Everything about Reality, Lifestyle & Documentary, eh?

Marblemedia’s groundbreaking competition series Blown Away returns for Season 3 on Netflix

From a media release:

Blown Away is back for Season 3 on Friday, July 22, on Netflix, with some of the glass world’s heaviest hitters, all competing for the title of Best In Glass.

Ten glass artists have come to North America’s largest hot shop to push themselves to their creative limits. In each episode, the glassblowers must impress the evaluators or risk being eliminated. At stake is a life-changing prize that will send their careers to new heights.

YouTube science influencer Nickpedia and former NBC’s America’s Got Talent contestant Nick Uhas hosts the series alongside resident glass evaluator and overall glass master Katherine Gray.

Blown Away was filmed in the largest glassblowing studio in North America, designed and built specifically for the scope and scale of the competition

The series was commissioned by Netflix (global) and Blue Ant Media (Canada). The Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, NY, serves as a key consulting partner on the series and took part in the series.

This season’s competitors include:
• Claire Kelly (Corning, NY)
• Trenton Quiocho (Fircrest, WA)
• John Sharvin (Pittsburgh, PA)
• Rob Stern (Miami, FL)
• John Moran (Gent, Belgium)
• Brenna Baker (Weston, FL)
• Dan Friday (Shoreline, WA)
• Grace Whiteside (Brooklyn, NY)
• Maddy Hughes (Stourbridge, England)
• Minhi England (Seattle, WA)

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Cottage Life’s latest original special, The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence, goes on a quest to solve the 400-year-old mystery of a lost English colony

From a media release:

Cottage Life’s original documentary special, The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence, follows renowned British archeologist Professor Mark Horton and local historian Scott Dawson as they dig for evidence that could help solve one of America’s oldest and most controversial mysteries: what happened to the first English colony on Roanoke Island? Featuring fascinating interviews, never-before-seen archeological evidence and cutting-edge scientific analysis, the special offers compelling theories on the fate of the first European colonists in the Americas, who settled on Roanoke Island in 1587 and suddenly vanished without a trace three years later. The Canadian broadcast premiere of The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence airs Friday, July 1 at 9 p.m. ET/PT as a two-part documentary special on Cottage Life.

In 1587, a group of 117 men, women and children set sail for America from England. Arriving three decades before the Mayflower, they were on track to become American heroes. Instead, they became the subject of America’s first mystery. According to myth, many of the colonists were murdered; the rest had fled. One of the only clues to their fate: a coded message carved into a tree. The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence gives audiences exclusive access to a new excavation site on the Island, piecing together centuries-old clues and compelling archeological evidence for the first time to reveal the truth of the settlers’ disappearance. The documentary unravels a story filled with hope and inspiration, reflecting a bond between the English settlers and an Indigenous Croatoan tribe that will forever change the history books.

The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence is a co-production between Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company and BriteSpark Films, part of Argonon Media. Nick Godwin, Michael Kot, Betty Orr and Steve Gamester serve as Executive Producers. Overseeing the series for Cottage Life TV is Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content for Blue Ant Media’s Canadian channels. Blue Ant International oversees licensing for The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence.

The Roanoke Mystery: New Evidence premieres on July 1st as part of Cottage Life’s “Mystery Marathon” programming stunt during the Canada Day long weekend. The two-part special will air alongside popular series Mysteries from Above, What on Earth?, Unearthed, Strange Evidence and Mysteries of the Abandoned.

Cottage Life is a Blue Ant Media multi-platform brand, with its own dedicated Cottage Life specialty television network celebrating the people, activities and places that make leisure time special.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Blue Ant Media unveils new greenlights for its Canadian TV platforms

From a media release:

Blue Ant Media announced today three new greenlights and one renewal set to air across its homegrown Canadian specialty TV platforms: Cottage Life, T+E and Love Nature. The new wave of greenlights reinforces Blue Ant Media’s ongoing commitment to creating premium, engaging content with global reach and scale. Overseen by Sam Linton, VP, Head of Original Content, Canadian Media, Blue Ant Media, the originals lineup includes a mix of world broadcast and Canadian premieres with all four series available for licensing globally by Blue Ant International.

Love Nature’s commitment to creating emotional connections between its audience and the natural world is realized once again through its latest original series, Cub Camp (World Broadcast Premiere), which introduces passionate animal lovers to the orphaned cubs at Black Bear Rescue Manitoba. Produced by Merit Motion Pictures, the six-part series offers audiences the unique opportunity to follow adorable orphaned black bear cubs, from the moment they’re rescued to the day they’re released into the wild. Cub Camp is a Love Nature global commission slated to air in Canada and roll out worldwide on Love Nature’s branded linear and streaming platforms. Filming begins spring/summer 2023.

