Blue Ant Media and marblemedia Announce Merger of Production and Distribution Operations into One Unified Studio and Rights Business
Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg, reporting to Michael MacMillan, will lead the new super-charged studio, delivering world class content to partners around the globe
Merger of these operations sees Blue Ant Media acquiring marblemedia and international sales operation Distribution360, effective today
(L-R: Matthew Hornburg, Michael MacMillan and Mark Bishop. Photo Credit: Steve Craft) (Toronto, Canada) August 10, 2023 - International media company, Blue Ant Media and the award-winning, production and distribution company, marblemedia, have announced today the merger of the two companies’ production and distribution operations into one unified studio and rights business. Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg will take the helm of this business, serving as co-Presidents and reporting into Michael MacMillan, CEO and co-founder, Blue Ant Media. With hubs in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London, the merger of these operations sees Blue Ant Media acquiring marblemedia and international sales operation Distribution360, effective today. Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg will operate from Blue Ant Media’s Toronto office.
The combined businesses, which includes production companies marblemedia, Blue Ant Studios, Saloon Media and Look Mom! Productions, in addition to distributors Distribution360 and Blue Ant International, provide an expanded scope of intellectual properties across all genres including scripted comedy and drama, unscripted entertainment, formats, factual and premium docs, live action kids/family and animation.
The super-charged studio is positioned to create bigger creative projects at scale with renowned IP, innovative originals and the world’s best-in-class talent, while expanding its reach with new partnerships with streamers and broadcasters in North America and around the world.
“marblemedia has long been regarded as one of the most respected production and distribution companies in the unscripted and scripted space, having created huge hits for the biggest streamers and broadcasters in the industry. With Mark and Matt leading our combined studios and rights business, Blue Ant Media is well positioned in its growth as an international media company with production, rights and an established global channels division all operating at scale,” said Michael MacMillan, CEO and co-founder, Blue Ant Media.
“We are excited to join forces with Michael MacMillan, a trailblazer in our industry known for scaling industry-leading companies. Building this new merged production and distribution studio will bring together our talented teams who have a shared vision and belief that original content and rich IP are the greatest differentiator,” said Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg, co-CEOs, marblemedia. “The appetite for premium content remains strong in the global market, and we can better serve this demand with high-quality content and by working with best-in-class collaborators.”
marblemedia is known for delivering premium original unscripted and scripted content including Top 10 Netflix series Blown Away and Drink Masters, A Cut Above (Discovery), Race Against the Tide (CBC) the upcoming Hulu and Prime Video teen comedy Davey and Jonesie’s Locker and the highly anticipated documentary, Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (Prime Video), set to have it's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Blue Ant Media has carved out a strong position in the market with recent hits including award-winning Canada’s Drag Race (produced with World of Wonder for Bell Media/Crave), Kids in the Hall: Comedy Punks (Prime Video), the ground-breaking new documentary series Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies (Peacock), the true-crime hit series, See No Evil (produced with Arrow Media for Investigative Discovery US) and Gary and His Demons (Prime Video, Amazon FreeVee). The production businesses are each supported by Blue Ant International, a global, multi-genre distributor of high-quality, creative content, encompassing more than 5,000 hours of content across all genres; and innovative multi-genre global rights management business Distribution360 representing nearly 2,000 hours of content and formats.
The development is part of a long term growth strategy at Blue Ant Media that includes the recent scaling up of the company’s global channels business, including wildlife and nature brand Love Nature’s expansion into 145+ countries with its streaming and cable TV offerings; the launch of eight new FAST channels internationally; and an extensive lineup of premium cable TV offerings in Canada.
Sam Sniderman will serve as Blue Ant Media’s Chief Commercial Officer, working closely with Michael MacMillan and CFO, Robb Chase on business development, partnerships and M&A. Laura Michalchyshyn will continue her duties as Chief Creative Officer, nurturing and attracting talent for the company’s overall business worldwide. Beach House Pictures will continue to operate independently out of Singapore.
Blue Ant Media is a privately held, international content producer, distributor and channel operator. The media company owns and operates numerous production companies in North America and Asia-Pacific, creating content for broadcasters and streaming platforms in multiple genres including factual entertainment, natural history, documentary and animation. Its distribution business, Blue Ant International, offers a substantial catalogue of content, including one of the world's largest 4K natural history offerings. Blue Ant Media operates linear and free streaming channels under several brands including Love Nature, Cottage Life, Smithsonian Channel (Canada), BBC Earth (Canada), HauntTV, Homeful, Drag Race Universe, CrimeTime, TotalCrime, HistoryTime and Love Pets. Blue Ant Media is headquartered in Toronto, with seven international offices in Los Angeles, New York, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Washington and Beijing. blueantmedia.com Twitter⼁Instagram⼁LinkedIn
marblemedia is known for creating unrivaled premium scripted, unscripted, family and kids' content for over 22 years, with over 2,100 hours of content distributed in over 200 territories. The company is celebrated for their original and ground-breaking content, which includes unscripted hit Netflix originals Blown Away; and Drink Masters, A Cut Above (Discovery), CBC Originals Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature, the upcoming teen comedy Davey and Jonesie’s Locker (Hulu, Amazon Prime Video), and the highly anticipated feature documentary, Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (Prime Video, CBC). Powered by the reach of its own international distribution company, Distribution 360, the company also operates the successful CAVCO certified YouTube channel, marbleKids. Recently, Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg were named on the Globe & Mail’s list of 25 most influential people in Canadian Television and the “Titans of Unscripted” on Variety’s 2022 Reality Impact Report. marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matthew Hornburg, headquartered in Toronto with offices in Los Angeles and London. marblemedia.com | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Linkedin
Media Contact:
Sarah Etherden, VP, Global Communications, Blue Ant Media
sarah.etherden@blueantmedia.com
+1-416-725-1696
RACE AGAINST THE TIDE RETURNS FOR SEASON 3 ON CBC AND CBC GEMJULY 16, WITH 12 OF THE WORLD’S BEST SAND SCULPTING TEAMS FROMCANADA AND THE WORLD
The CBC original series has been renewed for a fourth season, with production beginning this summer in New Brunswick
June 15, 2023 – CBC today revealed the 12 world-class sand sculpting teams, who will compete in the third season of RACE AGAINST THE TIDE (10X30), premiering Sunday, July 16 at 8:30pm (9 NT) on CBC and the free CBC Gem streaming service. Also announced today, the hit competition series will return for a fourth season in 2024, with production beginning later this summer on New Brunswick’s iconic New River Beach, on the Bay of Fundy.
Season 3 of RACE AGAINST THE TIDE makes the world’s toughest sand sculpting competition even tougher, as 12 teams compete in a beach battle – tournament style. Divided into two groups of six, the teams will dig, pound, carve and sculpt through four qualifying rounds. The top two teams from each group will face off in a sand-flying semifinal. In the end, only one team will reign supreme and walk away with the grand prize of $10,000, and the beach bragging rights of being crowned Race Against the Tide champions.
New Brunswick’s award-winning artist and godfather of Canadian Hip Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes, returns as host, alongside judges Karen Fralich, who herself has competed in more than 120 master-level contests around the globe, and is a five-time World Champion; and Rusty Croft, a seasoned sand sculptor who holds the Guinness Book of World Records title for the “tallest sand castle” as a member of the Sand Guys. He has also appeared on every episode of Discovery Channel’s Sand Wars and Sand Blasters.
Meet the Season 3 teams competing to be crowned Race Against the Tide champions:
Group 1
● Bob Atisso and Benjamin Probanza (Mexico and Ghana)
● David Ducharme and Dimitry Kilmenko (Winlaw, BC and Russia)
● Jim McCauley and Anna McCauley (Australia)
● JP Dupont and Calixto Molina Navarrete (Quebec City, QC and Mexico)
● Mike Beaupre and Rachelle Beaupre (St. Hippolyte des Laurentides, QC)
● Thomas Koet and Anique Kuizenga (The Netherlands and USA)
Group 2
● Alex Avelino and Thomas Brown (Nelson, BC and USA)
● Brian McArthur and Dawn Detarando (Red Deer, AB)
● Carlos Miguel Ramirez Pereyra and Francisco Javier Calvillo Valdez (Mexico)
● Ludo Roders and Inese Valtere (The Netherlands and Latvia)
● Marie-Line Gagne and Isabelle Gasse (Quebec City, QC)
● Mike Bradley and Shannon Fishback (USA)
Sand sculpting enthusiasts can catch up on Seasons 1 and 2 on CBC Gem leading up to the Season 3 premiere. For story updates throughout the season, please visit cbc.ca/raceagainstthetide.
