More Talent Deals Incoming At Blue Ant As Studio Seeks “Significant Growth” – Banff

Max Goldbart
·2 min read

More talent deals are incoming at Blue Ant as the Canadian giant seeks “significant growth” over the coming years, according to Content Production Co-President Sam Sniderman.

The company has tied with former Cash Cab indie Lion Television US boss Tony Tackaberry and Oscar-nominated All In: The Fight For Democracy co-director Lisa Cortés over the past few weeks and Sniderman told a Banff World Media Festival Spotlight session earlier this week that these deals are “the only way we’re really going to grow.”

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The strategy forms part of Blue Ant’s drive for “significant growth” that also includes incubations with the likes of Doomlands producer Look Mom! Productions and buying companies outright, such as UK distributor Drive Media Rights, which closed recently.

“This is the only way we’re going to grow,” said Sniderman, who oversees the commercial and financial performance of Blue Ant’s international production business.

“It’s easy to get over-ambitious and we’re catching our breath but it’s absolutely part of the plan to do more of these kinds of deals.”

Blue Ant is particularly keen to partner with companies such as Tackaberry’s nascent Station 6, which will produce high-volume shows that “keep the lights on,” he added.

These “keep-the-light-on” shows can then complement the reputational pieces Blue Ant is trying to keep rolling, such as Sky/Peacock’s Epstein’s Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell or Amazon’s Kids in the Hall doc (pictured).

Along with owning a number of production companies, Blue Ant runs networks including Love Nature and has a distribution arm.

The traditionally non-scripted business is looking to push further into the scripted space, having acquired Toronto-based Saloon Media in 2018, and Sniderman said the company would ideally add more scale to scripted.

The strategy is to take advantage of both the U.S. and Canadian markets by “marrying commercial money” in the former from the likes of Netflix, Peacock, Amazon or Animal Planet while being awarded public money on offer in the latter from programs including the Canadian Media Fund.

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