Blue Ant Studios has secured acqusition deals for 85 hours of programming from Canadian producers. The news is announced as Canadians get ready to converge in Ottawa for the CMPA's Prime Time industry event, international studio and rights business.“At Blue Ant, our relationships with leading third-party Canadian producers is an important part of our strategy. Our aim is to collaborate with premium content creators in the English-speaking world, providing both pre-sale financing and distribution services for their content and in turn, satisfy our growing numbers of channel clients globally,” Lilla Hurst, Global Head of Acquisitions & Content Strategy, Blue Ant Studios said.
Blue Ant Studios picked up new seasons and new titles from various producers, including Heart Hat Entertainment, Thunderbird Entertainment and Wapanatahk Media, Nikki Ray Media Agency, Fenix Film & Television, Small Army Entertainment, Halter Media, The Holmes Group, Parallax, 90th Parallel and Sphere Media. The catalog offers international licenses to a diverse range of storytelling in a variety of genres such as premium documentary, history, lifestyle, wildlife, paranormal, factual entertainment, scripted and kids. “These premium titles have already generated considerable international interest, resulting in multiple sales," Hurst said.
The premium documentary section includes "Butt Seriously." The 60-minute 90th Parallel takes viewers on an odyssey through a subject that has, perhaps unsurprisingly, been neglected for centuries, thanks to persistent cultural taboos. Researchers recently concluded that the anus represents a black hole in how we understand the basic biological development of organisms.
In the History category, from Vancouver’s Parallax Films, Blue Ant acquired multiple seasons of two historical WWII series. "Hell Below" looks at the greatest submarine patrols of World War II. This event-based series charts the stealth game of subsea warfare from initial contact to full attack. The title joins "Hitler's Last Stand." After the surprise of the D-Day landings and Allied advances, Nazi loyalists dig in. These are the stories of desperate battles waged on the edge of defeat, not just for victory, but for survival
In the Lifestyle category, Blue Ant Studios will represent a fourth season of the popular real-estate series, "Lakefront Luxury" after co-commissioning with Nikki Ray Media Agency and A+E. The series follows buyers attempting to find their ultimate luxury escape from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind with stunning views, gorgeous waterfronts and serene sunsets. "Push" from Alberta’s Fenix Film & Television and Vancouver’s Small Army Entertainment takes audiences into the inner world of the “Wheelie Peeps,” an unlikely group of friends and wheelchair users, bonded by their shared experience of navigating life on wheels. This determined group of friends is working together to prove that even though their mobility may be limited, their lives and dreams are certainly not. In addition, "Flat Out Food" (6 x 30; Season 4) from Halter Media is a half-hour docuseries that dives deep into the origins, production and use of a variety of seemingly simple ingredients all found in Saskatchewan. This loving homage to rural Saskatchewan has sparked interest in international buyers, with previous seasons having been licensed in multiple territories, including Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.
"Holmes On Homes: Building A Legacy" is from Toronto’s The Holmes Group. After a lifetime of helping homeowners in need, Mike Holmes still has some unfinished business. This original series will see Mike go back to his roots, alongside his son and daughter Michael and Sherry, to secure his legacy of ‘making it right.’ From renovations gone wrong by crooked or incompetent contractors to worthy homeowners in need of a life-changing renovation, each hour-long episode sees the Holmes trio roll up their sleeves and continue the work that cemented Mike as a household name across North America. From Heart Hat Entertainment, "Bollywed" is a docuseries centered around the Singh Family, who have been operating the iconic bridal shop Chandan Fashion in Toronto’s Little India for the past 37 years. The previous season of Bollywed was acquired by Fuse in the US, as well as licenses in Turkey, Eastern Europe and Asia.
The Wildlife slate includes season one of "Wild Rose Vets" from Thunderbird Entertainment and Wapanatahk Media, a follow-up to the Dr. Savannah: Wild Rose Vet series. In this new season of this heartwarming and culturally-unique docuseries, audiences follow the behind-the-scenes adventures of three Indigenous veterinarians in the prairies as they rescue and rehabilitate a wide range of household pets and exotic wildlife. The daily experiences of these young vets in very different urban clinics could not be more varied, but they are each driven and connected by their love of animals.
The paranormal series Blue Ant acquired include Sphere Media’s "Haunted Hospitals." The series recounts the chilling stories of paranormal activity inside hospitals and medical institutions. These eyewitness accounts are shared by hospital staff who have experienced harrowing incidents. In addition, "History’s Most Haunted" (6 x 60) from Small Army Entertainment follows paranormal experts Corine Carey, Leanne Sallenback and Kelly Ireland as they travel across North America, meeting with those who have come face-to-face with the unknown. The trio are on a mission to unlock a deeper understanding of the hauntings in the world-famous locations they visit.