Race Against the Tide is executive produced by Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop of marblemedia; series producer and writer is Carly Spencer, and Donna Luke of marblemedia serves as co-executive producer. Co-produced with Hemmings House Films, for which Greg Hemmings serves as Co-Executive Producer and Stephen Foster as Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production.
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About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi-award-winning production company based in Toronto, Canada. For over 22 years, the company has been leading the future of entertainment through its diverse production slate of Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family programming which has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
The company has seen momentous growth over the past three years with recent success stories including the global phenomena and Netflix Original competition series Blown Away, new Netflix Original competition Drink Masters, hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods (Hulu, Nickelodeon, CBC, BYUtv, ITV), CBC original formats Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature, five seasons of hit competition series All-Round Champion (BYUtv and TVOKids), new format A Cut Above (Bell Media and Discovery US), family comedy The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker (Super Channel, BYUtv). marblemedia is also looking forward to the release of the company’s first ever feature doc on the iconic and beloved Mr. Dressup coming out Prime Video later this year, and new multiverse teen comedy Davey and Jonesies’s Locker co-commissioned by Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a commitment to creativity and innovation. The company has offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
For more information, please contact:
Elizabeth Reid
CBC, Public Relations
elizabeth.reid@cbc.ca
Kelsey Aikman
marblemedia, VP of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
marblemedia series ‘Drink Masters’ featured at Netflix Pop-up ‘Netflix Bites’
Netflix Plans Pop-Up Restaurant in Los Angeles
'Netflix Bites' will feature food from chefs featured on the service's shows, letting visitors binge in a whole new way.
Would you binge eat your favorite binge watch?
Netflix is going to put that to the test, as it expands into an entirely new category: the restaurant business.
Netflix will launch a pop-up restaurant in Los Angeles on June 30. Called Netflix Bites, the food concept will be built around an “elevated dining experience” featuring chefs featured in various Netflix shows.
Among the chefs participating are Curtis Stone, Ming Tsai and Andrew Zimmern of Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend; Dominique Crenn of Chef’s Table and Iron Chef; Rodney Scott and Ann Kim of Chef’s Table; Nadiya Hussain of Nadiya Bakes; and Jacques Torres of Nailed It! There will also be cocktails designed by the mixologists from Drink Masters.
Netflix Bites will be open seven days a week from 5-10 p.m., with an additional brunch service on weekends. The restaurant is at 115 S. Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, strategically across the street from the entrance to The Grove and the Farmers Market. Netflix’s first retail store opened at The Grove last year.
The pop-up is something of an extension of Netflix’s push into retail and experiential content, following successful activations based on IP like Bridgerton and Stranger Things.
“Netflix is already a destination for beloved food programming, from documentaries to competition shows,” said Josh Simon, vp consumer products for Netflix, in a statement. “From episode to entrée, with Netflix Bites we are creating an in-person experience where fans can immerse themselves in their favorite food shows. We are excited to collaborate with these incredible chefs who will bring this vision to life and showcase an array of their delicious menus.”
“Bringing my love of food to people across the world is one of the biggest thrills of my life, but this screen-to-table experience of giving fans a taste of what happens on camera is just awesome,” adds Stone. “The talented chefs and mixologists assembled means there is something for everyone, and I’m wildly excited that my team at Curtis Stone Events is involved in bringing Netflix Bites to life.”
For more details visit Netflix Site:
https://www.netflix.shop/pages/bites-home
For marblemedia Marketing and Publicity inquiries reach out to:
Kelsey Aikman
VP, Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
MARBLEMEDIA SETS UP A MULTIVERSE COMEDY DAVEY & JONESIE’S LOCKER. A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES CO-COMMISSIONED FROM HULU IN THE US AND PRIME VIDEO IN CANADA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
PRODUCTION HAS WRAPPED IN TORONTO WITH CREATOR AND AWARD-WINNING COMEDY WRITER, EVANY ROSEN (NEW EDEN, THE SPENCER SISTERS) SERVING AS SHOWRUNNER
LOS ANGELES / TORONTO June 12, 2023 - Leading global production company marblemedia is excited to announce they have wrapped production in Toronto on a new original, single camera teen comedy series, Davey & Jonesie’s Locker (10x30). The series is created by Evany Rosen who also serves as showrunner. The show has been co-commissioned by two of the world's largest streaming platforms, Prime Video in Canada, Australia and New Zealand and Hulu in the US.
The original series follows Davey and Jonesie, two lovably eccentric best friends who have always felt out of step with their peers and the banal backdrop of their high school existence. So when they discover their locker is actually a portal to the multiverse, they’re more than ready to escape their teenage prison of mediocrity in favor of new horizons. But the joke is on them when they only ever end up in bizarre, alternate versions of their high school, surrounded by offbeat versions of their classmates. Fortunately, these audacious and creative besties are ready to make the most of this vacation from reality by leaving their mark on every universe they visit…even if it means choosing interdimensional chaos while they’re at it. Worth it for the vibes.
The series stars the talented Veronika Slowikowska (F/X’s What We Do In The Shadows, CBC’s Baroness Von Sketch Show, CBS’s Clarice) as Davey, and Jaelynn Thora Brooks (CBC’s Heartland), as Jonesie. The show also features an ensemble cast of fresh faces and seasoned actors including Dan Beirne (Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia, F/X's Fargo) who plays disgraced quantum physicist turned high school science teacher, Mr. Schneider; Emily Piggford as series big bad, Cheryl, Nikko Angelo Hinayo as Emile, Kevin Lauta Osea as Abbott, Erika Swayze as Sierra, Sydney Xiaolang Topliffe as Joyce, Alexa Yaphe as Alexis, Parker Lauzon as Mark R. Shirt, James Hartnett as Andy, and creator and showrunner, Evany Rosen, as the school’s hapless Principal Neighbors.
Creator and Showrunner Evany Rosen (New Eden, Baroness Von Sketch Show, The Spencer Sisters) is tapping into her distinctive comedic voice to create this new original series. Prior to, Rosen was the co-creator of the Crave original series, New Eden. A founding member of the Canadian Comedy award-winning comedy troupe Picnicface, Rosen has years of comedy writing experience with partners such as CBC, Crave, Disney, DreamWorks, AppleTV and Cartoon Network.
“My work has often focused on unique female relationships, and in creating a show for a teen audience I wanted to develop characters whose friendship felt authentically familiar, yet unlike what we often see portrayed on TV. Having been an extremely goofy 16-year-old myself once, my goal was to create a series about two best friends who have already learned to celebrate their bold senses of humour - and who get to enjoy the radical self-love that comes with that…long before they’re old enough to rent a car,” shares Evany Rosen, Creator and Showrunner. “I’m so grateful to the team at marblemedia and our amazing partners at Hulu and Prime Video for allowing me to develop this unapologetically comedy-forward series for a new generation of goofs.”
“This series is a testament to our commitment at marblemedia to create character driven stories with international appeal. Hulu and Prime Video have been amazing creative collaborators and we’re excited to bring this series to teen and YA audiences across North America and the world,” shares Mark Bishop, co-CEO and Executive Producer at marblemedia. “We are thrilled to be in production on this auteur driven comedy. Evany’s voice is delightfully original, and Davey & Jonesie’s Locker is sure to disrupt the status quo of series currently on offer for this demo,” adds A.J. Trauth, VP Kids at marblemedia.
This series is produced in association with Hulu and Prime Video with the financial participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund. Production credits for the series include Executive Producers Mark J.W. Bishop, Matt Hornburg, Diane Rankin, Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy, A.J. Trauth, and Evany Rosen who serves as showrunner as well; Co-Executive Producers are Donna Luke and writer Stephanie Kaliner;Distribution 360, a marblemedia company, hold worldwide distribution rights for the series.
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About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi-award-winning production company based in Toronto, Canada. For over 22 years, the company has been leading the future of entertainment through its diverse production slate of Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family programming which has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
The company has seen momentous growth over the past three years with recent success stories including the global phenomena and Netflix Original competition series Blown Away, hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods (Hulu, Nickelodeon, CBC, BYUtv, ITV), new Netflix Original competition series, Drink Masters, CBC original formats Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature (with discovery+ UK & Ireland), five seasons of hit competition series All-Round Champion (BYUtv and TVOKids), new format A Cut Above (Bell Media and Discovery US), family comedy The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker (Super Channel, BYUtv) and teen series Open Heart (Teen Nick, YTV). marblemedia is also looking forward to the release of the company’s first ever feature doc on the iconic and beloved Mr. Dressup coming out on Prime Video later this year.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a commitment to creativity and innovation. The company has offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
marblemedia Publicity Contact:
C2C Communications
Charlene Coy
charlene@c2ccommunications.com
Hunter March to Host ‘Blown Away: Extreme Heat’ on Netflix (Exclusive)
The former 'Sugar Rush' host boards the streamer's red-hot glassblowing competition series for the fourth season.
