will explore the courtroom trials that took place in Germany, Japan and other countries across the 20th century. It will examine the arguments made by the Allies and Axis powers and, by doing so, provide fresh insights into the trajectory of the Second World War. The series will also explore how these events reverberate to this day as the complicated questions of responsibility and justice continue to be debated.
“Engineering by Catastrophe” (6x60’) follows the construction of some of the world’s latest and most failsafe structures. These are the buildings, dams, stadiums, container ships or bridges that incorporate the very latest in engineering science to overcome previous disasters. As each safety feature is built into the structure, the series relives the historical disasters that we learned from to make each safer – including the floods, fires, tornadoes and bombs that have taught engineers how to build better.
“As both a creative and financial partner with producers and buyers around the world, Blue Ant Studios is committed to finding new ways of working and investing in different financial models to bring great content into the marketplace and onto the screen,” said Mark Bishop, Co-President, Blue Ant Studios. “Having already acquired numerous completed WildBear titles for international distribution, we know that its programming is extremely well-produced and always in demand. So, while greenlighting these 18 hours could be considered a risk, working with a trusted partner like WildBear mitigates that risk and ensures we continue to fuel our pipeline with the sort of great factual series that buyers are seeking.”
Michael Tear, CEO, WildBear Entertainment, added: “We are delighted to be working so closely with Blue Ant Studios in this way, sharing the potential risk – and, hopefully, the upside. It is wonderful to have such backing from Lilla and the team. This support not only demonstrates confidence in our productions but also greatly speeds up the process and allows us to quickly get series into the marketplace at a time when commissioning decisions are being made rather slowly.”