The second greenlight is American Doomsday (wt) (Canadian Broadcast Premiere), slated to air on Cottage Life alongside an existing roster of successful extreme weather and survival series. The new three-part documentary series examines Mother Nature’s sheer power of destruction in an in-depth analysis on weather phenomena and natural forces and its effects on humans and the geology of our planet. Renewed for Cottage Life is the hit original investigative series, Mysteries from Above (Season 2; World Broadcast Premiere) which will land on the channel in summer 2023. The second installment comes off the back of Season 1’s success, which currently sits as the #1-rated new series on Cottage Life this year. The series captures breathtaking, aerial footage from modern sites to remote and untouched locations across the globe, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers.

Finally, on T+E, Canada’s home to paranormal programming, Blue Ant Media has greenlit the original series Haunted Lost and Found (wt)(World Broadcast Premiere), a treaty co-production between Singaporean producers Beach House Pictures, Momo Film Co. and Vancouver-based De Vries Production. The new six-part series features first-hand accounts from unlucky individuals who purchased, found or were gifted an item, only to discover their newfound possessions were haunted or cursed. Each episode features three mysterious and chilling stories, ranging from items found on the dark web to those discovered in dark alleys.

For a full list of original programming highlights, please see below.

LOVE NATURE

Cub Camp (6×60’; HD)
World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Merit Motion Pictures
Cub Camp gives viewers an inside look at the Black Bear Rescue Manitoba rehabilitation program, a unique centre that rescues and rehabilitates black bear cubs left orphaned as a result of losing their mothers due to human encroachment on their territories and natural disasters. The cameras follow adorable orphaned cubs, from the moment they’re rescued to the day they’re big enough to be released back into the wild. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

COTTAGE LIFE

American Doomsday (wt) (3×90’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • Canadian Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Wildflame/Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company
A three-part documentary series that looks at how the epic rise of super weather phenomena and natural forces and how it could devastate those living in New York, Miami and the entire west coast. The series provides fascinating insights and grave predictions, which include New York City underwater by 2050, the entire city of Miami sinking into the sea, and a mega-earthquake poised to hit the west coast from California to Canada. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Mysteries from Above, Season 2 (8×60’; HD)
Scheduled for summer 2023 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producer: Saloon Media, a Blue Ant Media company
Mysteries from Above takes to the skies to offer Canadian audiences a chance to see the world from fresh and exhilarating perspectives. The series explores remote, hard-to-reach locations as drones explore strange geological occurrences, unique man-made structures, curious creatures and lost civilizations, revealing fascinating insights and never-before-seen footage to the viewers. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

T+E

Haunted Lost and Found (wt) (6×60’; HD)
Scheduled for spring 2023 • World Broadcast Premiere
Producers: Beach House Pictures, a Blue Ant Media company, Momo Film Co. and De Vries Production
Haunted Lost and Found explores what happens when a found, purchased or gifted object brings terror into the lives of those who acquired it accidentally without knowing its sinister past. The six-part documentary series features first-hand accounts and dramatic reenactments of those whose lives took a horrific turn as a result of their newfound possessions being haunted or cursed. Each hour-long episode features three chilling stories ranging from items found on the dark web to those discovered in dark alleys. Distributed by Blue Ant International.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition Winners announced

From a media release:

The Banff World Media Festival (BANFF) is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Rockie Awards International Program Competition, hosted by actress and comedian Rakhee Morzaria (Run the Burbs).

One of the largest awards programs of its kind and juried by an esteemed panel of 150 international industry professionals, the Rockie Awards International Program Competition presented awards in twenty-eight (28) categories spanning Documentary & Factual, Arts & Entertainment, Children & Youth, Scripted, and Podcast. In addition, the $25,000 Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content was awarded to the top Canadian production and The Francophone Prize for the top French-language production.

The competition featured 148 nominations from 45 countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, France, China, Germany, Italy and Norway.