Hunter March has signed on to host the fourth season of Netflix’s Blown Away, the red-hot glassblowing competition series.
March on Blown Away: Extreme Heat will have the job of bringing audiences to the alluring world of glassblowing after earlier hosting Netflix’s Sugar Rush, which had teams of master bakers racing against the clock to create unique sugary confections.
He tells The Hollywood Reporter that corralling 10 contestants on the fiery Blown Away: Extreme Heat set — with 10 ovens heated to 2,000 degrees each as work stations — had March endlessly fascinated as artists create brilliant yet fragile objects from hot, gooey molten glass.
“You kind of grasp how hot something needs to be, or how heavy something may look. But to really be turning it in your hand to keep the glass steady, to be blowing into that pipe and watching a bubble form, it’s an experience unlike anything I’ve ever done,” March, an avid painter, explains after trying his hand at glassblowing sculpture.
That’s after he got comfortable around competitors inflating molten glass at the end of a blow pipe on the giant set for Blown Away: Extreme Heat. “The first day, I was absolutely terrified that everyone walking around with 2,000 degree glass was going to joust me to the ground with it,” he recounts.
The fourth season of Blown Away is once again set in a giant hot shop built in a Hamilton, Ontario warehouse, where March came to appreciate the strength, speed and mental toughness of contestants looking succeed on a unique TV competition series.
“Besides the imagination and creativity that goes into each piece, the actual physical endurance they need to be in that hot shop for five hours, the tenacity to make it through 10 grueling challenges, it was incredible to watch,” he says.
Of course, for March, getting glassblowers to create something elaborate, but to do so quickly with the clock ticking down — and with the threat of being the one losing contender to go home each episode, leaving one eventual champion to be crowned “Best in Glass” — was a challenge in and of itself.
“Rushing art is definitely not the way most artists work best. But that’s what makes this competition so incredible. You have artists used to working under timelines or guidelines. And this competition expedites all that,” he adds.
marblemedia was rewarded for the success of the earlier three seasons of Blown Away as Netflix teamed up yet again with the Canadian indie producer to shake up the bar and spirits worlds with Drink Masters, a reality series that has competing mixologists infuse and blend their liquid art to create fresh takes on storied cocktails.
As with Blown Away and its focus on the craft and wonder of glassblowing, Marblemedia produced with Drink Masters a less in-your-face TV reality series and one more focused on the tactile adventure of making cocktails. And the competition took place on a giant, elaborate set that lends cinematic scope to the series.
At the same time, Matt Hornburg co-CEO and executive producer at Marblemedia, tells THR that getting Netflix to order a fourth season of Blown Away: Extreme Heat called for cranking up the dramatic stakes even higher. “Everything’s going to just feel a bit more dialed up, which is kind of exciting, new and fresh,” he explains.
Besides changing it up with hosting duties, the Blown Away producers have fired up the challenges the glassblowers will face in difficulty and intensity and doubled down on the individual human drama found with each competitor.
“We want to see their talent, their artistry and, at the same time, part of the magic is really getting to know their stories and their passion and what motivates them and their families, and why they got into the glassblowing industry,” Mark Bishop, co-CEO and executive producer at Marblemedia, adds.
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About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi-award-winning production company based in Toronto, Canada. For over 22 years, the company has been leading the future of entertainment through its diverse production slate of Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family programming which has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
The company has seen momentous growth over the past three years with recent success stories including the global phenomena and Netflix Original competition series Blown Away, hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods (Hulu, Nickelodeon, CBC, BYUtv, ITV), new Netflix Original competition series, Drink Masters, CBC original formats Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature (with discovery+ UK & Ireland), five seasons of hit competition series All-Round Champion (BYUtv and TVOKids), new format A Cut Above (Bell Media and Discovery US), family comedy The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker (Super Channel, BYUtv) and teen series Open Heart (Teen Nick, YTV). marblemedia is also looking forward to the release of the company’s first ever feature doc on the iconic and beloved Mr. Dressup coming out on Prime Video later this year.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a commitment to creativity and innovation. The company has offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kelsey Aikman
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
Playback: CBC sets new series and FAST channels for 2023-24 slate
From playback article: “As announced by playback: The pubcaster’s upcoming programming slate unveiled Thursday (June 1) has more than 40 original series from Canadian storytellers, which is on par with last year, as well as plans to launch more free, 24/7 ad-supported TV (FAST) channels this fall. CBC Comedy and CBC News BC build upon last November’s launch of CBC News Explore and will be followed by more local news channels…
Returning factual series include Race Against the Tide (marblemedia) for a 10 x 30-minute third season in July; 8 x 60-minute Best in Miniature (marblemedia) for a third season this fall."
Read the full article here:
https://playbackonline.ca/2023/06/01/cbc-sets-new-series-and-fast-channels-for-2023-24-slate/
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For more information about Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature reach out to:
Kelsey Aikman
VP, Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
MARBLEMEDIA PARTNERS WITH THE JIM HENSON COMPANY TO DEVELOP NEW ORIGINAL LIVE ACTION-COMEDY SERIES, FELIX
CREATED BY MIKLOS PERLUS
BASED ON PERLUS’S SEMI-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SCRIPT, THE SERIES TAKES ON THE IMPORTANT TOPIC OF CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
LOS ANGELES / TORONTO March 22, 2023 - Award-winning global production company, marblemedia, and The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in innovative and iconic entertainment, are partnering once again, this time on the original scripted comedy series, Felix (10x30), which will break new ground by debunking the stereotypes and stigmatization around neurodiversity and mental health challenges among children.
Created by Miklos Perlus, and inspired by his neurodivergent son, Felix is a live action comedy about a boy, his family, and his “feels” - five original characters to be created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™ that manifest his larger-than-life emotions. They live in his house; they follow him to school; they eat all the good snacks; they’re like the worst pets ever. And now that Felix attends a school for neurodivergent kids like him, he’s finally learning how to live with his very real emotions.
“We could think of no better partner on this project than The Jim Henson Company to join us in creating a transformative family television series”, explains A.J. Trauth, VP Kids at marblemedia. “We share a desire to bring the much-needed conversation around children’s mental health directly to audiences across North America, and the world. Miklos has expertly crafted an authentic, optimistic, and hilarious story about this very important topic.”
“For generations, the art of puppetry has helped us process our thoughts and feelings. By authentically depicting the nuanced and complex ways that neurodivergent children experience the world, Felix will use comedy and a cast of original hilarious characters to introduce audiences to new ways of thinking, reducing the stigma around mental health and inspiring families to improve their own communication,” said Halle Stanford, President of Television for The Jim Henson Company.
marblemedia and The Jim Henson Company have partnered previously on live-action preschool series Hi Opie!, in 2014 and its spin-off Opie’s Home in 2016.
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About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi-award-winning production company based in Toronto, Canada. For over 22 years, the company has been leading the future of entertainment through its diverse production slate of Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family programming which has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
The company has seen momentous growth over the past three years with recent success stories including the global phenomena and Netflix Original competition series Blown Away, hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods (Hulu, Nickelodeon, CBC, BYUtv, ITV), new Netflix Original competition Drink Masters, CBC original formats Race Against the Tide and Best in Miniature (with discovery+ UK & Ireland), five seasons of hit competition series All-Round Champion (BYUtv and TVOKids), new format A Cut Above (Bell Media and Discovery US), family comedy The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker (Super Channel, BYUtv) and teen series Open Heart (Teen Nick, YTV). marblemedia is also looking forward to the release of the company’s first ever feature doc on the iconic and beloved Mr. Dressup coming out on Amazon Prime later this year.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a commitment to creativity and innovation. The company has offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
About The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company has remained an established leader in family entertainment for over 65 years and is recognized as an innovator in puppetry, animatronics, and digital animation. The Company’s most recent credits include the acclaimed Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio for Netflix, the Emmy®-winning Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock for Apple TV+, and the feature film The Portable Door for MGM+. Other television credits include Slumberkins, Harriet the Spy and Fraggle Rock: Rock On!, all for Apple TV+, Word Party for Netflix, Earth to Ned for Disney+, and the Emmy-winning Netflix Original series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. Other TV productions include Dinosaur Train (PBS), Splash and Bubbles (PBS), Sid the Science Kid (PBS), and Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), as well as Fraggle Rock, The Storyteller, and the sci-fi series Farscape. Feature film credits include The Star (Sony Pictures Animation), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (Disney), and the ground-breaking fantasy classics The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.
