Tag: Blue Ant Studios

Blue Ant Readies London Screenings Slate With First-Ever Move Into Scripted Programming

Blue Ant Rights, the distribution arm of Blue Ant Studios, on Feb. 19 unveiled an expanded slate of 40 new and returning premium titles that it will debut next week at the London TV Screenings, an annual, independent and invitation-only event for international content buyers to view new scripted, unscripted, and format content.

The line-up introduces scripted programming to Blue Ant’s regular offering of factual entertainment, true crime and documentaries.

The company’s global catalog now surpasses 9,000 hours following Blue Ant Media’s acquisition of Thunderbird Entertainment.

As part of its move into primetime scripted, Blue Ant Rights is introducing three new titles, “In the Pines,” “Elkhorn” and “Suspect.”  The distributor is working with industry veteran Leona Connell, who has joined the team as senior scripted consultant.

Inspired by real events, the six-part scripted series “In the Pines” is a character-driven crime drama set inside a dangerous criminal enterprise built on deception. Sara, a down-on-her-luck outsider, is drawn into a high-stakes world by Dan, a regular guy who’s just trying to support himself and his daughter. Their friendship feels real, and their paths intertwine more and more — until a shocking event turns the tables on everything they know about each other. What begins as a way to get by quickly becomes something much harder to escape. As their paths intertwine, and the deeper they go, every connection raises the question of who is telling the truth and who may be playing another game.

“Elkhorn” is an action-packed Western that presents the coming-of-age story of a young man, Theodore Roosevelt, who must overcome an unimaginable personal tragedy when his mother and wife die on the same day.

And “Suspect” is a factual drama series that revolves around police interrogations of prime suspects in high-profile true crime cases. The scripted format format follows the minute-by-minute story of those critical hours in the interview room. The shows intercut the realtime interrogation with flashbacks to the crime scene, and documentary-style interviews with key characters in the story.

The slate also features returning shows “The Jury: Skeleton in the Garden” (Australia), the investigative series “World’s Most Secret Places,” and a slate of true-crime titles including “Fatal First Dates” and “Murder USA,” as well as contemporary documentaries “Deepfaking Sam Altman” and “Beyond the Silk Road.”

“This year’s London Screenings slate reflects the continued evolution of our business,” said Mark Bishop, co-president of Blue Ant Studios. “We’re expanding into primetime scripted while continuing to strengthen our offering across documentary, factual entertainment and formats. With a growing catalogue and an increased ability to leverage our collective strength across our distribution, expanded studios production and channels businesses, we’re able to offer partners flexible deal structures, tailored content packages and exclusive windowing opportunities.”

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Blue Ant Media Repositions Studios Arm

Blue Ant Media has announced a strategic repositioning of Blue Ant Studios, introducing a genre-based operating model; streamlined studio branding; and a strengthened senior leadership team designed to accelerate growth across development, production and global content monetization.

The changes follow Blue Ant’s recently completed acquisition of Thunderbird Entertainment and Boat Rocker Studios, which significantly expanded the company’s size and scope, adding new capabilities, talent and IP.

Blue Ant Studios will continue to be led by co-presidents Mark Bishop and Matt Hornburg, with Hornburg overseeing content strategy, development and production, and Bishop leading content monetization, rights and commercial strategy. This structure aligns creative leadership and commercial execution more closely across the studio ecosystem, according to the company.

Under the new structure, Blue Ant Studios will be organized around genre-based centers of expertise, reflecting how content is developed, financed and produced in the global market, according to the company.

Kids, Family & YA will be led by Jennifer Twiner McCarron, president, reporting to Hornburg. McCarron’s portfolio will encompass scripted, animation, and youth-focused content. Atomic Cartoons and Jam Filled Entertainment will continue to operate under their established brands within this pillar. McCarron’s direct reports will include Joel Bradley, president of Atomic; Lori McIndoe, president of Jam Filled; Tori Coulthart, EVP of production for Jam Filled; and Lindsay MacAdam, who will continue to lead and grow the scripted business on behalf of Blue Ant.

Blue Ant Studios’ Unscripted division will combine the company’s factual and lifestyle expertise into a single, unified group, creating a larger and more formidable unscripted center of expertise, according to the company. The consolidated division is designed to provide a more streamlined approach to engaging with buyers, financing content, and supporting long-running and returning series across factual, lifestyle and documentary programming. The Unscripted team will be led by Cathie James, who has taken on an expanded role as EVP of content, alongside Lesia Capone, who is growing her remit as EVP of production. Both will report to Hornburg. As part of these changes, the Great Pacific Media brand and ProperTV brand will sunset. Additionally, Great Pacific CEO David Way will be leaving the organization to take on advisory and consulting work.

Blue Ant Studios’ third stream will be anchored by Insight Productions, with John Brunton continuing on at the helm as CEO, and reporting to Hornburg. Insight will continue to be focused on the premium entertainment work they are known for, including large scale franchises and reality competition series, according to the company.

“This new structure sets Blue Ant Studios up for the next phase of growth,” Hornburg said in a statement. “Organizing around genre-based creative leadership allows us to develop and produce more ambitious slates, move more efficiently, and better support creators and partners as we build shows and franchises designed to travel globally.”

The company also announced an expansion of Blue Ant Rights, the company’s distribution arm, adding to its capabilities in kids and family sales, licensing and consumer products across all genres. Joining the Rights team are Richard Goldsmith, EVP of kids and family sales and brands, and Vienna Downes, director of consumer products and licensing. Both will report to Bishop.

