Blue Ant Studios
Leona Connell, senior scripted consultant at Blue Ant Rights, and senior VP of acquisitions Barnaby Shingleton discuss the distributor’s moves into scripted content, what they are looking to acquire for distribution and its slate for the London TV Screenings.
How is Blue Ant Rights’ slate evolving in 2026 as you expand into scripted?
Barnaby Shingleton: Scripted is new for us, and in 2026 we’re taking our first steps with the launch of three dramas at the London TV Screenings, which we’re very excited about. To some extent, these titles lean into our factual heritage, which feels like a comfortable and natural way for Blue Ant to enter a new genre.
While it’s still early days, Blue Ant’s evolving production capabilities, alongside the recent acquisition of Thunderbird Entertainment and its scripted expertise showcased through productions like Kim’s Convenience and the upcoming Crew Girl, will shape our strategy. As our approach continues to be refined, our focus remains on the overall mix of content and genres within the catalogue. The aim is to ensure we are supporting our own productions, our channel content and titles acquired from third parties, while maintaining a balanced, self-supporting slate.
What scripted projects are you launching at the London TV Screenings?
Leona Connell: Over the past few months, Blue Ant has picked up three new scripted titles, all of which are now available. The first of the three titles consists of two specials commissioned in the UK and produced by Orchard Studios. Each special is a 90-minute, standalone drama with documentary sensibilities based on investigative reporting and transcripts of key moments in real-life high-profile crime cases.
The second scripted project is a Canadian series called In the Pines (6×60’). It’s a character-driven crime drama inspired by real events. It follows a young woman who is down on her luck and drawn into a high-stakes world of organised crime by a seemingly ordinary man. As their stories intertwine, the audience is left questioning who is telling the truth and who might be manipulating the situation. Produced by Meta Films, the cast features Canadian actors, including Ryan Robbins, known for roles in Stargate Atlantis, Battlestar Galactica and Sanctuary. The series also features an amazing soundtrack, including several hits from the 1980s.
The third series, Elkhorn, comes from US-based Morningstar Entertainment and was commissioned by INSP, which is known for its Westerns. Based on a true story, Elkhorn follows Theodore Roosevelt in his early years. Already involved in politics, a personal tragedy leads the 25-year-old Roosevelt to leave New York and step away from politics for a time, heading to the Badlands, what was then the Wild West. The series explores his journey. He is asthmatic and blind without his glasses, yet he must survive in a harsh environment, set up a ranch and find a way to make it profitable.
Given Blue Ant’s extensive background in unscripted content, these true-story dramas offer a natural bridge into the scripted world. While not every drama we pursue will be based on real events, launching with true stories allows us to enter scripted through a genre that consistently resonates with buyers and audiences alike.
What are your plans for developing a pipeline of scripted and unscripted projects?
Shingleton: Blue Ant is well known for factual programming, particularly in crime, specialist factual and natural history, where we have a solid presence, with over 9,100 hours of content in our catalogue. Retaining that expertise and reputation remains important to us. As the business develops and we bring more production capabilities in-house, it’s natural for us to expand the verticals in which we operate.
Expanding into scripted is a strategic next step for us. We’re building on deep expertise across kids/family, young adult, factual entertainment and popular formats, and extending that strength into scripted in a way that complements the content coming out of our studios. It’s about evolving the catalogue to meet market demand while setting the business up for long-term growth.
How important will coproduction be to this new strategy/growing slate?
Shingleton: Coproduction has always been fundamental to our strategy. It’s a core capability for Blue Ant and something we’ve been successfully executing for years across financing, development and global distribution. As we expand into new genres, coproduction allows us to scale our ambition, take bigger risks, and build projects designed from the outset to travel internationally.
Connell: Canada gives us a competitive edge. The right projects can take advantage of coproduction structures that are attractive creatively and financially, which makes them even more compelling for global partners and buyers.
At what stage in the development and production process does Blue Ant Rights join scripted projects?
Shingleton: The short answer is as early as possible. We aim to be involved from the earliest stages, adding maximum value to the development process. We know our markets, we know our buyers, we know what people are looking for. It’s important that we share this insight with creatives and producers during development, so we can add value to the process and help ensure the content is positioned for successful distribution. At the same time, we’re also ready to board projects looking for closing finance, provided they fit our overall strategy.
Connell: We like to evaluate scripted projects at a relatively early stage, usually once there’s a completed script and a first broadcaster attached. At that point, the team can take a closer look at the project, including any attached cast, a director and other key talent, to see if it’s a good fit. While still early, these projects are generally already well developed, especially when it comes to drama.
How does Blue Ant approach self-commissioned content and what drives the company’s decisions in this area?
Shingleton: Our self-commissioned content, such as History Unsolved: The Investigation Files and World’s Most Secret Places, serve as great examples of how we can create programming that meets market needs. We know where demand exists and can create content to meet those needs, which is a very privileged position to be in. This demand-led strategy allows us to identify opportunities to develop and commission our own content. It’s an important capability because we have a strong reputation in specialist factual content, covering areas like crime, engineering and history, and we have trusted relationships with broadcasters.
How will your role change third-party content at Blue Ant?
Shingleton: I’m particularly focused on helping Blue Ant secure new content streams and explore verticals we’re not yet known for and will be working with genre leads in both scripted and kids/family/YA/animation to expand our Blue Ant Rights offering. This opens new possibilities and strengthens relationships with existing customers, while also helping us connect with new ones.
What kinds of shows are you looking to acquire for distribution in 2026?
Shingleton: We’re not precluding any type of programme. We’re open to early-stage discussions with producers across all kinds of content. What we’re looking for are projects that are commercially attractive, but also content that punches through to buyers. We want content that feels sticky, is returnable and gives us something to build our reputation around. We want content that is versatile enough to appeal across different broadcasters or time slots. For producers looking to work with Blue Ant, we can be as imaginative as you are, but we’re looking for content that can carry itself within our catalogue and truly make an impact.
Aside from scripted, how else is your 2026 slate expanding?
Shingleton: We are looking for opportunities to stretch beyond what people think of as our core competencies. Our team brings a wide range of individual skills, and our acquisitions team has expertise that is varied and broad. We’re excited to explore those strengths and see where they take us.
It’s about developing the business and guiding it into its next phase. That growth is grounded in what’s already happening at Blue Ant, including the Thunderbird deal and the insights that come from it, as well as the company’s passion and investment in strengthening its position across kids, family and YA under a unified studio structure. This evolution also reflects a growing focus on animation and formats, alongside premium live-action, as our production interests become broader, more international, and more platform-agnostic. As a business, we need our creative ambitions – and the projects we pursue – to reflect that expanded scope.
What new unscripted titles will you be showcasing in London?
Shingleton: Here is a list of unscripted titles that will be showcased in London:
What other initiatives will Blue Ant Rights be focusing on this year?
Connell: From a scripted perspective, the focus is not limited to drama alone. The strategy encompasses scripted more broadly, including comedy and YA. Our catalogue will be broadened by titles coming in from Thunderbird including Kim’s Convenience, which has been a success on Netflix, and its spin-off series Strays.
What else can you share about Blue Ant’s direction or opportunities for partners and buyers?
Shingleton: We are growing and expanding our slate to deliver a wider range of content than ever before, which is exciting. What this means is that if you are a buyer, you can expect more variety across genres and formats. If you are looking to partner with us, we are eager to explore new types of shows and projects of different scales. The bottom line is that we welcome fresh opportunities and are excited to build relationships with content partners, production teams, development partners and customers, all while continuing to deliver great content.
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