With additional locations in New York and London, The Jim Henson Company is headquartered in Los Angeles on the historic Charlie Chaplin lot, complete with soundstage and post-production facilities. The Company is home to Jim Henson’s Creature Shop™, a pre-eminent character-building and visual effects group with international film, television, theme park and advertising clients, as well as Henson Recording Studios, one of the music industry’s top recording facilities known for its world-class blend of state-of-the-art and vintage equipment. The Company’s Henson Alternative credits include The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell (Netflix), the feature film The Happytime Murders, and the popular live puppet improvisational show Puppet-Up! – Uncensored.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kelsey Aikman
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
MARBLEMEDIA ELEVATES THEIR SENIOR LEADERSHIP WITH THE PROMOTION OF DIANE RANKIN TO EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, RIGHTS & EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
LONDON/LOS ANGELES/TORONTO January 20, 2023 - Leading producer and distributor marblemedia, is pleased to announce the promotion of Diane Rankin to Executive Vice President, Rights & Executive Producer. In this newly created position, Rankin will lead the content commercialization strategy for the company to support and accelerate growth across the scripted, unscripted, kids and family genres to establish more commercial partnerships, pre-sales and coproduction opportunities, while continuing to elevate the growth of Distribution360 (D360). Known as one of few independently controlled distributors of scale, D360 manages and monetizes IP rights globally, and oversees the CAVCO-certified YouTube channel marbleKids and marbleJr, which features content from Canadian and International producers for global kids’ audiences.
A 25-year industry veteran, who joined the company in 2015, Rankin recently served as SVP, Rights & EP. Rankin has led the company’s international growth across all content divisions; scripted, unscripted, kids & family, and third-party acquisitions. She was responsible for all aspects of sales, rights management, digital (YouTube) programming, distribution strategy, including oversight as an Executive Producer on unscripted series with a dedicated focus to maximize profitability with partners rapidly scaling in the international space. Rankin will continue to report to Co-Founders and Co-CEOs, Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg in her elevated role.
The promotion aligns with marblemedia’s 2023 strategic plans to increase production output by elevating existing, and establishing new international partnerships. Rankin will collaborate with the talented department heads of marblemedia’s scripted, unscripted, kids and family divisions to develop new projects and inform new revenue opportunities. Capitalizing on strong Canadian financial incentives and applicable co-production treaties, Rankin will be tasked with establishing more coproduction and presales opportunities to deliver hit series and formats that are adaptable to foreign markets and global audiences, while continuing to grow revenue across the Distribution360 catalogue of premium scripted, unscripted, kids and family programming including original hit series from marblemedia like Blown Away (Netflix), Drink Masters (Netflix), All Round Champion (TVO, BYUtv), and Overlord and the Underwoods (CBC, Nickelodeon, BYUtv, Hulu) and 3rd party titles like Super Simple Songs (Skyship Entertainment), Crime Stories (Partners in Motion), Bryan Inc. (Si Entertainment), and mathXplosion (GAPC Entertainment).
“Co-financing and collaboration have proven to be critical to the diversification of the content we produce and distribute” shares EVP Rights & Executive Producer, Diane Rankin. “In such a vibrant and ever-changing market, partnership is more important than ever, particularly as we expand further into scripted and continue to elevate premium original content across all our genres through high quality production with global appeal. The opportunity to work with new partners is incredibly exciting as we continue to take an innovative approach to the opportunities in front of us and the deals we are making to meet market demand and navigate the current economic climate.”
“Diane has an incredible track record for developing and managing our strong and diverse slate of titles, while driving new exciting partners to our projects. The evidence of our success is in the work Diane has done with regards to delivering new financing opportunities for our content”, shares Co-CEO, Mark Bishop. “Diane is a key player in the critical success of marblemedia and will play an integral part in the exciting new projects we will be announcing in the coming weeks, and year ahead”.
Prior to marblemedia, Rankin held senior leadership positions at DRG, Cineflix Rights and Brunico Communications.
About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi award-winning production company anchored in original storytelling. For over 20 years, marblemedia has been trailblazing the future of entertainment across its premium content divisions primetime scripted, unscripted, kids & family. The company has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
Recent unscripted series include the global phenomenon Netflix Original Blown Away, Netflix Drink Masters, Discovery Original A Cut Above, CBC original Best in Miniature, CBC original Race Against the Tide, and five seasons of the high-octane competition series All-Round Champion.
Recent scripted series include the hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods, interconnected family comedies The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker and teen series Open Heart.
Powered by the reach of its own international distribution company, Distribution360, which has sold programming to over 200 territories. The company continues to rack up accolades such as, being named one of Variety’s Reality Impact Report 2022’s “Titans of Unscripted TV” as well as a “Next Gen Content Producer” by the Hollywood Reporter.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a vision of creativity, partnership, and innovation, the company is headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
For more information, please contact:
Kelsey Aikmant
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
SEASON 5 OF MARBLEMEDIA’S AWARD-WINNING SERIES ALL-ROUND CHAMPION SCORES PREMIERE DATES ON BYUtv AND TVOkids
-New season set to premiere on January 15 (BYUtv) and February 8 (TVOkids)-
-Season 5 will celebrate para-athletes-
Toronto/Provo—December 5, 2022—Award-winning global media company, marblemedia along with broadcast partners BYUtv (US) and TVOkids (Canada) announce their premiere dates for season 5 of the high-octane series All-Round Champion. Season 5 is set to air first on BYUtv on Sunday, January 15 at 5pm PT, followed by TVOkids on Wednesday, February 8 at 5pm ET. This latest season comes at the heels of the series winning Best Children’s or Youth Non-Fiction Program or Series at the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards.
For the first time in All-Round Champion history, Season 5 will feature a cast fully comprised of para-athletes—competitors with physical disabilities. However, true to the format, they won’t be competing in their own sports; they’ll be competing in each other’s to see how proficient they can become in a new sport in a short period of time. To reach this goal, they must excel beyond their own expectations. They must learn new skills, persevere, overcome their own physical and mental limits, and most importantly, adapt their abilities to the sport and the sports’ equipment. The athlete with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned the All-Round Champion!
The talented athletes and their sports this season are Brayden Butler (Climbing), Bradley Pedrick (Sailing), Dominic DeMaio (Rowing), Gurnoor Chouhan (Goalball), Jackson Atwood (Wheelchair Basketball), Lily Brook (Adaptive Boxing), Maggie Manning (Sledge Hockey), Momo Sutton (Swimming), and Samantha Fraser (Track).
The 10-episode, 60-minute series is hosted by Olympian and World Champion Perdita Felicien, who brings mentorship to the young athletes, along with weekly sports stars that coach and encourage the participants through their respective sports. For this fifth season, some of the sports stars include Britain’s most successful Paralympic sailor, Helena Lucas; four-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist, McKenzie Coan; 31-time Canadian track champion, Josh Cassidy; and Matt Scott, a two-time Paralympic champion in wheelchair basketball and the first disabled athlete featured in a Nike commercial.
“At its ethos, the series has always been about determination, excellence, and passion. There is no one better to showcase this than the tremendous cohort of para-athletes we have lined up. This is an exceptional season of All-Round Champion, and we are confident audiences will be as excited about it as we are,” said Matt Hornburg, Executive Producer and Co-CEO of marblemedia.
“Although All-Round Champion is an intense competition show at its core, it shines a light on the resilience of the human spirit and the strengthening of bonds between teammates and mentors,” said Andra Johnson Duke, Head of Content at BYUtv. “All-Round Champion has captured the imaginations of young people and their parents over the course of many seasons, and there’s no question that this exciting new iteration will continue to engage and inspire viewers to want to push harder, do better, and be better.”
“We love All-Round Champion because of how it celebrates developing a growth mindset, which is a critical skill set for children and youth of all ages,” says Kirsten Hurd, Executive Producer at TVOkids. “Through each moment of competition, our viewers witness young people taking on unfamiliar challenges and strategizing how to win. With its focus on para-athletes, Season 5 will be a landmark moment for the series.”
All-Round Champion is adapted from the wildly successful Norwegian Best i mest (NRK), which won an International Emmy Kids Award for Non-Scripted Entertainment, as well as a Prix Jeunesse. marblemedia was granted North American format rights from Beta Film.
