Lilly Singh signs scripted, factual deal with Blink49 Studios, Bell Media

Endeavor Content-backed Blink49 Studios and Toronto-based broadcast group Bell Media are partnering with Canadian actor and comedian Lilly Singh and her company Unicorn Island Productions on a first-look scripted and second-look unscripted deal.

Lilly Singh

The pact will be spearheaded by Singh and Polly Auritt, head of development at Unicorn Island, as well as Blink49 executive VP of global scripted Carolyn Newman and executive producer Virginia Rankin.

The companies said content produced through the deal will showcase underrepresented communities, with Singh, Auritt, Newman and Rankin exec producing on all projects. Blink49 Studios will handle production and worldwide distribution.

Singh, who initially gained fame as a YouTuber, has a large online following and has amassed a global audience of more than 38 million followers across her various social media channels. This year, she was a judge on Canada’s Got Talent, starred in DreamWorks Animation action-comedy The Bad Guys and launched her book club, Lilly’s Library, which puts a spotlight on South Asian storytelling. She is also set to star in Disney+’s upcoming comedy series The Muppets Mayhem.

Led by CEO John Morayniss, Blink49 has lined up several talent deals since launching in November, including an overall deal with executive producer and writer Ben Sokolowski and a multi-year first-look deal with Moonshine creator Sheri Elwood.

The company also received its first greenlights last month, with Bell Media’s CTV commissioning drama series Sight Unseen, coproduced with Sisters Troubetzkoy Productions, and US cablenet Hallmark Channel ordering multi-generational drama Ride, coproduced with Seven24 Films.