With the acquisition of Thunderbird, the company reports it has added an additional 1,100 owned hours to its catalog, bringing it to a total of more than 9,000 hours of premium content.

“As the scale and diversity of our portfolio continues to grow, so does the opportunity to expand how we monetize our IP,” Bishop said in a statement. “Expanding our rights, licensing, and consumer products capabilities allows us to capture more value from our IP and accelerate commercial growth internationally.”

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Blue Ant Studios’ Distribution Arm Appoints Barnaby Shingleton SVP, Acquisitions

Blue Ant Rights, the distribution arm of Blue Ant Studios, has appointed Barnaby Shingleton SVP of acquisitions.

Barnaby will lead Blue Ant Studios’ global acquisitions strategy. He is charged with deepening relationships with producers, broadcasters and partners worldwide. Reporting to Mark Bishop, co-president of Blue Ant Studios, and based in the company’s London office starting Jan. 6, 2026, he will work closely with the studio’s production, distribution and channel teams to expand the company’s catalog and ensure a robust pipeline of programming for global partners.

“Barnaby is an exceptional executive with a proven track record of building premium content businesses and delivering global-scale results,” Bishop said. “His deep experience across content monetization and international distribution makes him a natural fit for Blue Ant as we continue to grow as a public company and expand our global rights and acquisitions strategy. We’re thrilled to welcome him to the team.”

Barnaby has more than 25 years of experience across global distribution, production, broadcast and development. He has held senior leadership roles at Sky Studios, Sky Vision and Zodiak Rights, where he was instrumental in building and scaling international distribution strategies and overseeing the development, financing and sale of unscripted and entertainment content.

Most recently, as director of factual at Sky Studios, Shingleton was responsible for overseeing Sky’s unscripted production companies across the United States and the U.K., including Love Productions and Jupiter Entertainment. During his tenure at Sky, he delivered Sky Original documentaries and series through financing and international co-production partnerships, developed documentary slates, expanded international catalogs, and commercialized content for global audiences.

“I’m delighted to be joining Blue Ant Studios at such an exciting moment in the company’s evolution,” Shingleton said. “Blue Ant has built a strong global reputation for premium storytelling and creative ambition, and I’m looking forward to working with the talented teams to expand the acquisitions strategy and help bring compelling stories to audiences globally.”

Additionally, Valentina Daley has been promoted to VP of acquisitions and production executive, reporting to Shingleton. She will oversee all U.S. and Canadian producer relationships for third-party acquisitions in addition to acting as production executive on third-party series commissioned through the studio.

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Blue Ant Announces ‘Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy’ Licensed Around the World

On the cusp of MIPCOM, Blue Ant Rights, the distribution arm of Blue Ant Studios, announced a wave of international sales for Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy. The ITN Productions documentary has been acquired by more than a dozen leading platforms, reaching more than 50 territories across EMEA, Latin America, North America and Asia Pacific.

The documentary, which first premiered on Peacock in the United States, weaves Perry’s rise to fame with the tragic events leading to his final days, as he allegedly received ketamine from individuals “who should have known better.” Perry’s castmates, family, friends, law enforcement, and a brutally honest Perry himself tell this epic Hollywood story. 

“Kicking off MIPCOM with such strong global demand is a tremendous way to start the market,” Mark Bishop, co-president of Blue Ant Studios, said in a statement. “Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy is exactly the kind of bold, relevant storytelling we’re committed to bringing to international buyers, and this wave of sales underscores Blue Ant Rights’ growing reputation as a go-to partner for major access-driven documentaries and premium factual content.” 

The list of platforms that have picked up Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy includes: Bravo New Zealand (New Zealand); DR Danish Broadcasting Corp. (Denmark); Dox TV (Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Kosovo); ITV Rights (Ireland and UK); NBCUniversal Global Networks Latin America (across 33 LatAm territories); NRK Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (Norway); Stan (Australia); TV4 (Sweden); MTV (Finland); and Quebecor Content (French Canada).

Sales for Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy, follow Blue Ant Rights’ recent acquisition of Taylor, the highly anticipated docuseries about Taylor Swift. The Company’s growing roster of documentaries also features Judi Dench: Shakespeare, My Family, and Me, The Great Art Fraud and Never Get Busted!.

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Blue Ant Sells Rights to ‘Mysteries From Above’ to A+E Global’s History Channel

Blue Ant Studios on June 11 announced the sale of rights for seasons 1-3 of investigative history series “Mysteries From Above” to A+E Global Media’s History Channel in the United States.

Announced at Banff World Media Festival, the deal furthers the studio’s commitment to exporting its Canadian productions to the U.S. market and globally.

“This sale is a true reflection of Blue Ant Studios’ commitment to showcasing premium Canadian content on a global scale,” said Mark Bishop, co-president of Blue Ant Studios. “Our continued dedication to exporting homegrown titles is key to helping cement Canada’s position as a leader in our industry, and we’re excited to be doing so by expanding our existing partnership with A+E.”

“Mysteries From Above” sets out to investigate significant historic and contemporary sites from above with drone, satellite, and aerial photography. Each story begins with a view from above, which allows a unique perspective to understand the site below. From eerie abandoned sites, to staggering natural marvels, to the evocative relics of ancient civilizations, the series uses cutting-edge satellites, drones, and aerial views to uncover long-forgotten secrets, solve earth-bound enigmas and explore bizarre natural phenomena.

Blue Ant Studios is an international production studio and rights business with operations in Toronto, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, Singapore and Sydney. The company’s diverse production slate spans scripted comedy and drama, unscripted entertainment, formats, high-impact documentaries, live-action kids and family and animation.

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