Executive Producers of the series include Matthew Hornburg, Mark J.W. Bishop, Steve Sloan, and co-Executive Producer Donna Luke for marblemedia, Jeff Simpson and Andra Johnson Duke for BYUtv, and Kirsten Hurd for TVO. Perdita Felicien also serves as Producer.
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marblemedia is a global multi award-winning production company anchored in original storytelling. For over 20 years, marblemedia has been trailblazing the future of entertainment across its premium content divisions Primetime Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family. The company has built up a library of over 2,100 hours of television.
Recent unscripted series include the global phenomena Netflix Original Blown Away, Discovery Original A Cut Above, CBC original Best in Miniature and five seasons of the high-octane competition series All-Round Champion.
Recent scripted series include the hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods, interconnected family comedies The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker and teen series Open Heart.
Powered by the of reach its own international distribution company, Distribution360, which has sold programming to over 200 territories. The company continues to rack up accolades such as, being named one of Variety’s Reality Impact Report 2022’s “Titans of Unscripted TV” as well as a “Next Gen Content Producer” by the Hollywood Reporter.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a vision of creativity, partnership, and innovation, the company is headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
BYUtv provides families more than 2,000 hours of uplifting and compelling programming they can enjoy together. The network's content is trusted, contemporary and clean, yet clever and sophisticated enough to inspire children and parents alike. BYUtv's diverse portfolio of original, co-produced and acquired content includes scripted and unscripted dramas and comedies, competition shows, concert specials and 700+ hours of live HD collegiate sports. BYUtv is available in approximately 40 million homes in every state of the country on DISH Network, DirecTV and more than 130 major cable systems. A digital pioneer, BYUtv was the first U.S. television network to stream all its content live and free of charge over the internet. Today, BYUtv has more than two million YouTube subscribers and two billion views and is available live and on-demand on multiple digital platforms at no cost, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox, Windows, digital apps for iOS and Android, and BYUtv.org. Based in Provo, Utah, BYUtv is part of BYU Broadcasting, which is owned by Brigham Young University.
About TVO Media Education Group
TVO inspires learning that changes lives and enriches communities. Founded in 1970, we are a globally recognized digital learning organization that engages Ontarians of all ages with inclusive experiences and diverse perspectives. Through video, audio, games, courses, newsletters and articles, we’re investing in the transformative potential of education for everyone. Funded primarily by the Province of Ontario, TVO is a registered charity supported by thousands of sponsors and donors. For more information, visit TVO.me, TVO.org and TVOkids.com. Stream TVO on your favourite device.
For more information, please contact:
Simi Khosa (they/them)
Marketing and Publicity Specialist
skhosa@marblemedia.com
MARBLEMEDIA AND FAE PICTURES PARTNER TO DEVELOP AN ORIGINAL POLITICAL DRAMA, ‘SALT’
COMING OFF OF THE TIFF SERIES ACCELERATOR AND ON PLAYBACK MAGAZINE’S
10 TO WATCH CREATOR ABDUL MALIK (NBC’S TRANSPLANT)
EXPOSES THE UNKNOWN WORLD BEHIND UNIONIZATION IN AMERICA
LOS ANGELES/LONDON/TORONTO – November 23, 2022 – marblemedia and Fae Pictures, are excited to announce they are in development on an original, primetime political family drama series Salt, from creator Abdul Malik (NBC’s Transplant, Peace by Chocolate). marblemedia acquired the project earlier this year at the Toronto International Film Festival’s Series Accelerator program.
Salt follows a young man, Mohammad “Mo” Akram, raised by a wealthy Muslim family reeling from a scandal that’s decimated America’s working class. Seeking to make amends for his father’s sins, Mo takes a job as a ‘salt’ and must infiltrate and covertly unionize an opulent international hotel chain in Chicago from the inside, making vulnerable the workers he is seeking to protect and threatening his politically-influential family.
A “salt” is defined as a labour union tactic involving the act of getting a job at a specific workplace with the intent of organizing a union. The person employed to do so is called a “salt.” This series will both entertain and expose the resurgent labour movement currently sweeping America. Today’s modern-day labour awakening will be on full display with this underlying IP as this original series will offer authenticity in a fictional world shaped by Malik’s personal insights working within the labour movement for a decade, within the worlds of salting, organizing, and storytelling.
Recently selected for Playback Magazine’s 10 to Watch, 29-year-old prolific screenwriter Abdul Malik spent a decade on the front lines of labour and environmental movements as a documentarian while he studied film. That led to co-writing the feature film, Peace By Chocolate, which premiered at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. He is now garnering attention as a screenwriter recently having written on NBC’s Transplant; as well as two feature films, Streams Flow from a River and Queen Tut.
“A series like this is really close to my heart. It aims to do nothing less than articulate the thrilling world of labour unions, a world I know intimately, while speaking to the urgent issues and incredible uplift we’ve seen working class people achieve over the last few years by fighting for their rights. The series explores power in all its forms and knows the moral complexities of its world in a way that makes for rapt television,” shared Abdul Malik, series creator.
“We are thrilled to add Salt to marblemedia’s ever expanding content slate. After meeting Abdul, hearing his story and reading his voice, we knew this was a project we needed to be a part of. The series is aligned with our mandate to share stories that are rooted in authentic voices that are bold, inspiring and have a positive impact. We are proud to develop IP about topics that provoke conversation and galvanize change, while captivating audiences who covet smart, propulsive entertainment”, says Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy, VP Scripted at marblemedia. adding, “We are looking to attract top producing partners, international talent, and a showrunner who will align with Abdul’s creative vision.”
“On our mission to decolonize Hollywood, Salt comes in as a series that shatters our expectations of a political drama featuring an affluent and influential Muslim family against the backdrop of the struggles of America’s working class,” says Shant Joshi, president of Fae Pictures.
Salt is co-produced by marblemedia and Fae Pictures. Malik is repped by META Talent Agency.
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About marblemedia
marblemedia is a global multi award-winning production company anchored in original storytelling. For over 20 years, marblemedia has been trailblazing the future of entertainment across its premium content divisions Primetime Scripted, Unscripted, and Kids & Family. The company has built up a library of over 2100 hours of television.
Recent scripted series include the hit family comedy Overlord and the Underwoods (Hulu, Nickelodeon, CBC, BYUtv, ITV), interconnected family comedies The Parker Andersons/Amelia Parker (Super Channel), and teen series Open Heart (Teen Nick). Currently, the company is developing the drama series Persuasion based on Arlene Dickinson’s bestselling book and Holding Still for as Long as Possible by Zoe Whittall.
Recent unscripted series include the global phenomena Netflix Original Blown Away, Netflix Original Drink Masters, Discovery Original A Cut Above, CBC original Best in Miniature and five seasons of the high-octane competition series All-Round Champion.
Powered by the reach of its own international distribution company, Distribution360, which has sold programming to over 200 territories. The company continues to rack up accolades such as, being named one of Variety’s Reality Impact Report 2022’s “Titans of Unscripted TV” as well as a “Next Gen Content Producer” by the Hollywood Reporter.
marblemedia was founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a vision of creativity, partnership, and innovation, the company is headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Los Angeles and London, plus a 50-acre production facility north of Toronto.
About Fae Pictures
Based in Los Angeles and Toronto, FAE PICTURES is an award-winning media production company on a mission to decolonize Hollywood by creating cinematic content for, by, and about queer, trans, and BIPOC people.
Our latest film, FRAMING AGNES, premiered at Sundance garnering the NEXT Audience Award and NEXT Innovator Award, and we were recently awarded the illustrious TEDDY Award (informally known as the queer Oscar) at the Berlinale for INTERNATIONAL DAWN CHORUS DAY. Our team’s work in film and TV has won awards at Sundance, Berlin, Inside Out, XPOSED, and BendFilm, and premiered at such festivals as Toronto, Tribeca, Hot Docs, Busan, BFI London, Ashland, Cleveland, Outfest, Black Star, and Bentonville, has earned multiple nominations for Canadian Screen Awards, and has seen theatrical and digital distribution across Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
Drink Masters is a hit! Another top 10 Netflix series for marblemedia
Drink Masters, marblemedia’s latest Netflix offering premiered on October 28 to a resounding amount of positive attention, with media and viewers hailing it a must-watch due to its original premise, set design, and host Tone Bell’s charisma. During its premiere week, the series reached Netflix’s Top 10 TV show list in numerous territories including the US and Canada.
