Datsit acquires second Kew company

Quebec-based producer and distributor Datsit Sphere has picked up a second company from the wreckage of Kew Media, this time acquiring Cardinal producer Sienna Films.

Jennifer Kawaja

The acquisition of the scripted prodco, led by producers Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny, follows last week’s purchase of BGM.

Sienna was founded in 1992 to create premium entertainment from distinct perspectives. The company’s first production was a copro with the UK’s Channel 4 and October Films. The company has grown into one of Canada’s pre-eminent English-language narrative producers.

Sienna has been behind some of the top TV series produced in Canada over recent years, including four seasons of Cardinal for Bell Media, US streamer Hulu, BBC4 in the UK and French pay TV outfit Canal+.

It has also produced three seasons of Ransom for Corus in Canada and CBS in the US.

It is currently working on Trickster for CBC and APTN, the indigenous supernatural-inspired drama series based on the bestselling Son of a Trickster trilogy by author Eden Robinson.

Previous parent company Kew ran into difficulties at the end of 2019 when it announced that financial statements from chief financial officer Geoff Webb contained inaccurate information with regards to working capital.

Julia Sereny

Webb left Kew and internal investigations were launched. Last month, the company was forced to leave the Toronto Stock Exchange when auditor Grant Thornton withdrew previously released reports on the firm owing to an “inability to rely on representations he [Webb] made to Grant Thornton in the course of its audits and review of Kew’s financial statements.”

Jamie Brown retook control of his Canadian indie Frantic Films just prior to the administration, following Dance Moms producer Collins Avenue, Scottish outfit Two Rivers, and London-based distributor TCB Media in beating a hasty retreat from the stricken firm.

Kew announced it had entered administration in February.

Bruno Dubé, president and CEO of Datsit Sphere, said: “We are proud to welcome the exceptional talent of Jennifer Kawaja and Julia Sereny and of all Sienna team to our company.

“The addition of Sienna Films to our talented and creative team best known for primetime drama and comedy, Transplant, 19-2, Rumours and This Life, will give us the opportunity to increase our production capacities in scripted television and feature films, for which demand is growing rapidly around the world.”

Datsit Sphere has worked in Quebec’s audiovisual sector for more than 35 years and has offices in Montreal and Toronto.