International Program Competition winners include:

Best Comedy & Variety Program
Friends: The Reunion
HBO Max, Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, Warner Horizon, Fulwell 73 Productions, Bright, Kauffman, Crane Productions (USA)

Best in Competition Series & Game Shows
RuPaul’s Drag Race
World of Wonder, VH1 (USA)

Best Docuseries
The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet
Studio Silverback, BBC, Discovery Channel (USA, UK)

Best Lifestyle Program
Employable Me
Thomas Howe Associations (CANADA)

Best Reality Series
Running Wild with Bear Grylls
Electus LLC, National Geographic (USA)

Best in Animation: Children
Karma’s World
Netflix, 9 Story Media Group, Brown Bag Films, Karma’s World Entertainment (USA, CANADA, IRELAND)

Best in Animation: Preschool
ODO
Sixteen South, Letko (UK, POLAND)

Best in Animation: Youth
The Case (La custodia)
Graphilm Entertainment, Rai Ragazzi (ITALY)

Best in Interactive Content: Children
CBC Kids Tokyo 2020 Olympic Website
CBC Kids, Hypersurge (CANADA)

Best in Live Action: Children
Jamie Johnson
Short Form, BBC (UK)

Best in Live Action: Youth
Six Degrees (Six Degrés)
Encore Télévision (CANADA)

Best Arts & Culture Program
Introducing, Selma Blair
Discovery+, LD Entertainment, Liddell Entertainment (USA)

Best Crime & Investigative Program
Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped Abroad
Three-three-four, XTR, Kilometric Productions, Discovery+ (USA)

Best Environmental & Wildlife Program
Tiny World
Plimsoll Productions (UK)

Best History & Biography
Surviving 9/11
Top Hat, BBC, Keshet (UK)

Best Non-Fiction Podcast
Have You Heard George’s Podcast?
BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Live, George the Poet (UK)

Best Science & Technology Program
Own The Room
National Geographic Documentary Film, Saville Productions (USA)

Best Short Non-Fiction Program
A Nation and Her Mother
Animiki See Digital Production Inc, Media RendezVous, Wookey Films Inc, APTN (CANADA)

Best Social Issues & Current Affairs Program
Dying to Divorce
Dying to Divorce Ltd, Aldeles, Tigerlily Productions, Freak Productions (UK, NORWAY)

Best Sports Documentary
Torn
National Geographic Documentary Films, Lightbox, Wilderpeople Productions (USA)

Best Comedy Series: English Language
We Are Lady Parts
Working Title Television, Universal International Studios, Universal Studio Group (UK)

Best Comedy Series: Non-English Language
Countrymen (Jordbrukerne)
Rubicon TV AS (NORWAY, FRANCE)

Best Drama Series: English Language
Vigil
World Productions (UK)

Best Drama Series: Non-English Language
Kamikaze
Profile Pictures, HBO Max (DENMARK, CANARY ISLANDS, SOUTH KOREA, UK)

Best Feature-Length Film
Help
The Forge, Channel 4, All3Media International (UK)

Best Limited Series
Landscapers
HBO, SISTER, South of the River Pictures, Sky Studios (USA, UK)

Best Fiction Podcast
The Orchard
Princess Pictures, Audible (AUSTRALIA)

Best Short Fiction Program
@IAmSophieScholl (@IchbinSophieScholl)
Sommerhaus Serien GmbH, VICE Media GmbH, Unframed Productions GmbH, SWR, BR (GERMANY)

Rogers Prize for Excellence in Canadian Content
Captive
Antica Productions (CANADA)

Prix Francophone (Francophone Prize)
Audrey est revenue (Audrey’s Back)
Pixcom, Quebecor Content (CANADA)

Emerging Talent Prize
Rebekah Miskin (Night Owl)

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail

Score G Productions and Electric Panda Entertainment partner with Super Channel to produce documentary on Canadian rock icon, Bif Naked

From a media release:

Adam Scorgie’s Score G Production Films announced today that they will produce Bif Naked: One of a Kind, along with Electric Panda Entertainment, Her Royal Majesty’s Ent., and Gruvpix Films. The film is licensed by Super Channel and will be a Super Channel original documentary anticipated to air in early 2024.The documentary film will unveil the extraordinary life story of punk-alternative music artist Bif Naked AKA Beth Torbert and how this small-town girl who was orphaned in New Delhi, India became one of Canada’s most beloved and treasured rock icons.

The feature documentary will be written and directed by the Genie and Sundance award-winning director, Jennifer Abbott (The Corporation, The Magnitude of All Things, The New Corporation), and produced by Adam Scorgie, Yas Taalat, Gabriel Napora and Shane Fennessey who recently released their previous two documentaries with Universal Pictures. Executive producers will also include Peter Karroll, Yipeng Ben Lu, Mackenzie Donaldson, Costa Vassos, Cody Sparshu, Jim Malmgren and Darin Thera.

Facebooktwitterredditlinkedinmail