“marblemedia has single-handedly resurrected a sub-genre of reality tv that Bravo used to traffic in the late 2000s” – Reality Blurred
“…with a collection of creative mixologists, it brings all oohs, ahs and, awe we thirst for in great reality TV – Mashable
“It’s like Top Chef for bartenders…my kind of show” – Access Hollywood
In Drink Masters, twelve of the world’s most innovative mixologists infuse, stir, and blend their way through a series of high-stakes cocktail challenges to win $100,000 and the title of the Ultimate Drink Master. Comedian, actor, and writer Tone Bell hosts and titans of the cocktail world, Frankie Solarik and Julie Reiner serve as the judges the contestants must fight to impress. Drink Masters is the first competition show of its kind to showcase cocktails as liquid art alongside the mixology artists behind them.
Drink Masters joins marblemedia’s growing list of Netflix hits, Blown Away and Restaurants on the Edge. The series was created by Tim Warren and Matthew Hornburg, with Warren and Hornburg serving as Executive Producers with Mark J.W. Bishop.
The series has been covered by outlets such as:
And MORE!
Watch Drink Masters, streaming now only on Netflix.
marblemedia promotes Kelsey Espensen to director, unscripted development
marblemedia, the Toronto-headquartered prodco behind the award-winning Netflix competition series Blown Away, has promoted Kelsey Espensen to director of unscripted development.
In her new role, Espensen (pictured) will be responsible for developing innovative new formats with global appeal, as part of marblemedia’s push to expand its offerings across all its production channels.
Espensen is one of Playback‘s 2022 10 to Watch recipients and joined marblemedia as a digital marketing coordinator in June 2017, following an internship tenure earlier that year. Taking on a succession of different roles with progressively larger responsibilities, Espensen created and developed the miniature-building competition series Best in Miniature (CBC, Discovery+ UK and Ireland), and ideated and developed the sand-sculpting competition Race Against the Tide (CBC). She also co-developed the forthcoming format Drink Masters, which is slated to debut on Netflix on Oct. 28.
“marblemedia is known for delivering premium content to partners around the globe, and it all starts with bold, original and innovative ideas. Kelsey Espensen has strong commercial instincts and [has] consistently ideated new ways to explore unique story worlds and fresh formats that haven’t yet been showcased on television,” marblemedia co-CEO and executive producer Matt Hornburg said in a release.
Marblemedia will be presenting its latest format, the chainsaw-carving competition A Cut Above, at this year’s MIPCOM.
This story originally appeared in Realscreen
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
Kaikman@marblemedia.com
Say Hello To The Future Of Mixology In Netflix’s Upcoming Series ‘Drink Masters’
By MELISSA ROMUALDI. Published: 11 Oct 2022 1:00 PM Last updated: 11 Oct 2022 5:11 PM ON ETCANADA.COM
A fun, new competition series is coming to Netflix this fall.
Mixologists from around the world will shake up the competition as they bring their A-game — and cocktail shakers — to the bar in the upcoming unscripted reality series “Drink Masters”.
With a culinary approach to cocktails and “wild ingredients” on hand, viewers will see “masterpieces of liquid art” come to life.
The official synopsis reads: “Twelve of the world’s most innovative mixologists infuse, stir and blend their way through a series of high-stakes cocktail challenges to win a life-changing prize and the title of The Ultimate Drink Master.”
Toronto’s Frankie Solarik, owner of BarChef — an innovative, premium cocktail bar — will serve as one of the judges, in addition to author, mixologist and bar owner Julie Reiner. The series will also feature two Montreal-based mixologists competing to be named The Ultimate Drink Master. Actor and comedian Tone Bell is set to host.
“Drink Masters” will quench your thirst beginning Oct. 28 when the 10-episode series drops on Netflix.
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
CBC ORIGINAL COMPETITION SERIES RACE AGAINST THE TIDE FROM MARBLEMEDIA RENEWED FOR A THIRD SEASON, WITH PRODUCTION CURRENTLY UNDERWAY
The third season, produced by leading Canadian entertainment company, marblemedia, will return to CBC in 2023 with an enhanced format, making it the most competitive season yet!
TORONTO October 11, 2022 - Leading international award-winning production company, marblemedia, is thrilled to announce that production is underway on an epic third season of the sand sculpture competition series, RACE AGAINST THE TIDE. Filmed on New Brunswick’s breathtaking and iconic New River Beach, on the Bay of Fundy, the summer hit will premiere on CBC in 2023. The stakes are higher than ever for season three, as the show introduces an all-new format, with more world-class competitors and an unforgettable season showcasing the strongest competition yet.
This series has quickly become a must-see, as it has consecutively ranked among the top of the Canadian TV ratings on Sunday nights each week*; and has seen resounding interest in the format from around the world.
“The wild success of Race Against the Tide is a testament to the continued rising interest into specialized artforms and story worlds,” shares Executive Producer and marblemedia co-CEO, Matt Hornburg. “Audiences viewing habits are constantly changing, and as producers we must pivot and change with them. Season three will see a spectacular new format and new cast of characters that will reinvigorate our audiences' adoration for this original series”.
“We're excited to head back to the beautiful Bay of Fundy with Wes, Karen and Rusty for a new season of Race Against the Tide,” said Jennifer Dettman, Executive Director of Unscripted Content, CBC. “The third season promises to be the most competitive one yet and we're looking forward to watching it play out with viewers across Canada next year.”
Taking the series concept to a whole new level, season three will see 12 world class sand sculpting teams of two tap into their artistic creativity more than ever before in the world’s toughest sand sculpting competition yet. Divided into two groups of six, the teams will dig, pound, carve and sculpt through four qualifying rounds. The top two teams from each round will face off in a sand flying semi-final. In the end, only one team will reign supreme and walk away with the grand prize of $10,000...and the beach bragging rights of being crowned Race Against the Tide champions.
Returning as host this season is New Brunswick’s own, award-winning godfather of Canadian Hip Hop, Maestro Fresh Wes. Wes will be joined by returning judges, Karen Fralich, who herself has competed in over 120 master-level contests around the globe, and is a five-time World Champion; and Rusty Croft, a seasoned sand sculptor who holds the Guinness Book of World Records for the “tallest sand castle” as a member of the Sand Guys. He has also appeared on every episode of Discovery Channel’s Sand Wars and Sand Blasters.
Race Against the Tide is executive produced by Matt Hornburg and Mark Bishop of marblemedia; series producer and writer is Carly Spencer, and Donna Luke of marblemedia serves as co-executive producer. Co-produced with Hemmings House
Films, for which Greg Hemmings serves as Co-Executive Producer and Stephen Foster as Producer. For CBC, Sally Catto is General Manager, Entertainment, Factual and Sports; Jennifer Dettman is Executive Director, Unscripted Content; Alexandra Lane is Senior Director of Production; and Ann-Marie Redmond is Executive in Charge of Production.
*Source: Numeris PPM TV, Total Canada, Ind2+ AMA, CBC Total, Sundays, July 10-September 11, 2022.
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About marblemedia
A global award-winning media company, marblemedia is anchored in original storytelling, innovation, and content that celebrates unique characters and perspectives through an inspiring lens. In addition to their critically acclaimed competition series and renowned award-winning family content, the leading production company is forging their way into the scripted television space by expanding their repertoire of scripted series with a number of new acquisitions. Founded in 2001 by co-CEOs Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg with a vision of creativity, partnership and innovation, the company has offices in Toronto, London and L.A., with a 50-acre production facility located north of Toronto. Learn more at marblemedia.com
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
The Magic of the Tickle Trunk Returns, as Prime Video Announces the Start of Production on an Untitled Mr. Dressup Documentary
The Canadian Amazon Original is produced by marblemedia in association with CBC, Hawkeye Pictures, and Pyre Productions
TORONTO—September 29, 2022—Prime Video today announced the start of production on the new Canadian Amazon Original documentary based on the life and career of legendary Canadian children’s entertainer Ernie Coombs—or, as he is more commonly known by millions of fans, Mr. Dressup. The documentary celebrates the origins and history of one of Canada’s most beloved CBC children shows, Mr. Dressup, which enriched the lives of five generations. The project will film in fall 2022, with a release set for 2023 exclusively on Prime Video in 240 countries and territories worldwide, followed by a broadcast window on CBC in Canada.
The feature-length documentary celebrates the origins and history of Canada’s favourite children’s show, Mr. Dressup, which built a legacy of kindness, patience, inclusiveness, and creativity in 4,000 episodes across 29 years on CBC in Canada. The documentary will combine never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with series puppeteers and musicians, the Coombs family, and other notable Canadians, all sharing the impact the series had on them. The project also includes fascinating insights into Coombs and how he worked with other key creators and partners, including his friendship with Fred Rogers.
“Mr. Dressup holds a special place in the memories of millions, and Ernie, along with his puppet friends Casey and Finnegan, are the cornerstones of childhood entertainment for generations of Canadians,” said Nav Saini, head of content, Canada, Prime Video. “We are thrilled to work with our partners at marblemedia and the CBC to bring Canadian audiences a documentary that serves as a reminder of the power of creativity, the need for compassion, and the importance of playtime, from one of our most important entertainment icons.”
“This is one of the most iconic Canadian stories to tell as producers in Canada. A story that resonates positive values, an archetype that has changed the future of kids and family entertainment for generations, and shaped countless careers, including my own. And we’re telling it for the first time,” said Mark Bishop, executive producer and co-founder of marblemedia.
“Mr.Dressup was, and continues to be, a fun, creative, kind, and safe show for viewers of all ages. It’s a great honour to share the rich history, cultural significance, and unlimited imagination of the show and its key creators with all of Canada and the entire world,” added director and writer Rob McCallum.
"We are proud of the enduring legacy of Mr. Dressup and Ernie Coombs, representing the national public broadcaster's long-standing commitment to engage young audiences," said Catherine Tait, president and CEO, CBC/Radio-Canada. "Working alongside our partners at marblemedia and Prime Video, we have no doubt that this new documentary will emotionally move and inspire Canadians of all ages through the celebration of this quintessential children's series and its timeless themes of generosity, playfulness, and creativity."
The documentary is produced by marblemedia in association with Hawkeye Pictures and Pyre Productions, with the participation of the Shaw Rocket Fund, the Rogers Documentary Fund, and Ontario Creates. Mark Bishop, Matt Hornburg, Aeschylus Poulos, Justin Schoenrock, and Rob McCallum are executive producers, Donna Luke serves as co-executive producer, and Bishop and Poulos are producers. The documentary is directed by McCallum (Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Missing Mom) and written by McCallum and Jordan Morris. International sales are handled by Distribution360 (D360).
The documentary joins the slate of Canadian Amazon Original series including The Kids in the Hall, The Lake, LOL: Last One Laughing Canada, All or Nothing: Toronto Maple Leafs, LOL: Qui rira le dernier?, and The Unsolved Murder of Beverly Lynn Smith. Since 2015, Amazon Studios has filmed over 25 Amazon Original series and films in Canada, including The Man in the High Castle and Upload in British Columbia; The Boys, Reacher, and The Expanse in Ontario; Tales from the Loop in Manitoba; as well as parts of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan and The Voyeurs in Quebec.
The untitled Mr. Dressup documentary will join the thousands of TV shows and movies from Hollywood and around the world in the Prime Video catalog, including award-winning and critically acclaimed Amazon Originals like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Cinderella, Do, Re & Mi, and Hotel Transylvania: Transformania.
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
A Cut Above Season 1 Exclusive Promo & Cast Revealed
BY DAVID WILDEROTTER. PUBLISHED SEP 26, 2022 ON SCREENRANT.COM
Screen Rant reveals an exclusive promo for A Cut Above, a new chainsaw wood carving competition series debuting on Discovery in October.
Screen Rant is exclusively revealing a brand-new chainsaw carving competition series called A Cut Above, along with a promo and the list of contestants. A Cut Above premieres in October on Discovery. The series is hosted by Adam Beach, a Golden Globe-nominated actor. A Cut Above, produced and developed by marblemedia and Bell Media, is being described as the ultimate chainsaw carving competition.
A Cut Above will debut after Alaskan Bush People season 14, which was recently renewed by Discovery and premieres October 2 at 8 p.m. EDT. Alaskan Bush People season 14 will be the first without Billy Brown, the patriarch of the Brown family, who died after suffering a seizure in 2021. Alaskan Bush People will have a two-hour premiere for its new season. A Cut Above will air one-hour episodes over 12 weeks, with the contestants facing elimination every week.
In a Screen Rant-exclusive promo, A Cut Above is being described as a competition "like nothing you've seen before." One contestant describes the series as the "toughest" there is. Twelve of the world's top chainsaw woodcarvers face off to show their skills and outlast the competition. According to a press release from Discovery, A Cut Above, premiering October 2, "puts the contestants to the ultimate test of artistry, stamina and carving skills as they re-imagine ordinary wood logs into jaw-dropping works of art." The intense competition, from the same network that airs Alaskan Bush People, which lasts 12 weeks, will push the contestants to their limits as they fight for a cash prize and the title of "A Cut Above." The list of competitors, who range in age from 23 to 53, includes Andrew Mallon, Aya Blaine, Bongo Love, Brigitte Lochhead, Chris Wood, Jesse Toso, Joel Palmer, John Hayes, Junior Henderson, Ryan Villiers, Sam Bowsher and Sylvia Itzen.
The contestants, described as "master carvers," come from all over the world to compete on A Cut Above. Some are from the United States, while others are from Canada, Ireland, Germany, Zimbabwe, Wales and Scotland. Every week, the carvers will square off in different challenges, including a Quick challenge and a Master Carver challenge. They will race "against the clock in hopes of avoiding elimination." Ryan Cook, a "world-renowned chainsaw carver," and Katharine Dowson, an "esteemed sculptor," are the judges for A Cut Above, which will air on the same network as Naked & Afraid, and they will decide who stays in the competition every week and who goes home. They will "bring their combined expertise and artistic prowess" to A Cut Above as they judge the work of the master carvers.
A Cut Above is truly a competition series that has never been seen before on television. Discovery is bringing a one-of-a-kind show to viewers with A Cut Above, and carving fans should be excited to tune in and watch the world's best carvers battle it out. There will be masterpiece after masterpiece that will take the judges and the audience by storm. The anticipation is high, and after Alaskan Bush People returns, fans can tune in to A Cut Above to find out who will come out on top.
A Cut Above premieres Sunday, October 2 at 10 p.m. EDT on Discovery.
For more information, contact:
Kelsey Aikman
Director of Marketing & Communications
kaikman@marblemedia.com
Netflix Teams With ‘Blown Away’ Producer Marblemedia for ‘Drink Masters’ Reality Series
The streamer has turned to the Canadian makers of the comforting glass-blowing competition series to bring a broad audience to the tight-knit world of mixologists.
Netflix is set to shake up the bar and spirits worlds with Drink Masters, a reality series out of Canada to debut on Oct. 28 as competing mixologists infuse and blend their liquid art to create fresh takes on storied cocktails.
Similar to other reality competition shows, 12 contestants from across North America have to complete challenges against a clock, with one person getting their marching orders every episode until an Ultimate Drink Master is crowned. But what can be done with a skillet and stove in Top Chef or Chopped can apparently also be done with a cocktail shaker and a bar top in Drink Masters as bartenders shake, stir and pour elixirs to create madcap cocktails, Marblemedia co-creator Matt Hornburg tells The Hollywood Reporter.
“It’s not just about what’s in the glass, but what appears around the glass as part of that experience. And it’s just as much about your palate as well as the aromas,” Hornburg explains. After the success of its Blown Away and Restaurants on the Edge series on Netflix, Marblemedia pitched the streaming giant on a cocktail competition series that is less in-your-face than American reality competition series and more focused on the tactile adventure of making cocktails.
“It’s taking something cinematic, with rich, elevated, distinct characters who are passionate and having a slightly unique quality different from a lot of other shows out there — something more optimistic, which is true to the values of our company,” Hornburg says.
“It’s not lost on us as Canadians to be making a reality competition show that has a different perspective than around a show made out of the U.S. There’s space in this environment for all of these different perspectives and that’s what people are tuning into,” he adds about the success of Blown Away.
Fellow Marblemedia co-creator Mark Bishop insists Drink Masters is the product of an indie producer based in Canada, but operating as an American company focused on a world market that Netflix and other streaming players are expanding into. “We’re a Canadian company, but our focus has been about working closely with the U.S. We’re there. We have someone based in LA., we’re there, working and selling directly to the streamers in the U.S. We’re operating like an American company and a local company as we work with them, and all the while leveraging every dollar that we can out of Canada and we have by creating Canadian content,” Bishop tells THR.
Netflix’s Drink Masters, unveiled on Thursday, sees mixologists drawn from celebrated bars in New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas and elsewhere who are mostly veterans of the cocktail competition circuit. The series is shot in Hamilton, Ontario on a giant soundstage with nine cameras trained on two long bars, velvet fabrics, chandeliers, bar stools, floor-to-ceiling shelves of bottled spirits and a kitchen to which contestants are forever racing back and forth for key ingredients.
The cocktails are marked on taste, presentation and how the palates of the two judges, Frankie Solarik and Julie Reiner, are reacting that day. And the tough job of making that rarified passion for cocktails gripping for ordinary TV viewers falls to the series host, Tone Bell, a stand-up comic who starred as John Levy alongside Andra Day in Lee Daniels’ The United States vs. Billie Holiday.
“I’m getting some jokes off, but I’m also learning stuff that people at home will take away as they try to make things that our competitors created,” Bell tells THR. “That’s the really fun part of the series.”
Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/netflix-blown-away-producer-marblemedia-drink-masters-reality-series-1235199949/
OVERLORD AND THE UNDERWOODS NOW STREAMING ON HULU!
August 4 – marblemedia is thrilled to share that OVERLORD AND THE UNDERWOODS is now available on Hulu!
This charming comedy follows the Underwoods, a North American family, whose life is turned upside down when their distant cousin, Overlord, the second most wanted villain in the universe, seeks refuge in their home after being forced into intergalactic witness protection. After snitching out his boss, the evil Mega-Lord Supreme, Overlord is sent to live with his incredibly nice, distant cousins on Planet Earth. Over the course of the series, the evil Overlord and the very sweet Underwoods discover a thing or two about each other as they learn to treasure the value of family and the importance of true friendship, diversity, and compassion.
For American residents, click here for more information:
https://www.hulu.com/series/overlord-and-the-underwoods-a0f6a2b4-2986-4d50-9b79-ced0f14792e6
Safety Gear at the Ready as Discovery Reveals the 12 Carvers Competing in the All-New Series A CUT ABOVE, Beginning August 8
– Hosted by Adam Beach, the 12 episode Discovery original series features homegrown and international chainsaw-wielding carvers competing for a cash prize and the title of “A Cut Above” –
– New episodes and exclusive content available on CTV.ca and the CTV app each week –
TORONTO (July 18, 2022) – Discovery gears up for a competition series like no other when the all-new Canadian original series, A CUT ABOVE, premieres Monday, August 8 at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT. Also revealed today are the 12 highly skilled carvers who are ready to tackle the ultimate carving competition. The gifted group of chainsaw wielding whizzes from around the world must demonstrate their creativity, strength, and skill, as they turn ordinary logs into extraordinary works of art.
Each one-hour episode of A CUT ABOVE sees the talented carvers compete to win both the Quick and Master Carve challenges while racing against the clock in hopes of avoiding weekly elimination. At the end of the entire competition, the artist who out-carves the rest wins a cash prize and is declared “A Cut Above”.
As previously announced, Golden Globe-nominated actor, Adam Beach, joins as host alongside world-renowned Canadian chainsaw carver Ryan Cook and esteemed sculptor, Katharine Dowson, who bring their combined expertise and artistic prowess as judges.
Meet the 12 cutting edge carvers. For the full carver bios, visit The Lede:
Andrew Mallon, Age 39 Falls Church, VA 8 Years’ Experience “Honestly, if I make it through the first round, I’ll win the whole thing.”
Aya Blane, Age 46 Boonville, NY 17 Years’ Experience “I can’t do anything else. I’m a chainsaw carver.”
Bongo Love, Age 47 Boulder, CO 15 Years’ Experience "It's a big canvas. I'm just excited, I can't wait for the outcome.”
Brigitte Lochhead, Age 40 (she/her) Vancouver, B.C. 14 Years’ Experience “Carving brings me joy. Carving with others amplifies that.”
Chris Wood, Age 52 Newport, Wales 22 Years’ Experience “I like to be energetic in my art – the combination of energy and focus is very meditative for me”
Jesse Toso, Age 46 Vancouver, B.C. 17 Years’ Experience “I love when the wood tells me what it wants to be.”
Joel Palmer, Age 37 Browns Flat, N.B. 9 Years’ Experience “Within seconds I can transform the ordinary, into the extraordinary, revealing the hidden surfaces below, with ease.”
John Hayes, Age 49 Waterford, Ireland 7 Years’ Experience "I'm an ideas man. Lists and details, forget it. But talk to me about an idea, and my brain lights up!"
Junior Henderson, Age 44 Campbell River, B.C. 15 Years’ Experience “I got into carving because I wanted to be like my Grandfather.”
Ryan Villiers, Age 41 Edmonton, Alta. 4 Years’ Experience “I want to take on as many competitions as possible!”
Sam Bowsher, Age 23 Moffat, Scotland 3 Years’ Experience "All my idols growing up were chainsaw carvers, starting with my Dad."
Sylvia Itzen, Age 53 Bucholz, Germany 20 Years’ Experience "I have both feet on the ground and I know what I want: to be a great carver."
Each week, viewers can stream new episodes of A CUT ABOVE on CTV.ca and the CTV app, which is also home to behind-the-scenes videos, cast highlights, and more
A CUT ABOVE was created and produced by leading global entertainment company, marblemedia, in association with Bell Media for Discovery. For marblemedia, Matt Hornburg, Mark Bishop, and Diane Rankin are Executive Producers, Donna Luke and Carly Spencer are co-Executive Producers, Grant Greschuck is series producer, and the series was created by development producer Kelsey Epsensen. For Bell Media, Tina Apostolopoulos is Sr. Production Executive; Sarah Fowlie is Head of Production, Original Programming; Carlyn Klebuc is General Manager, Original Programming; Pat DiVittorio is Vice-President, CTV and Specialty Programming, and General Manager, Discovery Networks. Justin Stockman is Vice-President, Content Development & Programming. Karine Moses is Senior Vice-President, Content Development & News and Vice Chair, Québec, Bell. Distribution360, a marblemedia company, holds worldwide distribution rights.
source: https://www.bellmedia.ca/the-lede/press/safety-gear-at-the-ready-as-discovery-reveals-the-12-carvers-competing-in-the-all-new-series-a-cut-above-beginning-august-8/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=safety-gear-at-the-ready-as-discovery-reveals-the-12-carvers-competing-in-the-all-new-series-a-cut-above-beginning-august-8
marblemedia Signs First-Look Deal with Ira Levy Banner
The multi-year agreement with Levy's Spike & Sadie Media spans all genres, with Distribution360 retaining global distribution on all projects.
Toronto-based TV prodco marblemedia has signed a multi-year, first-look deal with Ira Levy’s new boutique film and television production banner, Spike & Sadie Media.
Mark Bishop, co-CEO and executive producer at marblemedia, tells Playback Daily the deal is across all genres — primetime scripted, unscripted and kids and family — with marblemedia acquiring both existing projects that Levy has been developing on his Spike & Sadie slate, as well as new projects.
Distribution360, marblemedia’s distribution arm, will retain global distribution on all projects in the first look-deal.
Levy tells Playback that since launching Toronto-based Spike & Sadie Media in January, he’s “been looking to partner with creators that are authentic storytellers rooted in creativity, with a willingness to take risks.”
“So it felt very natural to sign a first-look deal with Mark and Matt [Hornburg] at marblemedia who are proven leaders in both the unscripted and scripted space,” says Levy, whose producing credits include Less Than Kind and Kenny vs. Spenny.
Bishop says he and Hornburg, who is also co-CEO and executive producer at marblemedia, have known Levy — a veteran producer who is also co-founder of Breakthrough Entertainment — for over 20 years. “Both hold much mutual respect for one another and have often talked about wanting to work on projects together,” he says.
“We have a shared commitment to developing new talent and telling original stories, and this first look-deal brings many exciting new projects to marblemedia’s expansive roster of content,” says Bishop. “Ira has been nurturing a really dynamic slate of primetime projects, a mix of both established creators and producer and many new voices, all of whom we look forward to collaborating with.”
In March, Spike & Sadie Media announced it had finalized the acquisition of 10 scripted projects that are in development from Toronto-based producer-distributor Breakthrough Entertainment.
Bishop says the first-look deal fits into marblemedia’s multi-year growth plan to increase its output of premium content production for global streamers, international partners and domestic broadcasters, with “fresh, rich stories” and a a particular focus on primetime and co-viewing scripted.
It also supports both marblemedia’s goal to showcase and nurture new talent and the company’s announcement last year of Carrie Paupst Shaughnessy’s (VP of scripted and executive producer, marblemedia) expanded role as executive producer of scripted.
“We know how respected Ira is in the industry as a trusted executive producer and he has great taste,” says Bishop. “This multi-year deal will allow us to support the development and production of an increased volume of production of marblemedia content.”